Reading Terminal Market Celebrates 125th Birthday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Reading Terminal Market will kick off its 125th year with a magnificent birthday party on Thursday followed by their annual Party For the Market celebration on Saturday night.
Reading Terminal marketing manager Sarah Levitsky says a lot has changed in 125 years.
"In 1893, when the market opened, the stalls were much smaller," she said, "so there were hundreds of stores."
And she says they weren't built with the conveniences of today.
"There was no HVAC system, no air conditioning, no exhaust system, none of those things. They weren't needed and they hadn't really been invented, yet," Levitsky said. "But in the basement, we had the largest refrigeration space in the state of Pennsylvania. It was done with blocks of ice and ultimately a system that distributed ammonia to different rooms in the basement that were chilled to different temperatures based on what was stored there."
She says Thursday's birthday celebration of the market lasts all day and stay tuned for additional celebrations throughout the year.