The Old Penn Station - 1910-1963
"The original Penn Station was completed in 1911. Considered to be one of the most impressive buildings in the world, it also housed the largest indoor space in New York City." Incredibly Upsetting Pictures Of Penn Station Then & Now
A postcard of the day:
A modern day illustrated book in celebration of the Old Penn Station by William Low:
"Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station, named for the Pennsylvania Railroad, its builder and original tenant.... It was... completed in 1910. The original Pennsylvania Station was considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style and one of the architectural jewels of New York City." Wiki: Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)
"The original structure was made of pink granite and marked by an imposing, sober colonnade of Roman unfluted version of classical Greek Doric columns. The colonnades embodied the sophisticated integration of multiple functions and circulation of people and goods."
McKim, Mead & White's Pennsylvania Station combined glass-and-steel train sheds and a magnificently proportioned concourse with a breathtaking monumental entrance to New York City." Wiki: Penn Station
In the 1950's the Pennsylvania Railroad sold the air rights to the building feeling they could not afford to upkeep the building in light of the upswing of the use of cars and the heyday of trains passing by. Despite protest the building above ground was destroyed and Madison Square Garden was built over it.
What remains is a boring, underground terminal. Believe me I know, I've been there a lot and it sickens me to think what I could of been waiting in all these years- an elegant and amazing structure- when I came in from Princeton, NJ to work in the city or go onto college in Upstate NY, or when I recently traveled to and from JFK airport.
Instead:
I think of what of must of been, the airy look of the old place compared to the dreariness and crowding of today. "Comparing the new and the old Penn Station, renowned Yale architectural historian Vincent Scully once wrote, 'One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat.' " Wiki
It's really hard to believe people could be that stupid to tear it down. "As a New York Times editorial put in back in 1963; 'We will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by the monuments we destroy.' New York's Original Penn Station
Beautiful sculptures were in the station. One ultimately would be trashed and rescued from a Meadowlands landfill.
These sculptures are by the Neo-classical sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman (1870-1952). He also designed the Walking Liberty Half-dollar.
"Penn Station had four pedestrian entranceways, and each one had a big clock above it, flanked by Weinman’s allegorical figures representing time. “Night” has a cloak over her, and she is looking down and holding a poppy flower. “Day” has her eyes wide open, and is backed by a garland of sunflowers. The statues are made of pink granite, from Tennessee." Saturday Art: Day and Night by Adolph Alexander Weinman
Three eagles remain in New York City, the rest scattered around the country:
A remnant of a columns that once graced Penn Station:
Man's concept of progress! The only good result of this travesty was the formation of laws to preserve historic sites after this. So when owners of the Grand Central station fought to also tear down that glorious structure there were then laws in place to stop them.
What was:
The current Madison Square Garden has been given 10 years to vacate their present location by the New York City Council and there a plans to build a new Penn station because of the many protests of how bad and crowded the present one is. One proposed design (not getting my vote!):
Personally, I do not think it can compete with what was and I wish they would re-create a blend of the old and new- maybe someone will think of that!
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