New York, NY: 1910-1963 Pennsylvania Station

(Satellite, it was torn down for redevelopment)

Diagrams of the station

Taylor Rosen posted

Old Penn Station in New York City.

The building was stunning masterpiece of Beaux-Arts architecture that was once the bustling center of train travel in New York City. With its soaring ceilings, marble columns, and ornate details, it was truly a sight to behold. Sadly, it was demolished in the 1960s, but its legacy lives on as a symbol of the importance of preserving our architectural heritage.

Neil Kista Richardson: Why was it knocked down? Such a beautiful building.

Geoffrey Brown: Neil Kista Richardson greed. Developers wanted to build office towers (#1and #2 Penn Plaza) and a new Madison Square Garden.

Daniel Bishop

Neil Kista Richardson : In the post-WW2 era, passenger rail ridership plummeted in the US due to competition from airlines and highways. The Pennsylvania Railroad was losing money. So, in an effort to stay financially afloat, they sold the "air rights" (above-ground portion) of the station to a developer in exchange for a stake in the new Madison Square Garden that would be built on the site. A few years later, they went bankrupt anyway, making it all for naught.

Rail service continued uninterrupted during the demolition and construction, which was possible because the actual tracks and platforms were underground. [Fortunately, Pennsy sold the air rights for just the concourse and kept the headhouse in Chicago's Union Station. But now Amtrak wants millions of dollars to fix the train access mess created by building the office building.]

Stephen P Whelan: Neil Kista Richardson Beutiful building Terrible Train station. And that was the problem they placed to much emphasis on making the building beautiful that they completely lost sight of the primary function of a train station is to get people safely and efficiently to and from the trains. Internally Penn station was an appallingly laid out warren of multi level walkways that made getting too and from the trains inefficient and at peak times potentially dangerous.

Harrison Morris: Stephen P Whelan I don't really agree with you, respectfully, that is not the reason it was demolished -- and, in fact, the original stairs and many train platforms are still in use (without their overhead glass. It was less labyrinthine that Grand Central. I traveled through it as a child in the 1960s. The real reason it was torn down is because the Penn Railroad was in financial trouble, and the air rights to build over that property were very valuable. You are correct in that it was seen as a "modernization" of train travel, but the station was not a bad one, people wanted something that reflected the streamlined mid century notions of travel -- they wanted to open it up ( it is now a horrible warren of underground halls, possibly the worst architectural failure of the 20 th c. with the Long Island RR at one end and the Amtrak at the other.) The reasons however, were primarily financial.

Michael Banks: I believe Grand Central Station was destined for the same fate, but was saved by a campaign led by Jackie Kennedy. [Several comments agree.]

Edward Thorpe: It was destroyed because after WWII, Federal policy subsidized sprawling car-centric suburban development and the interstate highway system, rather than subsidizing urban housing and excellent rail networks - like they did in Post War Europe.

The Pennsylvania RR went from its busiest year and *huge* profits in 1945, to hemorrhaging losses a dozen years later.

Redeveloping the Penn Station site was a desperate attempt to gain income from the valuable land underneath it. But the profits were a bandaid. Continuing suburban investment by the Feds and States continued to siphon away ridership. Less than a decade later, bankrupt, the Pennsylvania Rail Road was folded into Amtrak in 1971.

Several of the granite eagles that adorned the facade are now on the Market ST bridge over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia PA, where the railroad was founded.

Mathieu Brekelmans: Edward Thorpe , not all cities in Europe were developed along arcadian lines as you mentioned. Many only realized in the eighties that there are beautiful old buildings to be saved for example. Maybe the all empowering car travel from the usa lies within the fact that most of your cities are build according to a grid with straight lines, north south east west, whereas our cities developed in a more natural way through hundreds of years. Mind you, car travel is big over here as well and now the SUVs , a dodgy American invention , are gaining popularity here, unfortunately

Andrew Mooney: Great picture I recently wrote about this

🚂The Pennsylvania Station in New York City was constructed in 1910, and was built to stand a thousand years, but was sadly demolished only 53 years later through a number of decisions made from a committee of bureaucrats. It was the largest building ever built in America, and the fourth largest of all time. It covered eight acres of land, and was a half a mile long, sitting on two whole city blocks. Architect Charles McKim drew inspiration from Ancient Roman structures and it was the second most significant design of the Gilded Age after the Titanic.

