Glory of Old Penn Station New York City

I never saw the late great Pennsylvania Railroad				what was available and could be compared with a
Station in New York City.				modern day equivalent of a computer composite
I have heard stories from people who used to travel				rendering of those once Roman baths. The
through the old station. It was a memorable				watercolor as the recreated interior of those ancient
experience we are told. I have seen pictures in				roman baths served as a probable direct inspiration to
books. I have heard how the efforts to save the old				the McKim Mead White team in their Penn Stations
station failed. This effort to save Penn Station was				design project. The 1845 watercolor Baths of
the stimulus for the creation of a New York City				Caracalla Rome, shows the interior of the Tepidarium.
Landmarks Preservation Committee that was				The Tepidarium was the central grand hall of the
instrumental in the saving of Grand Central Terminal				baths and hub of all other bathing facilities within that
from the wrecking ball shortly after the old Penn				building complex.
Station's demise in 1963.				Stepping down two grand sets of thirteen stone
Perhaps the old Pennsylvania Station is more in myth				steps with a brief landing in the middle of the
now than it ever was in reality. I think not. I will				staircase, you find yourself at the bottom of those
describe some aspects shortly.				steps on the main grand floor or waiting room of Old
Old Penn Station was opened in 1910. It was				Penn Station. Ahead of you is another grand archway
designed by the legendary architectural firm of				leading into the glass covered vaulted Concourse area
McKim, Mead and White. General design of the great				with stairs leading down to platforms next to tracks.
building was Beaux Arts which was a specialty of				Staying here in the Waiting Room you do a 360
these architects. This style evolved around a				degree clockwise turn. The archway ahead is also
distinctive Parisian style, which was a mix of many				flanked by giant Corinthian columns with full columns
classical forms, and was more popular in the United				in all four corners of the room. Above is a vaulted
States than it was in the rest of Europe.				ceiling. Three large semicircular sets of windows bath
Two existing New York City examples of the Beaux				the room in light from that side of the room. Turning
Arts style, and designed by McKim, Mead and White				right a similar semicircular window is under the arch
can be seen in Grand Central Terminal and the New				formed by the vauted ceiling above a doorway
York Public Library building.				entrance and downward set of steps leading from
Having arrived in New York City by train some thirty				33rd street. The lower lever of the waiting room has
years ago, I arrived in the present Pennsylvania				ticket windows on all four sides of the room.
Station that is little more than a subterranean maze				Turning back to the entrance archway from Seventh
of corridors, shops and stairs leading to tracks. All in				Avenue there are niches on the walls within the
all the function of that train station is a good thing if				archway for the modern equivalent of demi-gods
you factor in the street level office tower above				with statues of Railroad Presidents and the like.
along with the sports arena Madison Square Garden.				Without any specific measurement to present to you
Madison Square Garden (MSG), "The Garden", is the				I give you my impression of scale from photos alone
fourth incarnation of a sports arena, the first two of				and hope you have been in the presently standing
which were located just off Madison Square starting				Grand Central Terminal ten blocks north and three
one hundred and thirty years ago from 1879 through				avenues over east on the New York City street grid.
1924 and thus the reason for the name tag.				I would say that the Old Penn Station is about two
The east face of the original Penn Station was				thirds of the present floor space of Grand Central is
classical. Its tall Doric columns met Seventh Avenue				you define floor space as immediately below the blue
with a dull thud from all the photos I see at street				constellation covered vault above. Height of the Old
level. The long roll of columns in a straight line reminds				Penn would appear to be one third higher than Grand
me of many European cities of the nineteenth				Central's main hall.
century with similar grand but dull exterior				The final turn in the old "Tepidarium" Penn waiting
architecture. The street architecture may be grand				room sees another side entrance on 31st street and
but they did not understand classical architecture				round back to the entrance to the Concourse of
then from a desired perspective. The lack of steps				legendary fame.
leading up to Penn Station in front is I think the only				I believe there are snippets of the old Penn Station
negative I have to say here in this posthumous				Concourse in movies. It was often imitated and
critique.				reconstructed on movie lot sound stages with the
The front was divided into three portals of entrance.				Penn Concourse as the departing and reunion point of
The central main entrance at 32nd Street was				many loves during WWII. There is a short video on
flanked on 31st Street and 33rd Street by grand				the Internet by filmmaker Stephen Kellam showing
carriage ways running the length of the building.				the Concourse in computer animation and as part of
These carriage ways were built as a first class				that previously mentioned Penn Station as the center
entrance and waiting area for horse drawn Brougham				of many loves and heart breaks. I invite you to
carriages already obsolete in 1910. Servicing the				search it out and no doubt there are countless other
aristocracy and their needs seems to have used a				photos and reproductions out there.
great deal of ground space potential of the building				From the waiting room we exit through small scale
which began preliminary excavations and construction				glass doors into the Concourse which is where there
starting in 1902.				is seating for people waiting for trains. I suspect that
Photos I've seen of these carriage ways show 1920's				the ticket buying waiting area was heated in winter.
