October 28, 1963 in New York history

📝 On This Day 📝

61 years ago on October 28th, 1963

Demolition begins on Penn Station, razing all above-ground structures to make way for Madison Square Garden despite outcry from architects and the public

The demolition of the ornate eight-acre site led to the passage of a city landmarks preservation act just two years later that aimed to prevent other historic sites from being lost without proper oversight.

Although the loss of old Penn Station is generally seen as tragic, the reality at the time was that the massive building had become too expensive to maintain as rail profits decreased, which led to parts of the building being hastily repaired over the years and some areas blocked off from public access. Relinquishing the rights to the above-ground station came with the promise of a new underground station at no cost to the railroad operators.

It was the city Landmarks Preservation Commission, formed as a result of the demolition, that would save Grand Central Terminal from a similar fate just two years later.

Historic American Buildings Survey, April 24, 1962 — Pennsylvania Station Concourse From Southeast — Cervin Robinson, Photographer via Library of Congress
In an effort to recreate the splendor of the original Penn Station, Amtrak is redeveloping a part of the nearby post office into Moynihan Station, an open-air train station that will have a skylight nearly the size of Grand Central Terminal's main ceiling. The new construction will service Amtrak and LIRR customers and is expected to be completed in 2021.


References:

More events from October 28th in New York History


⏰ AGBC Rewind ⏰

13 years ago
WFMU Record Fair and RadioVision Festival 2011


🌎 World History 🌏

Library of Congress  •  New York Times  •  BBC  •  Wikipedia


🌞 Weather Records 🌞

Record High: 83°F in 1919
Record Low: 29°F in 1976


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