▪️In 1905 during a time when railroads were vital to the growth to our nation, trains were unable to cross the river to New York’s Manhattan Island. Passengers had to unload after reaching New Jersey and board a ferry to reach New York. So in 1905 Alexander J. Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad had the crazy idea to hand dig a train tunnel for 16 miles, 9 of it to travel under the river. Dewitt Clinton Haskin had attempted this in the 1870s but after so many flood ins and over twenty people died they ran out of money and the project was abandoned. Cassatt was determined to made this idea work and after more than five years of digging the first train arrived on November 27, 1910 a day all New Yorkers had waited for years.

▪️After the passengers arrived they entered a colossal room with ceilings 150 foot high. This grand space was made of travertine marble, a honey-lustrous colored stone imported from Tivoli, Italy. Standing on the marble floors you gaze up to the coffered ceilings, and notice the arched windows grandly shining 100 feet above illuminating passengers heading to their trains in the concourse

▪️The concourse room is over a thousand feet long and has an amazing glass ceiling. Constructed through a framework of steel it uses 27 thousand tons of steel, 17 million bricks and 83 thousand feet of skylights. There skylights of glass made up arches and domes letting in sunlight to flood in over the waiting passengers below. Over a thousand trains traveled through each day, 144 every hour, one every 25 seconds on two dozen different tracks. Countless bags were sorted and loaded on one of the 25 electric elevators during an era when many Americans didn’t have electricity in their homes. Everything about Penn Station was huge including the six murals painted by Jules Gudrun, an architectural illustrator who’s work was over 100 feet tall. Trains leaving for Chicago, St Louis, Boston were connecting families the next day when a few generations earlier would of taken weeks on a difficult stagecoach ride. Now in 1910 the Pennsylvania line travels below the Hudson River under an enormous mass of water while passengers dine in the restaurant car truly embracing the modern age. ~ saying… “You leave the Pennsylvania station about quarter to four: read a magazine, and then you’re in Baltimore; dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer…” …..Chattanooga Choo Choo. ~ Glenn Miller’s lyrics, ~

▪️However after World War II with a national highway system being built and airline travel starting to take shape the demand for rail travel didn’t hold out. The decline of the station can also be blamed on lack of upkeep and the rising cost of New York real estate. Beaux-Arts architecture fell out of style and the now modern city wanted buildings of tall glass boxes instead. So with only a small outcry of protesters trying to save the building the demolition started in late 1963. It took three years to tear down this massive building and it all was hauled out to the city dump and thrown in a swamp. Ada Louise Huxtable wrote in The New York Times, “the demolishing of Penn Station is more than the end of a landmark. It marks a new era of the priority of real estate values over preservation of our past”.

▪️ In 1970 real estate developers wanted to demolish Grand Central Station and as an outcry the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was created. Jacqueline Kennedy was one of their strongest voices and was successful in saving dozens of historical architecture including the Grand Central Station. . What was to sadly replace the mighty Penn Station was an all underground monotonous terminal that has been criticized for its confusing layout, tedious, hospital looking white walls on white tiles, low ceilings and rows of fast food outlets.

▪️Then 30 years ago in the early 1990s, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan proposed to transform the James A. Farley Post Office, a similar enormous Beaux-Arts building into a new Penn Station. This grand Post Office was built across the street from the Penn Station in 1912, by the same architectural firm, and the train tracks are underneath its floors. The building’s high ceilings have a similar acre-wide glass roof for bright natural light shining down on the nine platforms and 17 tracks. With some 112,000 square of retail and dining space was the biggest restoration project in the country. So in 2016 the 1.6 billion dollar project started on the Moynihan Train station. The architects have gone through a few remodels, but today this train station is now open, and the building has many of the original key features of old post office with a new design. New Yorkers are now using this grand space again as they look to the future, remembering the poor decisions made from the past.

🔺Click on the link below to see a short video of the building of Penn Station and another sadder video about tearing it down. Also check out the comments for more pictures including the very ugly one that’s there today and the new one being renovated. While you are there please leave a message I like your feedback.

