7633 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19118
© Jane Mork Gibson, Workshop
of the World (Oliver Evans Press,
1990).
Nineteenth century
transportation to Chestnut Hill by omnibus and horse cars
was succeeded by a continuation of the electric traction
line which reached Germantown in 1894. Although Chestnut
Hill was served by two suburban railroad lines, it was
the trolleys that provided cheap and convenient
transportation for the general public. The schedules were
set according to the demand, and the frequency was
increased during the commuting hours.
The Union Traction Company operated the original trolley
line that reached Chestnut hill in 1896, and in 1902 the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company was incorporated. This
was reorganized in 1939 as the Philadelphia
Transportation Company, and then was purchased in 1968 by
the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA), the current owner and operator.
1
The present Route
23 Trolley from Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike in
Chestnut Hill to Tenth and Bigler Streets in South
Philadelphia is the longest trolley line in the city. The
waiting station is a 1-1/2 story, stone building with a
flared hip roof, two door openings, two gabled dormers
and bracketed eaves. John Horace Frank was the
architect.
In 1910 the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company purchased
a tract of ground comprising almost four acres at
Germantown Avenue and Cresheim Road for $10,000. A
newspaper reported that the ground would be used as the
site for a large car barn to relieve the congestion at
the Pelham Car Barn in Mount Airy. It was considered
likely that the building of this additional car barn
would have "an important bearing upon the extension of
the freight and express service on the trolley road," an
idea which was the result of the successful experiment in
hauling freight to Philadelphia over the Doylestown line.
It was stated that many farmers would be glad to ship
milk and farm produce to Philadelphia over the trolley
roads, and that a trolley express package system would
greatly benefit the people of Chestnut Hill and
Germantown. 2
The proposed car
barn was never built, and the trolley loop and waiting
station were constructed on the site in 1910-1911.
1 J. W. Boorse,
Jr., Philadelphia
in Motion (1976).
2 "Public
Transportation—Trolleys," clipping file at
Germantown Historical Society.
Update May
2007 (by
Jane Mork Gibson):
The Waiting Station is now the Trolley Stop Florist. The
florist has occupied this site for eighteen years and is
operated by Edwin Palmer. Located “at the foot of
the Hill," it is an attractive entrance to Chestnut Hill,
displaying colorful flower arrangements on the sidewalks
outside the building. Because the shop is open
twenty-four hours a day, it provides a unique service to
the community. The site is leased from SEPTA where the
property is known as the “Mermaid Loop Building."
The Mermaid Loop includes the substation (see 10.4)
located next to the trolley waiting
station.