Following the demolition of the original Penn Station, many of its architectural elements were lost or buried in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Some elements were salvaged and relocated.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The original Penn Station occupied two city blocks and featured, according to the New York Preservation Project, “an ornate exterior, arcade, waiting room, concourse and carriage-ways.” The writer Thomas Wolfe also noted that it had “Nine acres of travertine and granite, 84 Doric columns, a vaulted concourse of ...
The LatestThe proposed $7 billion overhaul of Pennsylvania Station in New York City will go forward with or without the development of several office towers that were supposed to help pay for the project, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday.
Pennsylvania Station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers per weekday as of 2019.
Moynihan Train Hall is the new home of Amtrak in New York City. Featuring state-of-the-art technologies and customer amenities, a spacious boarding concourse that bathes in sunlight from the 92-foot-high skylights, Moynihan Train Hall is a world-class station for a world class city.
Completed in 1910, the original Penn Station was intended to symbolize not only its powerful corporate owner but also New York's status as the most vital city in a nation that was becoming a political and economic superpower.
About the projectIn November 2021, Gov.Kathy Hochul unveiled a new plan to transform Penn Station into a first-class, commuter-first transit hub and revitalize the surrounding area. The plan calls for replacing the current cramped Penn Station with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility.