More on this on the Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill board. In short - $20 million project to change Wayne Junction and neighboring stations for the better including preservation and new construction components for the neighborhood. And now they want to demolish the Wayne Junction Headhouse after saying they would not. The Headhouse is on the national register of historic places, and in 2008 they are still thinking its okay to take these buildings down. Plans are only 40% complete so there is still a chance to encourage the public to learn more about this and voice their concern.

Is Septa allowed to tear down the Wayne Junction Headhouse if it is on the national historic register? I thought the whole point of designating something as historic was so that it couldn't be torn down without a heinous legal battle.

Well, PA's historic preservation laws have been a shambles for over a decades, and the National Trust carries no actual legal weight (unlike the National Trust in the UK), so it's entirely possible that SEPTA can do whatever the hell they want.

BTW, is there such thing as "good news about SEPTA planning"? Drunken five year-olds could do a better job.

If they are getting federal money for this project (a good bet), then they need to get necessary environmental permits. That includes either avoiding "Section 4(f)" resources (historic properties, parklands, archaeological sites, etc.) or proving to the government's satisfaction (in this case, probably the FTA) that there's no feasible alternative.

It could be that it's either impossible to avoid hitting the headhouse, or that they could do it but it would be unreasonable because the alternatives are not as good at meeting the needs of the project, or if it would impose dramatically higher costs to the project.

If this is being funded entirely by their own revenue stream or by state funds, the rules are somewhat looser.

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Boom, boom, acka-lacka-lacka boom.
Boom, boom, acka-lacka boom boom.

Fact check: this isn't a National Trust designation!

Urban to upgrade Wayne Junction Station

An Urban led Team has been selected by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to design improvements to the Wayne Junction Station, one of its busiest and most important commuter rail stations.
Wayne Junction is a gateway for many of SEPTA’s busiest Regional Rail lines with the R1, R2, R3, R5, R7 and R8 passing through the station.

The main goal of the project is to address the significant state of disrepair of the station. This includes historic rehabilitation of sections of the station: platforms, the baggage room building, the waiting room building, and the canopies. ADA compliance issues will also be addressed through the construction of a new high-level platform and increased access to the inbound and outbound platforms. Canopies will be removed and replaced with new ones similar to the original design. If possible, existing parts of the old canopy will be used in the rehabilitation. Elevators and ramps will be installed to provide access to the high-level platforms. Rehabilitation work will address the passenger and baggage tunnels and stairways from Wayne and Germantown Avenues. Concurrently, rail operations will be revised by consolidating the R7 Chestnut Hill East service onto one track adjacent to the west side of the new high-level platform considerably improving safety. Improved amenities and non-interruption in service is important to SEPTA, its patrons, and the community.

http://www.urbanengineers.com/hmtl/n...aynejunct.html


Wayne Junction is a SEPTA Regional Rail station along the SEPTA Main Line located at 4481 Wayne Avenue near Windrim Avenue in North Philadelphia.[1]
[edit]Station

The station building was originally constructed in 1881 and rebuilt in 1900, with Frank Furness as the architect. The station, located in fare zone one, does have a sales office but lacks any dedicated parking spaces.[1] Wayne Junction will be undergoing a $11,165,600 renovation that will include a new low level platform, an additional high-level platform in the in-bound side, two new elevators, and new canopies and windscreens. [2]
In FY 2005, Wayne Junction station had a weekday average of 740 boardings and 597 alightings. [3]
[edit]Service

The R7 Chestnut Hill East line joins the SEPTA Main Line at the Wayne Junction. Wayne Junction is the last station before the R8 Fox Chase line splits off the SEPTA Main Line, at Newtown Junction. Additionally, Wayne Junction is served by the R1 Airport, R2 Warminster, R3 West Trenton, R5 Lansdale-Doylestown Regional Rail lines on the SEPTA Main Line.
Wayne Junction is also served by SEPTA Bus Route 53.[4] Wayne Junction is also served by SEPTA Route 23, a trolley route that has been operated by buses since 1992.[5] The Western terminus for SEPTA Route 75, a suspended trackless trolley line. [6]

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It's too tall..! it ruins the feel of the city..! It casts massive shadows..! It's an architectural nightmare..! We should stand together and fight this monstrosity that threatens our homes..! ...but amazingly no one tore down the Eiffel Tower.

or.. why we shouldn't always listen to "neighborhood groups" and critics.

Federal money is involved and as a result the proposed demoltion must be reviewed at several levels in order for that to happen, and apparently most importantly at the state level by the Bureau of Historic Preservation.

What is most most distressing is that demolition is not needed to allow for any ADA improvements or others for that matter. Demolishing it will only leave an open space on the platform.

Now that news of the proposed demolition is spreading, what many in Germantown want is for the building to be stabilized and sealed so it can be saved long enough for an appropriate re-use once the benefits of such a large investment in the station and community begin to reap the benefits of new residential and retail that is planned for the site.

What is really absurd is that the desired demolition runs completely counter to the City Planning Commission's new plan/recommendations for Germantown which recommends complete rehabilitation of the Wayne Junction station and the two headhouses.

I totally support what patio is saying: build around it, use the money earmarked for demolition to stabilize and seal it, sell ads to be plastered on it to raise money (my idea, if there are continuing expenses), and let it be known that the building is available for lease. It might take 10 or 20 years to get the funds together to get it squared away, but once it is demolished it is gone forever. The area around that train station should be among the most desirable in the city due to its housing stock and proximity to convenient rail and auto routes. It is in the process of being fixed up now (slowly), and getting the train station right will accelerate that process. The end result is that we are talking about a hot property going down the line, which will be historic to boot. Think about Eastern State Penitentiary and the Naval Home as recent examples.

Some of the folks from the historical community involved in the effort to save the headhouse at Wayne Junction were given an update on a tentative new plan for the building which would keep it in place. More is posted on the Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill section. But it seems as though SEPTA and their architectural partners heard our concerns, have gone back to the table, and come up with something that, at least in the concept stage, seems like a fair alternative. When new designs are available or SEPTA announces definitively I will post again.

Awesome idea. Unfortunately, SEPTA has not shown much interest in changing their charter to get them in to the economic development business.