Frank Wrabel 128 pages softcover
Pennsylvania Station Baltimore, originally named Union
Station, is the third station building to occupy 1500 North Charles
Street. Approximately one mile north of Baltimore's commercial city
center, the station is a monument to the first private railroad line to
circle the city.
Renamed Pennsylvania Station in 1928 after the consolidation of four
smaller railroads, the station's small size, initially considered a flaw
from its inception, became a key to its survival after rail travel
declined in the 1950s. Neither too large to be maintained nor too
restrictive to facilitate broader commercial development under the
direction of its new owner, Amtrak, the station's practical original
layout was flexible enough to support both high-speed and commuter
railroad service. Today, the station's structure and surrounding spaces
are being transformed into a range of development opportunities that
will ensure its future as a destination in itself, beyond remaining the
front door to the high-speed trains of the Northeast Corridor.
