Homage to New York's long lost Pennsylvania Station, 100 years later

I am just barely old enough to vaguely remember the magnificent structure that used to sit on the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenue where Madison Square Garden currently exists. Built in 1910, the enormous columns on the Romanesque Pennsylvania Station greeted thousands of commuters and other travelers daily. It was a grand entrance to a grand city. The image below is what Penn Station looked like when I was a toddler. 

By Photographer: Cervin Robinson [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia

When the developers of the Madison Square Garden complex won the rights to tear down Penn Station in 1963 and replace it with the Garden and office buildings, city leaders pledged to erect a replica of the station so that its grandeur would live on. Of course, we are still waiting for that replica to be built.

For a great, quick read on Penn Station's history both before and after 1963, check out MIchael Grynbaum's blog post on today's New York Times website: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/the-joys-and-woes-of-penn-station-at-100/

N.Y. / REGION

City Room: The Joys and Woes of Penn Station at 100

By By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM

Published: October 18, 2010

Off the Rails invites readers to weigh in on the Penn Station experience, from décor to design to usability to convenience.

 

Posted via email from Doug's posterous