Rebuilding Pennsylvania Station

[NJBostonFan]

Greetings all,

This is a completely Blue-Sky Idea.

Now that we have gotten the ball rolling on Moynihan Station (Albeit slowly), we should begin thinking about the future for the existing Pennsylvania Station. If, by some miracle, we can make several arrangements for the occupants of Madison Square Garden to temporarily relocate to Barclays Center in Brooklyn and for a New Madison Square Garden to be built above the railroad tracks on 9th Avenue across from the Farley Post Office, then we can fix a great mistake and rebuild Pennsylvania Station. There is one question though. Should we build an entirely new station, like this proposal below?



Or, should we rebuild the original 1910 McKim, Mead, & White Station on the site, to reclaim the glory of a lost building and era, like the Germans did when they reconstructed the buildings of Dresden after it was destroyed in WW2?



Discuss!

[gooseberry]

I don't think we're capable of building something like the original anymore. It would look like a cheap cheesy disney version, so might as well build something new.

[czsz]

Agreed. Build something worthy of the original, but don't pretend it's still 1910 and/or history didn't happen.

[gooseberry]

Although it would be interesting to attempt to recreate it from the original plans. That's a project I would kill to work on. I can't even imagine the time and money the would be require to do that though.

[Pierce]

Madison did something similar in the 1990's and built a Frank Lloyd Wright convention center from 50 year old drawings.

Not that I advocate doing that stuff. No one, neither the pro- nor con- party, regard it as a true Wright building, even though from a distance it looks exactly like his sketch.

And rebuilding Penn Station would be very un-New York.

[acroterion]

Recreate the original station? I'd say wait until capable 5 axis CNC machines are more refined and widespread. Or find a modern architect capable of creating a work with an equivalent sense of civic grandeur. Calatrava?

[Joe_Schmoe]

I'd say if you have the budget (which nobody does) to do it right and authentic, rebuild it since no modern design would be as good.