Although the information that was shared in the panel of historians and architectures was repetitive information that we had already learned in class, it was interesting to see  how in depth one can go when discussing grand central.  One interesting idea  that they brought up was the comparison between Penn Station and GST.  They argued that Penn station was a standalone building as appose to GST which contained shops or as they stated a choreography of connection.  They also debated on how Penn station was a necessary evil  for the preservation movement to rise; thus  thanks to Penn station we now have GST and other landmarks.

Up until this class I never new Penn station was such a monstrous building. Inspired again by the beaux-arts Mckim  truly designed a building that was meant for a great metropolitan city. We see the vast entrance which he borrow from the Roman’s Baths of Caracalla after his visit there and sadly he never got the chance to see his work completed as he died before completion.

Although Penn station in it of itself was a  momentous  structure the infrastructure it laid was astonishing. We saw how with great precision and engineering  the vision that a tunnel under the Hudson river was built. Sandhogs risk their lives and devoted  many hours for cheap labor constructing the tunnel.

It was very disturbing watching the demolition crew bring down the station. I can see now how people can grow such emotional connections to something  like a building.

Penn Station was definitely a structure of grandeur, through this video it shows the stations beauty and at the same time it showed the ordeal it took t o get this station up in the air. Cassatt took the inspiration from  the stations of Europe in regards to their electric trains that travel through long tunnels and causing little discomfort to its customers. Now Penn Station was great and in it creation, there succeeded the connection of their tracks in jersey to NYC and the connection of their newly acquired train line in Long Island (LIRR). So now, the question is why did GCT survive over Penn Station, I believe it dealt with the innovation of GCT’s architecture, its importance to its surrounding neighborhood, its pinnacle use in US history. But one of the major factors that helped save GCT was the destruction of Penn Station itself. New Yorkers truly realized what they had lost when Penn Station and so did a large portion of the nation and through this loss so many came together to fight for the cause of saving GCT and in result causing the formulation of NYC Landmark Preservation Commission. Penn Station lacked a large support from NYC citizens and the support from major celebrities, which GCT had and it was along with these two factors that helped propel its salvation forward. There also lies one more factor that differed between Penn Station and GCT and that was the fact that GCT had sub-connections to many of the surrounding buildings which allowed commuters/tourists to feel like they were in a city within a city (known as Terminal City).

Grand Central Station – exterior views- c.1904

This is the photo of Grand central station.

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Although the video was mostly of experts discussing Grand Central and not about how it was physically formed like the documentary on Penn Station, I actually enjoyed how the men spoke about GCT. It was great hearing them reference facts that we learned from our tours (like the lowest basement floor N42, the operation control center, and the oyster bar) and getting more information about them. For example, we were given a glimpse of the lowest basement floor in all of Manhattan. The video also brought into perspective how Grand Central Terminal was different than Penn Station. Someone mentioned that what makes GCT so special is that it is a “constellation of three different buildings” whereas Penn Station was a standalone building. Grand Central is a “choreography of connection” with shops, transportation, and a place for the community to bustle about, not just a building for trains to arrive and depart at. I love those descriptions of Grand Central Terminal and it really just reiterates how important this monument is for our community.

I did not know that watching a documentation on the rise of Penn Station would cause me to feel so connected to the station. Alexander Cassatt’s vision of a seamless ride without the need of a ferry was so far-fetched and daunting yet he managed to build a station and the tunnels into New York City. In the video, we saw how sandhogs, the workers who risked their health and lives, created the tunnel in the Hudson River. When they mentioned that it took them 6 hours to place the ring segments but after experience, it took them 90 minutes, it made me think of how proud the workers must have been when they finally got the hang of it. The Penn Station monument itself was an amazing building and I’m sure made New Yorkers feel like their city was truly something special.

Four years of construction, fifty years of living, only to be destroyed because of money. Watching the complete destruction of Penn Station was so heartbreaking. It was destroyed because not enough people realized how important it was until it was torn down. Yes, it acts as a martyr for Grand Central Terminal and other buildings that were at risk of being destroyed but it didn’t need to be if enough people petitioned against it. There is no other monument like Penn Station in New York City and I feel so much regret that I was not able to see it in its glory.