Historic gas station hauled across city to make way for office tower
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A gas station that's been in Center City for about 100 years is making room for a high rise and underground parking. But the old gas station is getting a new home.
It was a pretty complicated upheaval process overnight Wednesday.
It took more than two hours, and crews had to take down several street signs along the route.
A man with a remote control was in charge of moving the gas station very slowly.
It's still on wheels Thursday.
But its new home will be in Fairmount Park after serving customers in Center City for nearly a century.
This historic, 100 year-old Gulf gas station landed in the middle of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park last night. Find out how it got here, and what it will be used for, during my live reports all morning on @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/ovPlJ6DKec
— Ross DiMattei CBS-3 (@RossDiMattei) March 23, 2023
Transportation of the station started around 10 p.m.
Crews closed 20th Street between Cuthbert and Arch as the station was lifted up and moved out into the street.
Around 10:30, a group of police officers began escorting the station to its new home in Fairmount Park. It slowly moved down 20th Street, reaching the Ben Franklin Parkway by about 11 p.m.
From there, it was directed past the Philadelphia Museum of Art and onto Kelly Drive, finally reaching its destination near the Sedgley Porter House a little after midnight.
According to the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, this building will be preserved and available to the public.
Insurance company Chubb needs the space to build a new Philadelphia office tower.