Credit: Courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Print and Picture Collection
Opened in 1876, John Wanamaker's massive Grand Depot sprawled over the site of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Freight Depot. One of the great innovators in American retailing, Wanamaker introduced a number of innovations in this store. The Grand Depot was the first American department store to have electrical illumination (1878), telephone service (1879), pneumatic tubes to transport cash and documents (1880), and elevator service (1884).
