Pennsylvania Station, An Architectural Wonder

The NYC had direct access into Manhattan, reached via a crossing of the Hudson River at Albany, New York. The culmination of NYC’s link to Manhattan was Grand Central Station (later replaced by its magnificent Grand Central Terminal, the building today is completely restored in its original splendor), located along Forty-Second Street. Once Cassatt became president this setup just could not do and he began making plans to build a station that would not only dwarf Grand Central Station and all other railroad stations in the country, but also rival any other station ever constructed in the world.

After visiting his sister in France and seeing the newly built Gare d’Orsay in Paris, he knew how the PRR would reach Manhattan and there would be no price too high to do so (in today’s dollars Pennsylvania Station would have taken hundreds of millions to construct, a truly astronomical amount). During this time in the beginning of the 20th century, electric locomotives were still a novelty and in their infancy but their development had come far enough to be used successfully in commercial service, which is how trains were entering the Paris station.

To successfully complete his task of the PRR reaching Manhattan he would construct a number of tunnels, or “tubes,” under the Hudson River all of which would be electrified, and passengers would board their trains underground. What made the future Pennsylvania Station far different from NYC’s Grand Central Station was whereas Grand Central was an end terminal (meaning service began and ended there), Pennsylvania Station would have through connections running to New Jersey, Manhattan, Long Island, and the Bronx via a bridge from Manhattan to connect New England, north of New York City.

For the above station design Cassatt hired Charles McKim, a master architect of the French Beaux Arts school. After Cassatt explained to McKim how he imagined the grand station, the architect would go on to design a legendary structure whose legacy would far outlive even it.

The station’s enormous main concourse was modeled after London’s famous Crystal Palace and the waiting room replicated the Roman Baths of Caracalla, complete with the same travertine marble which had to be imported from Italy, with grand Corinthian columns rising sixty feet to sustain a vaulted ceiling that reached 150 feet in height! The magnificence of this building did not stop there, as the outside was just as stunning. Huge Doric columns constructed of pink marble from Massachusetts supported the Seventh Avenue façade.

The building was truly breathtaking and today, those who were able to see and experience Pennsylvania Station were able to witness a true Wonder of the World, which will forever be remembered as an architectural masterpiece. Unfortunately, neither McKim nor Cassatt would live to see their vision completed as both died before the building was finished.

For all of the building’s magnificence, after it was opened in 1911 it survived less than sixty years. By the 1960s our nation’s rail industry was in a downward spiral, which the PRR was not immune from either. For years the railroad was one of the most highly respected corporations in the nation, and a Pennsylvania icon but beginning after World War II the PRR would continually lose money year after year until its disastrous merger with the NYC to form the ill-fated Penn Central Corporation in 1968.

The end for Pennsylvania Station would come a year ealier, in 1967 while the PC merger was working its way towards completion, and unfortunately its very construction (its low building height) would factor in its demise. Stuart Saunders was the recent new president of the PRR, coming from the Norfolk & Western and replacing James (Jim) Symes in 1965 after the latter had retired that year. Saunders was the logical choice because not only was the N&W still a PRR subsidiary (at least until the ICC forced the PRR to give up the railroad after the PC merger) but it was also a money-making juggernaut, exploiting the rich coal country of southern West Virginia and moving it east to the ports of Virginia.

Saunders, who was not a great railroader, was brought in for two reasons because of his successes at the N&W; first, to find a merger partner with the PRR to help the railroad right itself; and second, to improve the company’s bottom-line. Unfortunately, several factors prevented him from doing either, most notably because of the railroad’s legendary strict hierarchal and arrogant corporate culture.

In a monumental lapse of vision, one idea Saunders decided upon to improve the company’s bottom-line would be one unthinkable today, tear down the railroad’s prized symbol, Pennsylvania Station, to sell the Manhattan air rights above the building. Despite pleas and protests from several groups to save the historic building from demolition the plan was carried out and it took contractors three years to completely raze the above station, a testament to the station’s construction.

In its place was built today’s Madison Square Garden, considered by many to be a visual and architectural nightmare. While the above building was razed the below station remains and continues to serve commuters and Amtrak passengers although, sadly, a stagnant facility now serves as their entrance into downtown New York.

In recent years, however, an attempt has been made to improve the entrance into Manhattan for passengers and commuters using Pennsylvania Station. One idea floated was to redesign the Farley Post Office, which originally was constructed with Pennsylvania Station across the street so the two would match, into a magnificent waiting room. There has also been a proposal to redevelop Pennsylvania Station. While these ideas have yet to be set in stone, largely because funding has never been secured, the hope remains that a semblance of this once mighty station will return to the New York skyline.

While we can always hope that the plans will call for something similar to what once was, whatever becomes of the site, the original Pennsylvania Station will forever be remembered as an architectural wonder, unrivaled in beauty and design.

For more reading about railroad stations you might want to consider a copy of Railroad Stations from author Brian Solomon. While the book is just a very general overview of some of the great stations that once stood in this country it is quite good with lots of historical photographs, including that of Grand Central Terminal and the late Pennsylvania Station (it also gives a history of the thousands of small depots that existed in most communities). All in all if you’re interested in stations and depots you’re sure to enjoy Mr. Solomon’s book on the subject.

Also, for an in-depth publication about Pennsylvania Station herself consider the book The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station from authors Lorraine B. Diehl and Ada Louise Huxtable. The book gives a detailed account of the iconic building from its construction in the early 20th century to its tragic loss in the late 1960s with 80 historic images included throughout the text. If you have any interest in Penn Station or railroad stations in general this book is a must have. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing these books please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".