If you’re a filming location buff, you really shouldn’t travel to Philadelphia without first seeing Trading Places, the 1983 Dan Aykroyd/Eddie Murphy comedy set in the City of Brotherly Love. And filming location buff or not, you really shouldn’t leave Philly without a visit to 30th Street Station, the city’s main railroad depot which had a brief, but memorable role in the flick. I had never actually watched the movie until just prior to our trip back east in September 2016, but it has always been one of the Grim Cheaper’s favorites, so I knew I had to give it a go. And even though he is not at all into locations, I made sure to add a few of its sites to our stalking itinerary. 30th Street Station was at the top of that list thanks to some photos I had seen of its grandly dramatic interior online. In person, it did not disappoint.
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30th Street Station was originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad between 1929 and 1934.
Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the imposing structure was erected out of steel, limestone, granite, and sandstone.
Technologically advanced for its time with a pneumatic tube system, a reinforced roof that allowed for small aircraft landings, and a progressive intercom schematic, the site became the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad shortly after opening.
To say that 30th Street Station is grand would be a vast understatement. From the towering front portico . . .
. . . to the striking main concourse – the depot makes quite an impression.
Though the exterior of the building is Classical in style, the 562,000-square-foot interior is all Art Deco – and it is stunning.
The colossal 290-foot by 135-foot concourse features travertine walls, marble columns, 5-story windows, and gilded detailing.
It is the coffered ceiling, which soars 97 feet above the floor, though, that had me gaping.
Walking into the space, one can’t help but simply marvel.
Situated adjacent to the concourse is the North Waiting Room, another gleaming chamber of travertine and marble.
The room is best known for the massive bas-relief that sits on its rear wall.
Named “Spirit of Transportation,” the 1895 piece was sculpted by Karl Bitter and details evolving modes of transit. Originally displayed at the now defunct Broad Street Station formerly located just a few miles away, the installation was moved to its current home in January 1933.
From 1988 to 1991, 30th Street Station, which according to The Architects Newspaper accommodates 11 million commuters each year, underwent a $100-million revitalization. The area surrounding it is currently set to undergo a massive renovation of its own.
In order to expand the city’s commercial district, 30-million square feet of new space consisting of office and apartment buildings, hotels, parks, shops, and restaurants will be constructed around the depot along the banks of the Schuylkill River. Considering the views are already pretty stellar, I can only imagine how beautiful it is going to be.
30th Street Station pops up at the end of Trading Places in the scene in which Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) catch a train to New York.
It is there, in the main concourse, that Coleman (Denholm Elliott) and Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) hand over their life savings in order to help Louis and Billy Ray get revenge on scheming brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, respectively). On a Trading Places side-note – while researching for this post, I came across a fabulous oral history of the movie. Those interested can check it out here.
Considering its dramatic architecture, it should come as no surprise that the station has been featured in a plethora of productions over the years.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964 thriller Marnie, Marnie Edgar (Tippi Hedren) arrives in Philadelphia via 30th Street Station. I am fairly certain that no actual filming took place on the premises, though, and that the depot was solely utilized in an establishing shot.
The station that Marnie is shown exiting from in the movie looks to be nothing more than a studio-built set.
In the 1981 thriller Blow Out, Burke (John Lithgow) stalks a prostitute in 30th Street Station’s North Waiting Room and then kills her in one of the depot’s bathrooms before heading to the concourse to meet up with Sally (Nancy Allen).
Samuel (Lukas Haas) witnesses a murder at 30th Street Station in the 1985 drama Witness.
Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg), Alma Moore (Zooey Deschanel) and Julian (John Leguizamo) flee Philadelphia via a train at 30th Street Station in the 2008 thriller The Happening.
At the beginning of 2015’s The Visit, Mom (Kathryn Hahn) drops off her kids, Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), at 30th Street Station.
In the 2017 thriller Split, Kevin Wendall Crumb (James McAvoy) buys flowers at 30th Street Station, though not much of the site can be seen in the scene.
The site also pops up each week in the opening credits of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which started airing in 2005.
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Until next time, Happy Stalking! 
Stalk It: 30th Street Station, from Trading Places, is located at 2955 Market Street in Philadelphia.
My wife and I have passed through there many times (she was born in Philadelphia) and its always breathtaking to emerge from the tracks below to the main concourse. It is a excellent example of the era of grand train stations. Glad that it is still quite functional and impressive.