This day in history - October 28 1963: End of a railroad landmark

A sad day for world class architecture.  The Mckim, Mead, & White masterpiece is still a great loss.  However, out of everything negative, something positive does happen.

The destruction of this building really is credited with starting the historic preservation movement and many excellent structures have been saved as a result. 

I was fortunate to be in Pennsylvania Station several times per year starting in the late 1940's through its end as I traveled to and from New York / Baltimore on the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was the most magnificent station I have ever been in. 

Having been in all of the Chicago stations in the '50's and several west coast stations in the '60's nothing compares to Pennsylvania Station in my opinion. That includes Grand Central Terminal, but at least Grand Central has been restored.

In my mind I can still hear the thunk of the GG1 bells as they pulled trains in to Pennsylvania Station. And I can still hear the station announcer calling out the trains.

Yes. "A monumental act of vandalism" as described by the New York Times.

MELGAR

I wish that the old Pennsylvania Station had been saved.

I haven't been in the current Penn Station for over 20 years.  The last time I was there, I was taking a train from NY to DC.  I recall that the station was dirty, confusing, and the best part of it was leaving to get on the train.  I hope that Amtrak has put some money into the place to make it passenger friendly.

The old Pennsylvania Station wasn't passenger friendly either.  When I was in my early teens, I used to take the train from it to DC every summer.   The old station had high skylights that amplified New York's heat.  Everyone in those days, including me as a young teenager, wore a coat and tie to travel.  I remember the station waiting room as being exceptionally hot.  My shirt and pants were soaked with sweat.  

Everyone had to descend a very long flight of stairs to board the train at the underground platforms.  I recall that lugging my small suitcase down the stairs being a real challenge.  The train platforms were even hotter than the waiting room.  The blowers on those GG-1s put out a tremendous amount of heat.  It was even worse climbing the stairs in the opposite direction.  Grand Central had a better design with its ramps.    

My parents usually bought me a parlor car ticket when I was traveling alone.  Once I found my car, the parlor car attendant would take my suitcase, and I bought an ice cold coke.  The trip was very pleasant all the way to Washington.  The PRR had really good service.  

New York should have a great station for its long distance trains.  I hope that Amtrak will find the funds to build one.

I suppose the first priority is to build additional tunnels from NJ to NY.  The originals are over 100 years old.  It is hard to believe that infrastructure built at the start of the 20th Century is still serving so many trains and people over a 100 years later.  The original PRR planners, designers and builders can be very proud of their accomplishments.  NH Joe

The memories of most living today are of a Pennsylvania Station at the end of a long period of neglect and deferred maintenance.  During WWI the open-air space above the platforms was floored over, putting the platforms into a permanent twilight. 

During WWII, the skylights were dimmed to cut down on submarine warfare.  Also during the war, an ugly, modern USO booth was erected on the concourse.  I don't believe it ever left.  Through all of this, millions of cigarette smokers left their yellowish brown stain on every surface.

And then came the Post War period of deferred maintenance.  Sure, the floors would get a sweep... but the glass cleaning, light bulb replacement, and wall scrubbing ceased for a good 20 years...

Jon

Thanks for reminding us, Keystone.

New Haven Joe, thanks to you, too, for first-hand memories.  Not taking anything away from the magnificence of Penn Station, but the grand memories often dim the memories of the total experience.

KoolJock, thanks for also reminding us of the real experience.  Many of us west coast baby boomers never had the opportunity to enter Penn Station or experience a live GG1.

A pipe dream... https://www.architecturaldiges...ory/new-penn-station

Jon

As a child our parents took us to NYC by train for various events. I was always enthralled by the train room’s latticework structure. Like my erector set at home!

As an adult, architect and PRR historian, I continue to be amazed at the construction of the building for its time. Hanging all that stonework on the iron frame.

Having been to Rome and seeing how the ancients built vast spaces, NYPenn was a masterpiece of early 20th century structural design.

Love the stories.....I was 10 in 1963, I don’t have any Penn Station memories until it was gone and I became a Knicks fan in the late 60s and traveled to Penn Station to see games at the Garden......then it was just a large underground station....

What ever happened to the plan to refurbish the old Post Office building on the next block into a new “Penn Station”?

Peter

KOOLjock1 posted:

A pipe dream... https://www.architecturaldiges...ory/new-penn-station

Jon

I read the attached article.  It says that the current Penn Station is just as confusing and dirty today as it was 20+ years ago when I was last there.  That is a shame.