🔺 Click on the links below

▪️The building of Penn Station

➡️ https://youtu.be/uD637E0Zu7I

The loss of Penn Station

➡️ https://youtu.be/-41Eh7fnjO0

▪️ Moynihan Train station ~ A New Day!

➡️ https://youtu.be/u1TUAn6t-Fg

▪️ Time-capsule

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/share/r/d8eSY61KSP52nPrj/?mibextid=jaSYs6

 

History's Mirror post

"Pennsylvania Station: A Lost Icon (1910-1963)"

Pennsylvania Station, a majestic Beaux-Arts masterpiece, was New York City's iconic railroad hub from 1910 to 1963. Designed by renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, it occupied a sprawling 8-acre site in Midtown Manhattan.

Key Facts:

- Location: 7th-8th Avenues, 31st-33rd Streets

- Completed: 1910

- Demolished: 1963

- Architect: McKim, Mead & White

- Style: Beaux-Arts

Historic Significance:

- Enabled direct rail access to NYC from the south

- Major hub for Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)

- Symbol of NYC's transportation prowess

Features:

- Grand waiting room with soaring ceilings

- Ornate details and sculptures

- Underground platforms

Demolition and Legacy:

- Razed for Madison Square Garden and office complex

- Sparked preservation efforts and landmark laws

- Inspired campaigns to save historic buildings

Rebirth:

- Current Penn Station (1968) built beneath Madison Square Garden

- Plans for revamped, expanded station in progress

Remembering Pennsylvania Station's grandeur and significance inspires appreciation for NYC's rich history and architecture.

Olden Heritage posted

In 1911, the 7th Avenue facade of Penn Station stood as an architectural masterpiece. Designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the station was a triumph of the Beaux-Arts style. Its majestic columns and grand entrance welcomed travelers from across the nation, symbolizing the importance of the rail industry in connecting the country’s major cities.

The facade was not merely decorative; it was a statement of power and ambition, showcasing New York as a growing metropolis. Penn Station was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad to serve as a hub for its expanding network. To accommodate the station, an unprecedented excavation of land was undertaken, and a network of tunnels was dug beneath the Hudson River, connecting New Jersey and Manhattan by rail for the first time.

The station officially opened in 1910, but by 1911, its reputation as one of the world’s greatest transportation hubs was well-established. The 7th Avenue side, with its columns and broad steps, became an iconic part of the New York landscape. However, the grandeur was short-lived. By the 1960s, the rise of air travel and automobiles diminished the need for railroads, leading to the controversial demolition of the original station in 1963. Despite its destruction, the legacy of Penn Station’s original structure remains significant in New York's architectural and historical narrative, inspiring movements for architectural preservation.

Glenn Brown shared

 

Retro Meets Modern posted
Penn Station, NYC. Then vs Now
[I didn't bother to read the comments.]

Matthew Simmonds commented on the above post
In case anyone doesn't know the old Penn station, this is the interior of the main hall, the large building in the middle of the complex.

Taylor Rosen posted four photos with the comment:

Pennsylvania Station, often abbreviated to Penn Station, was a historic railroad station in New York City.

The building was designed by McKim, Mead, and White and completed in 1910, enabling direct rail access to New York City from the south for the first time. Its head house and train shed were considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style and one of the great architectural works of New York City. The station contained 11 platforms serving 21 tracks, in approximately the same layout as the current Penn Station. The original building was one of the first stations to include separate waiting rooms for arriving and departing passengers, and when built, these were among the city's largest public spaces.

Passenger traffic began to decline after World War II, and in the 1950s, the Pennsylvania Railroad sold the air rights to the property and shrank the railroad station. Starting in 1963, the above-ground head house and train shed were demolished, a loss that galvanized the modern historic preservation movement in the United States. Over the next six years, the below-ground concourses and waiting areas were heavily renovated, becoming the modern Penn Station, while Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Plaza were built above them. The sole remaining portions of the original station are the underground platforms and tracks, as well as scattered artifacts on the mezzanine level above it.

Tragically demolished in the 1960s.

Photos courtesy of the public domain.

