A midtown advocacy group has grand plans the reimagine Penn Station and the surrounding area to bring back the grandeur it once enjoyed 60 years ago. The group said their plans are cheaper than what the city is planning. NBC New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
Grand Central gets rave reviews as a rail hub. Penn Station, not so much.
So, what if Penn got a new look and a new name: "Grand Penn," perhaps?
“This could be the biggest deal in New York in a century,” said Alex Washburn, lead architect for the Grand Penn project.
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WATCH HEREHis team spent three years developing the plan with a major focus: moving Madison Square Garden one block east, from Eighth Avenue to Seventh Avenue.
“What’s in it for MSG? They get a new arena and it’s a swap for their old arena,” said Washburn.
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SIGN UP The Garden, and owner James Dolan, could also get something that has eluded the famous arena: a permanent lease. Part of the proposed deal could be lifetime rights to the new property instead of the need to renew with City Council approval every few years.
“It’s a win, win, win,” said Washburn.
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But not everyone sees it that way.
“The first thing we should figure out is what the transit plan is,” said Samuel Turvey, whose advocacy group Rethink New York suggests a better fix is extending tracks so New Jersey trains could run all the way through to Long Island.
A similar sentiment from Amtrak, which owns the tracks beneath the massive station, where 600,000 people descend every day.
“It is essential that options are evaluated on their ability to meet the transportation needs of the region,” said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman.
Yet to weigh in is real estate giant Vornado, which was originally promised multiple office towers under a pre-pandemic version of redevelopment. And the Trump administration has oversight of the entire parcel of land.
Washburn, the architect, thinks that’s a chance for President Trump to make it a reality, six decades after the original Penn got demolished.
“It highlights the role of a deal maker in this project,” said Washburn. “It’s one of the reasons why it’s been stuck.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said they remain committed to their plan to revitalize Penn Station, a plan that is "anchored by hundreds of new homes, seamless access to transit, and major improvements to the surrounding streets and sidewalks."