taxi cabs. There is a stone arched walkway above				Waiting there in the warmth was I suspect better
the individual carriage way and leads into the main				that waiting in the what I suspect was an unheated
waiting room from the side street entrances. On a				area in winter and depending on body heat only to
grand scale and in term of today's architecture, this				warm you in the Concourse.
whole tangent of architectural endeavor is both				Through the glass doors and into the Concourse is
impressive and space wasteful.				like Alice slipping through the looking glass. In a sense
Into the main entrance, the walking pedestrian trying				and from the street on Seventh Avenue and the
to catch a train has to pass through a long Arcade				main entrance, we have come through the twentieth
Hallway. On scale it would look to be fifty feet in				century Arcade or shopping mall into a magnificent
height and capable of handling thirty to forty people				interpretation of a third century Roman bath's main
abreast rushing back and forth at rush hours in the				hall. From here we are transported to a glory of
morning and evening. The Arcade is lined on both				modern man, an amalgam of the industrial age
sides by at least a dozen store fronts to serve the				reaching its zenith into the age of mass produced
public's needs the same then as now in terms of any				steel and glass.
transportation hub. This Arcade hallway is bathed in				From the direct or muted tones of natural light in the
natural light by semicircular arched windows from				Waiting Room we reach into the total light of a
above. I begin to think of this hallway as an early				vaulted cast iron and steel framework with a roof
form of crowd control leading into the staging and				totally sheathed in glass panels. Standing at the
production areas beyond.				entrance way into the Concourse one sees the grand
At the end of the arcade hallway is the arched				clock and its roman numerals and we get to see,
entrance leading into the Waiting Room. In all photos				imagine, the Crystal Palace of 1851 and Kew Gardens'
I see this as the ticket buying area. I see no benches				conservatory combined in a magnificent space to
in the traditional setting of a waiting area being used				accomodate and perfectly accent the power of the
to sit in the waiting process.				age of the steam train engine.
Also as we enter this great, grand and spacious				With my limited travel experience, I can only say that
vaulted area of the waiting area we are descending				in terms of the nineteenth century's grand tribute to
steps going down and enlarging the grand space. This				the train travel, Victoria Station and Gard du Nord are
is the opposite of the classical definition of Beaux				good tries but the Old Penn Station got it right in
Arts with steps leading up into all dramatic				many categories of magnificent effort and effect on
architectural settings. From all photographs and hand				the emotional and sensual level of the every day
painted postcards this Waiting Room was in its time				traveler, the commuter. Compared to Old Penn's
the most grand and behemoth interior public space in				Concourse, Victoria and Gard Du Nord's train areas
America. Two huge Corinthian columns stand guard				are merely train sheds with some glass panels in the
on either side of the grand arch and main entrance				train shed roof.
from Seventh Avenue. Above is a vaulted ceiling and				In, under, this lighted space of the Penn Concourse
semicircular arched windows bathing the space in				are people coming and going in all directions and
natural light.				through four entrances. There are people waiting on
The scale of these Corinthian columns is I think				benches. There are newspaper stands and snack
matching those outside the 30th Street Station				stands. There are the stair entrance ways to several
building in Philadelphia, the then headquarters of the				tracks below. In an imitation of modern energy flows,
Pennsylvania Railroad. Thirtieth Street Station is a still				the Concourse area is Grand Central, Broadway, and
standing Art Deco marvel from the grand age of				JFK airport all in one ball of architectural wax.
train travel. The austere exterior FDR era Fed				The Old Penn Station was truly the Versailles of Train
Reserve (fascist) style architecture of the time is				Stations with its interior spaces. It's loss made,
accented by classical behemoth Corinthian columns.				makes, many of us keenly aware what was
No doubt the architects of 30th Street Station had				ultimately lost. The so called space demands of New
the original columns of Penn Station's interior in mind				York City was a poor excuse for tearing down this
as models and something on the wish list from the				Wonder of the Modern World.
board of directors in the building of this new, in 1933,				These days, a MSG could be built as a Sports Arena
Philly station.				on the Hudson River next to the convention center.
Before further describing this space of the Old Penn				There is such a thing as too dense a population of
Station, let us back up a little and say that elements				people even by Manhattan standards. The calming
of one of the Grandest Baths in ancient Rome, the				effect of an oasis of grand public space in the middle
Baths of Caracalla, are the inspiration for this Old				of all the chaotic energy of everyday NYC would be
Penn Station architectural model. To get a sense of				greatly welcome these days.
an idealized visual in its day, of the Victorian Era's spin				I don't know if the Waiting Room of the old Penn
on the past, we can turn to an artistic rendering of				Station will ever be recreated. I can however see the
the Baths of Caracalla. There is one 1845 watercolor				grand Concourse area being resurrected in some
I favor in the Royal Academy of Arts in London				great airport, spaceport or other transportation hub
collection by C.R. Cockerell which says it all in terms				of the future. The Old Penn Station is a classical
of a visual standard.				standard of the gilded age and worthy of a classic
This Cockerell Victorian watercolor would seem to be				revival in the future.

LeRoyNY Online

Glory of Old Penn Station New York City