To truly appreciate how transformative a redesigned Penn Station could be for the New York region, one must first embrace the misery that is Penn Station today only then can one understand how a new station would be not only cathartic to the public, but also crucial to the future of transportation in the Northeast. This would be the “Empire Station Complex.” The hopelessly tarnished name “Penn Station” would fade from memory. He called for the creation of a new glass-walled entrance, the razing of a 5,600-seat theater under Madison Square Garden, and brand new retail. Farley Post Office across the street into a new passenger waiting area. Calling it the “biggest construction project in our state’s history,” Cuomo said he would remake the current rat’s nest under Madison Square Garden, while also transforming the nearly vacant James A. In January, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his grand plan for the nation’s busiest-but-dingiest train station (600,000 passengers a day, 200 million a year). Without anesthesia.īut forget all that, because Penn Station is getting a makeover. Its cramped corridors, suffocating odors, confusing signage, and baffling layout make the overall experience of traveling through Penn Station equal to a very invasive, very unnecessary surgery. Madison Square Garden squats on top of the station, choking off all natural light and air. It’s home to three different railroads: Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Rail Road, but it is almost entirely owned by Amtrak. It’s been called “the worst place in New York City,” “the worst transit experience in the US,” and “the worst place on Earth” - and that’s just from Googling one adjective. Today, Penn Station is more like a polished turd, except it’s not really polished. It was one of the architectural jewels of New York City. Built in 1910 on the West Side of Manhattan, the original structure was majestic, a reflection of principal architect Charles McKim’s vision to celebrate "the entrance to one of the great metropolitan cities of the world." And celebrate it did, from its Beaux Arts exterior of pink granite and marble, to its stately colonnade, to its cavernous main waiting hall inspired by the Roman Baths of Caracalla. In fact, it was one of the grandest places in America. Once upon a time, New York’s Pennsylvania Station was not a hell hole.
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