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Mike Stoltz posted
A nice picture i found from another page

Cezar Nicolescu: This isn't AI or a colorization! This is a 3d model made by a team. NOVA is the modeler and renderer. ReThink NYC and ReThink PennSationNYC were the sponsoring organizations. Richard Cameron (Atelier) and myself (members of above organizations) worked in fleshing out the details with the models and renderers by consulting bit only photographs but drawings in the New York Historical Society. We're hoping to raise more money for further such imagery. Perhaps we can have the concourse modelled and rendered. https://www.rethinkpennstationnyc.org/

Jim Kelling shared

Pennsylvania Station in New York

Joe Lasala commented on Mike's post
Original reference photo for the artist's rendering...?

Jim Dirling posted
Question… what was in those open areas on each side of the shopping arcade? I thought I saw a drawing that said it was open to the tracks below.
Glenn Brown shared

Morgan Riley: From the pictures, it looks mostly like a pair of atrium or courtyards to allow light and ventilation to the various rooms and spaces. Remember, at this time electric lighting was still relatively new, underpowered, expensive---and A/C non-existent---so large buildings needed courtyards or atria to make the innermost portions pleasant. See, e.g., most early-20th-century Federal buildings in DC, the Pentagon, etc.

Gregory Talarczyk: I think they were skylights over the concourse/ waiting area. Tracks were below the concourse. This is an educated guess from photos I’ve seen of the interior. Others please chime in if I’m wrong. [See Keith Schaffler's comment (way) below for an answer.]

Chris Kule: https://www.archiseek.com/.../pennsylvania-railroad.../

Joe Lasala commented on Jim's post
Large greenhouse-like skylights for the baggage rooms and tracks below.

Comments on Joe's comment

Joe Lasala commented on Jim's post
The skylight on the north side provided daylight for the Long Island concourse.

Joe Lasala commented on Jim's post
This is the south courtyard skylight over the baggage delivery area and a portion of the tracks below.

 

Tom Fisher commented on Glenn's share
This floor plan shows them open to the tracks below, however there was a glass ceiling above.

 

Keith Schaffler commented on Gregory's comment
They were skylights. The tracks were covered on the interior when the concourse floor was expanded. I think in the 1930s.
This atrium area where you could see the tracks and platforms in the as built Penn Station was covered when the concourse floor was expanded to cover it.

 

Keith Schaffler commented on Glenn's share

Sahib Akhundzadeh posted in Pennsylvania Station, New York

Aerial view of the General Post Office, Pennsylvania Station and Hotel Pennsylvania. The building seen under construction a few blocks north from Penn Station would be Garment Center Bldg. 

New York, c. 1921.

Credit: Chamber of Commerce (Queens, New York, N.Y.) / Queens Public Library

 

Sahib Akhundzadeh posted

Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 no. 4909 (left) and New Haven no. 373 electric locomotives at Penn Station. The west facade of General Post Office Building and The Empire State Building are seen above the tracks.

New York, June 1965. 

Credit: Victor Hand

 

Old New York City posted
Penn Station 1933
Gary Gianotti shared
Great period photo!

Gustavo Aristizabal posted
Penn Station, 1910. Trains Platforms.
Jim Kelling shared
Pennsylvania Station New York

Linda Latronica Chenore posted
Pennsylvania Station, New York, 1936.

Dylan stark posted
The concourse of Penn Station in New York City, captured in a 1910 stretched canvas print, represents a pinnacle of early 20th-century architectural grandeur and urban development. Completed in 1910, the original Pennsylvania Station was designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. It was an architectural marvel of its time, exemplifying the Beaux-Arts style with its vast, open spaces, majestic columns, and expansive glass and steel roof that allowed natural light to flood the interior. The station's concourse was a bustling hub of activity, reflecting the rapid growth and modernization of New York City as a central node in the nation's transportation network.The construction of Penn Station was a monumental project, necessitated by the need to connect Manhattan with the expanding railroad lines. It revolutionized rail travel by enabling direct access to the city from the south via tunnels under the Hudson River, eliminating the cumbersome ferry transfers previously required. The station's vast concourse, with its high arched ceilings and expansive platforms, was designed to accommodate thousands of passengers daily, symbolizing the grandeur and ambition of the era.In its heyday, Penn Station was more than just a transit hub; it was a symbol of progress and the triumph of engineering and design. The 1910 stretched canvas print of the concourse immortalizes this architectural icon, capturing the sense of awe and scale that travelers would have experienced as they moved through the space. Sadly, despite its architectural significance, the original Penn Station was demolished in 1963, leading to widespread public outcry and the eventual establishment of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the city's historical structures. The print remains a poignant reminder of the lost architectural treasure and the era of grand civic projects that characterized early 20th-century America.
John L Garcia shared

