The 13th Monkey
Richmond Station is one of three early power plants built by the Philadelphia
Electric Power Company in the early 20th century. It once housed the world’s
largest Westinghouse turbo-generator, and its Neoclassical architecture was
meant to symbolize that the city had entered an age of electricity. The plant
closed in 1985, but its most recent claim to fame was serving as the prison site
in the Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis movie Twelve Monkeys. It was denied
historical designation by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, against the
recommendation of its own staff and the Preservation Alliance for Greater
Philadelphia.
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