New photobook Palazzos of Power explores the neoclassical grandeur of these artifacts of the early electric age Monumental structures that tower over the industrial landscape in Philadelphia, the aging central power stations of the Philadelphia Electric Company look like Metropolis meets Ancient Greece, ornate temples of stacked brick, soaring arches, and early industrial grit. But these hulking structures hide a more interesting backstory about how design can be enlisted to shape public perception.
?I looked at these buildings and thought, on the surface, they?re incredible structures, enormous and beautifully designed,? says Aaron Wunsch, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania?s graduate program in historic preservation. ?They were designed to look like public monuments, which was strange. There?s a weird juxtaposition of civic building and factory floor.?
Joseph E.B. Elliott
Hunting Park Substation, Philadelphia, 2000-02

In Palazzos of Power, a forthcoming book about the history of these structures featuring striking black-and-white photos of Joseph Elliot, Wunsch breaks down the history of these early 20th century generators, surprisingly well-designed industrial landmarks that say a lot about how architecture can be both an aesthetic asset and public relations.
Mostly built between 1903 and the tail end of WWI, these stations were the work of engineer William C.L. Eglin and architect John T. Windrim, who took Beaux Arts as a...