 

Gustavo Aristizabal posted
Penn Station, 1910. Arched roofs inspired in the Caracalla Baths of Ancient Rome.
Glenn Brown shared

 

History's Mirror posted
The Main Concourse at Pennsylvania Station in 1905 offers a glimpse into one of New York City's most iconic architectural landmarks during its golden age. Opened in 1910, this grand space, designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, was a symbol of the city’s prominence and ambition. The concourse, with its soaring Beaux-Arts architecture, vast arches, and marble finishes, was a hub of activity, welcoming thousands of commuters and travelers. In its prime, the station was an epitome of elegance and functionality, representing the height of early 20th-century railroad station design. Though the original Penn Station was demolished in the 1960s, its legacy continues to influence the city's architectural landscape.

Robert Condon commented on Gustavo's post
It was the main hall that was inspired by the Baths of Caracalla. The "Train Yard" with the glass roof was inspired by the train stations of Europe.

 

Chris Protopapas responded to Robert's comment
Not quite. It was the “waiting room”, with plaster-clad steel meant to imitate stone vaulting that was modeled on the baths of Caracalla.

Sahib Akhundzadeh posted

Pennsylvania Station: Train Platform and Stairways from Concourse.

New York City, c.1910.

Credit: De Witt C. Ward / HAGLEY DIGITAL ARCHIVES

Willie Butler: Picture taken with the DD-1 electrics before the opening day in 1910 .

Peter James Paras: No over head wire! All third rail.

Jim Kelling shared

Pennsylvania Station

Zlat Zlat: To me, as a child, it was a gloomy and terrifying building.

 

Focal Points posted
Main concourse of the old Pennsylvania Station (1962)
Glenn Brown shared

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘆 & 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗸  posted
New York City 1960’s Pennsylvania Station! 

Archive of the Past posted two photos with the comment:

New York’s Pennsylvania Station was heavily inspired by the Baths of Caracalla, a 3rd Century site in Ancient Rome. These lantern slides show the interiors of each building. The Baths of Caracalla closed in the 530s, while Pennsylvania Station was demolished in the 1960s. 

Image 1: [Lantern Slide of the Baths of Caracalla] (date unknown). From the Andrew J. Bramlett Collection. 

Image 2: [Lantern Slide of Pennsylvania Station] (date unknown). From the Andrew J. Bramlett Collection.

Archive of the Past shared

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John Turkeli posted [Pennsy station Facebook group]
Quite possibly a test train for the PRR brass. The mighty DD1 locomotive ran on DC third rail both traditional (adjacent to running rail) and overhead 3rd rail collected by a small pantograph as shown. Once the PRR was done with the DD1s they gave/leased them to the LIRR for a period of time. Great Detroit Publishing image.

David O'Brien posted 15 photos with the comment: "I recently did a search for old Penn Station photos on the Library of Congress website and found some nice ones.  Perhaps some or all of these have already been posted in this group, but the extent they have not already been seen or posted, here are some of them."

John L Garcia shared

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Mary Ellen Coghlan commented on David's post
Remaining stairs

 

Lance Erickson posted
I took this picture inside Penn Station, NY  as a kid.  I bet 1962?

Comments on Lance's post

Sahib Akhundzadeh posted in Pennsylvania Station, New York

Construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal (Penn Station): Coffered ceiling in Main Waiting Room. 

New York City, Dec. 1909.

Credit: L. H. Dreyer / Columbia University Libraries

Joe Lasala: Lath and plaster made to look like carved stone. From the floor 150 feet below, you couldn't tell the difference.

Jim Gibson commented on Sahib's post

Michael Ross posted
The Old Penn Station (1950s)

Kris Rehberg: It's interesting that the original flooring with the glass bricks is still under the tiles to this day.

Ted Straub: Joseph John Scrofani Architecturally, the flooring is known as "Vault lights"

New York Memories posted
Madison Square Garden under construction in the mid 1960s.