During this same period, San Francisco has built and opened a new $2 billion + train station to serve commuters.  It is modern and beautiful.  

The ultimate goal for this station is to serve California's high speed rail system that will run between LA and SF.  The overhead catenary is being constructed between San Jose and SF right now.  The SF to SJ commuter service will be electrified in a few years.

None of us in California know if the high speed rail will ever be completed.  I am betting that it will be done before the end of the century but it may not be completed in my lifetime.  

The station had the usual multi-million cost overruns and engineering problems.  It was opened and then had to be shut down for repairs for about 6 months when inspectors found that the steel support beams were cracking.  Someone underestimated the weight of the garden that was built on top of the station.  

I don't know why New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Amtrak can't get together and find the funding to build a new and better Penn Station that will be a credit to the citizens or all three states and the national rail system.  I would think if San Francisco can do it, then New York can do it.  NH Joe

Peter,

Its half way to completion.  Google images of Moynihan Station.

Jon

Penn Station started being  taken down when I was 7  months old, so obviously I don't remember  it. It is sad it was taken down but it also was a time when in NY and elsewhere there was this incredible "march to the future' kind of theme, where things from the past were looked at as obsolete and relics. The other thing to keep in mind this was at a time when  people like Robert Moses (and GM) were promoting a future where the automobile as gonna create a paradise (at the 1939 World Fair and the 1965 fair GM was still promoting this view), and central train stations were treated as an obstacle to that (Moses particularly hated mass transit and trains).  Back then, too, the whole idea that mass transit if it can't be run like a business shouldn't be around still existed, which in turn resulted in things like the NY City Subway going into decline, rather  than realizing  that mass transit is one of the lifebloods of any city.  Penn Station even then was one of the busiest rail stations in the world and today is I believe the busiest, but all people saw was an old building servicing a dying railroad, and if the railroad wanted to basically sell the rights  to the building, well, that  is what businesses do. Grand Central before they renovated it was in pretty poor shape, I can only imagine what Penn Station looked like when it was torn down. 

It amazes me that the tunnels they build back then are still in use, that  they are able to keep them running given the years of heavy use, neglect and damage from Sandy. Unfortunately, there is a lot of resistance to projects like this, there are still those that somehow think rail service and mass transit aren't worth it, if they were important they could pay for themselves, or those who say "why should I pay for their trains" (hint: The NYC region, for example, is roughly 25% of the US GDP, keeping transit going here means a lot of tax revenue going into the general pot that goes to projects all over the country, benefits a lot of people), and of course the usual infighting between NJ and NY on who pays what, etc. Not surprised, as Churchill once said, Americans tend to do the right thing in the end, after they have tried everything else

KOOLjock1 posted:

Peter,

Its half way to completion.  Google images of Moynihan Station.

Jon

Thanks, Jon

Peter

On the other hand - Penn Station did not die in vain.  It's my understanding that it was because of the destruction of Penn's Station that Grand Central did not suffer a similar fate.

I saw this post the other day but didn't follow. Ironically, YouTube had other ideas for me because this popped up for me to watch.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7YwZFm3RrFw

It is from the History Channel, and as with anything from them very in-depth. I enjoyed it being that I love the architecture and the story overall. I had forgotten something I read in my much younger days about the Pennsy being the powerhouse that it was. It really was the Railroad of Railroad's and k think this video really states states it clearly.

Penn Station's destruction did help drive the the creation of the Landmark preservation law in NYC, but  it also took a lot of work to put teeth  into it.  When Helmsley  and Zeckendorf basically were going to bury Grand Central under buildings, it took a massive fight and several bouts in court before a final ruling that the law was legal, there was at least one ruling that the law was illegal, that it violated the rights of property owners, etc, etc. One of the chief architects of the defense of Grand Central was Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis, she kind of spearheaded what happened. I often wonder had for example NYC rejected the razing of Penn Station if the courts wouldn't have ruled against them, the 10 years between the razing of Penn Station and the final verdict about GCT was a big deal in terms of attitudes of judges and society  with issues like this. 

Think Penn Station was the victim of the sick Pennsylvania RR needing to monetize assets - to survive. Short-term fix, but bankruptcy came anyway.  Am reading about the City of Chicago's finances, presently - seems just like PRR's death spiral.