History & Architecture

The Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) represents the largest public construction
project undertaken in the state of Pennsylvania. The Grand Hall and Ballroom occupy the renovated Reading Terminal Trainshed, the oldest surviving single-span arched trainshed roof structure in the world, and the only one of its kind remaining in the United States.

The PCC also preserved the Reading Terminal Market on the ground level of the Trainshed, maintaining the continuous use of that location as a market place since 1653. The PCC, located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, makes this convention center one of the few such major facilities actively integrated into an urban center allowing our visitors access to a host of restaurants, shops, cultural institutions and other downtown amenities.

The exterior of the building reflects the traditional construction materials of the historic Philadelphia streetscape; internally, it combines state-of-the-art-meeting facilities with a hotel-like ambiance.