The PECO Building
Historic Pottstown Walking Tour
On February 19, 1889, the Pottstown Light, Heat & Power Co., located on Queen St. west of Penn St., along the railroad tracks, brought electricity to Pottstown. That night, High St. was illuminated by a series of 2000 candlepower arc lights. The first private lamp was installed in the clothing store of A. Weitzenkorn & Sons at 145 High St. Local operation of the power plant continued until the Pottstown Light, Heat & Power Co. transferred its stock to the Philadelphia Suburban Gas & Electric Co. on March 19, 1910.
Almost immediately, the new company announced plans to build a new powerplant at this site, the first of its kind in our area. It was to be equipped with three Keeler water-tube boilers of 320 hp rated capacity each. Current from the new plant was officially turned on at the opening ceremonies on March 14, 1912. Until the late-1990's, the Philadelphia Electric Co. continued to use the building as a generation plant and substation.
In 2001, using funds from the Montgomery County “Revitalization Fund,” the Borough purchased the site as a gateway to Riverfront Park. Today, the building has been identified in several planning projects including the “Pottstown Parks” plan, as well as the Pottstown Promenade project, as an important connecting node between High Street and Riverfront Park along the Schuylkill River. As an excellent example of adaptive reuse, the Schuylkill River Center is now the home of the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area managed by the Schuylkill River Greenway Association.
—David R. Kerns & David Downs
Marker is on College Drive 0.1 miles west of Hanover Street, on the left when traveling west.
Courtesy hmdb.org
