Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
These lovely pictures will make you long for Penn Station's glory days.
It's hard to believe that Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station was once a masterpiece of pink granite, marble columns, and arched-glass windows.In 1963, the above-ground portion of the station was demolished to make room for a massive sports arena, Madison Square Garden. Its reputation as an architectural masterpiece quickly faded. And most recently several incidents have boosted the station's reputation as a subterranean hellscape.
A train derailment in April that spawned mass cancellations outraged travelers. Later in the month, stampedes and false rumors of an active shooter rippled through Penn after police tased a man. Then, in early May, foul-smelling sewage water rained down on commuters from the ceiling.
Amtrak's long overdue rail repairs threaten to worsen a headache for the 650,000 people who travel through Penn Station each day.
But things were not always this bad.
Take a look at these photos of the original Penn Station, one of the last structures of neo-classical architecture in New York City, before it was torn down.