North Broad Street has long served as a major thoroughfare through the heart of North Philadelphia, connecting the city’s neighborhoods with each other and with Center City and South Philadelphia. 

Throughout the years, North Broad has seen transformation, provided a backdrop for significant moments in Philadelphia history and served as a home for cultural and local icons, such as the Metropolitan Opera House, the Philadelphia Inquirer clock-tower building and the Divine Lorraine Hotel.

Peruse this gallery of photos from Temple Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center to see sights and moments along North Broad dating back as far as 1870.

1870: McKensey Greenhouses and Broad Street and Columbia Avenue

This photo from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin newspaper depicts the McKensey Greenhouses at North Broad Street and Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue) in 1870, prior to the razing of the greenhouse buildings six years later.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1871: City Hall Construction

This photo from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in 1871 shows Penn Square at Broad and Market streets cleared for construction of City Hall. 
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1922: North Philadelphia Station

This photo from 1922 shows North Philadelphia Station and the bridge over Broad Street.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1924: The Metropolitan Opera House

This photo shows the Metropolitan Opera House at Broad and Poplar streets in 1924, with an advertisement for vaudeville on the awning.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1925: Philadelphia Inquirer Building at 400 North Broad

This photo from the City Parks Association shows a bird’s eye view of Broad Street looking north from Center City, with the iconic clock tower of the Philadelphia Inquirer building on the left. 
(City Parks Association of Philadelphia Records)

1925: Temple Founder Russell Conwell’s Home

This photo shows the home of Russell H. Conwell, founder of Temple University, at 2020 N. Broad St.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1929: North Broad Street Station Exteriors

This photo from 1929 shows the staircase at the main entrance to the North Broad Street Station.


This photo, also from 1929, shows the full exterior of North Broad Station with cars parked along the roadway.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1940: Baker Bowl Ice Rink

People ice skate at the Baker Bowl on North Broad Street near the North Broad Station (background).
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1940: Logan

Flags adorn storefronts on Broad Street near Lindley Avenue in 1940. The flags were put up by the Logan Business and Improvement League as a gesture to welcome attendees to the Republican National Convention held in Philadelphia. 
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1948: Divine Lorraine

This photo of North Broad Street’s iconic Divine Lorraine Hotel near the intersection of Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue appeared in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in 1948 along with the caption, “Sold - Followers of Father Divine bought the 246-room Lorraine Hotel, Broad St. and Fairmount Av., for $485,000.”
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1949: Broad and Erie

This is a view of the intersection of Broad Street and Erie Avenue in 1949.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1949: Paul Robeson at the Met

Singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1949.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1956: Farewell Kiss

This photo appeared in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in 1956 along with the caption, “Standing on a coupler which attaches a gun to the rear of a military truck, Mrs. James Lex, of North Philadelphia, kisses her husband as he and other members of the 108th Field Artillery Battalion of the 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard, leave the Broad and Diamond sts. armory for two weeks of summer training at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation.”
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1960: Dropsie University

Dropsie University, also known as Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, formerly located on the 2300 block of North Broad Street, was the first institution in the U.S. to grant degrees in post-doctoral Jewish studies.
(Philadelphia Jewish Archives Photographs) 

1964: Cecil B. Moore

Cecil B. Moore, a president of the Philadelphia NAACP for whom Cecil B. Moore Avenue near North Broad Street is named, receives an honor from the Carver Community League at the Beautiful Times Plaza at 2915 N. Broad St. in 1964.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1965: Martin Luther King Jr. at the Baptist Temple


These screen captures from a video contained in Temple Libraries’ Urban Archives show people gathering outside the Baptist Temple (now the Temple Performing Arts Center) to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak there in August 1965 and King delivering his speech. 

1965: Civil Rights Demonstration

This photo appeared in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin in 1965. Caption: “Demonstrators march from Uptown Theater (Broad and Dauphin) to Girard College.”
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1969: Progress Plaza

This photo shows Progress Plaza on North Broad Street at Oxford Street, newly built at this time, with an A&P market as its early anchor store.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1969: Temple Law Students for Peace

Temple Law students march along North Broad Street near what was then Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue) during a Vietnam War protest.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1972: Broad and Susquehanna

A pharmacy, a barbershop and a medical center line Broad Street near Susquehanna Avenue in 1972.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1973: Broad and Lehigh

The intersection of Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue is shown in 1973.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1975: Performance at Broad and Girard

A crowd takes in a performance by Anthony Brockington and the Angelic Choir at Broad and Girard during American Way North Philadelphia Style festivities in 1975.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1975: Shopping at Progress Plaza

A woman walks across the parking lot of Progress Plaza in 1975.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1977: Boy Outside Columbia North YMCA

A boy climbs a pole outside the former location of the Columbia North YMCA on Broad Street between Jefferson and Oxford.
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1978: Beury Building

This photo taken in 1978 shows the Beury Building on the east side of Broad Street near the intersections of Erie and Germantown avenues. 
(George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Collection)

1989: Wilkie Buick

Wilkie Buick, once located on Broad Street adjacent to Main Campus, is seen in this photo taken from Temple’s former University Services Building.
(Temple Times Photographs)