The demolition of the old Penn Station(1910~1963) is a sore spot for architects and people who cherished the grandiose beauty that New York Penn Station possessed in the middle of Manhattan.
New York Penn Station, or commonly known as Penn Station was a marvel of 1900’s engineering and American ingenuity. Penn Station was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the American architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. Construction started from 1904 and was completed in 1910 and for the first time connected New York City to the south by direct rail access.
The seed of the destruction of Penn Station was planted in 1962 when Pennsylvania Railroad, the company that owned Penn Station sold the air rights of Penn Station to Graham-Paige, an automobile company. It was announced then by President of Graham-Paige that plans for a brand new Madison Square Garden were to replace Penn Station and the train station would be relocated underground. Immediate backlash and criticism ensued by the anger of many Architects who wished to preserve Penn Station as a monument to the past. They chanted “Don’t Amputate-Renovate” at numerous rallies. Those who argued for the demolition stated that Penn Station was too costly and expensive to operate in an evermore automobile orientated age. In the end, the New York City Department of City Planning voted to demolish the building starting in the summer of 1963. However, the silver lining of the demolition of Penn Station was the passing of the New York City Landmark Preservation Law which was prompted by the destruction of Penn and possibly Grand Central Station.
Current day Penn Station is an absolute disaster by 21st century and New York City standards. Universally, Penn Station is known for its constant delays which irritates those who are dependent and reliant on public transportation. The station is also infamous for use being reliant on old and outdated infrastructure which is in dire need of upgrades and repairs. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to renovate Penn Station and reuse the old post office building as a new train station at an estimated cost of 1.6 billion dollars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL65Y71dQhM, In this video, it is speculated by the media that the State and city government would buy or use eminent domain for the needed land in order to proceed with the renovation.
Moynihan Station is expected to open in 2020. However, like a lot of people who anguish the destruction of Penn Station, in the Big Apple State, there will be no building that will be the apple of my eye like Penn Station of old.
Thus, begs the question. Does someone’s private property rights extend to places with significant historical impact, prominent architectural beauty, and does the government have the right of eminent domain to lawfully and rightfully purchase the land from the individual? How can we learn from our mistakes and not repeat in destroying our historical landmarks? How would we be able to protect these landmarks if they are owned by a prominent individual or a powerful company?
zoningthegardenstate 