What was built over top of the former Penn Station?

Madison Square Garden and two office towers were built above the extensively renovated concourses and waiting area. The first girders for Madison Square Garden were placed in late 1965, and, by mid-1966, much of the station had been demolished except for the Seventh Avenue entrance.



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Fortunately for posterity, the Brooklyn Museum has two remnants of the original Penn Station: the “Night” half of a “Day and Night” sculpture, standing eleven feet tall, and a partial marble column from the waiting hall displayed in the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden.

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At the same time, Madison Square Garden, a high-rise office and sports complex that still stands today, was built in its place. Though the Penn Station terminal was demolished, the original 1900s tunnels, tracks, platforms and electric traction continue to be used today.

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In 1963, however, Penn Station was razed, and was replaced by Madison Square Garden. When the building was destroyed, art historian Vincent Scully famously said, “One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat.” The event was also considered the inspiration of The Landmarks Law.

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By the time the structure was set to be demolished, it was dilapidated due to poor maintenance and alterations, and the architectural richness of the building likely went unnoticed by the vast number of commuters who walked through it daily.

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The Penn Stations in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and Baltimore are remnants of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's network, says Travis Harry, director of museum operations at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, a Smithsonian Affiliate.

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Then in 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul approved a $7BN redevelopment of not only the station, but the entire neighbourhood itself. It involves replacing the old and cramped multi-level Penn Station with a new 23,200 square metre single level facility.

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Situated atop Penn Station, Madison Square Garden is the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as an arena for world-touring concerts and boxing matches. Guided tours include VIP areas and locker rooms.

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It was built as the station in New York City for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Trains can go in one side and out the other, which is what makes it a station, and not a terminal.

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Many stations of the New York City subway system have fallen into disuse or have been abandoned, no longer used by the Transit Authority for their original purpose: serving passengers.

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Penn Station took four years to build, and used 27,000 tons of steel, 500,000 cubic feet of granite, 83,000 square feet of skylights, and 17 million bricks.

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