You used to walk through the massive doorway flanked by pink granite columns. When you looked up, you could see the sublime Roman style architecture, the glass ceiling soaring 100 feet above your head. New York's Pennsylvania Station used to be one of the largest indoor public spaces in the world.
But that's all in the past. The original building, built in 1910, was demolished in 1963 to make way for Penn Plaza and the fourth and current setting of Madison Square Garden.
New Yorkers and architectural enthusiasts were outraged by the razing of Penn Station; however, selling the air rights to the seven-acre structure created a financial gain for the station, which was seeing too few rail passengers. The demolition of the original structure was one of the reasons for the city's first architectural preservation statutes. As a tradeoff, Penn Station received a new (smaller) underground station and 25 percent stake in Madison Square Garden.
Now, instead of Doric columns, passengers are greeted by a never-ending line of yellow taxi cabs and a large billboard announcing upcoming events at the Garden. The complex is owned by Amtrak, but also offers services by Metropolitan Transit Authority, New Jersey Transit, and a Continental Airlines ticket booth. 600,000 passengers use the station every day, making Penn Station the busiest train station in North America.
Attraction Information
- Subway Stop:
- A, C, E, 1, 2, 3 trains to 34th Street Penn Station
- Contact:
- Location: Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue between 31st Street & 33rd Street
- Phone: 800-872-7245
