Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy Provides a Step Back in Time: The Rise and Demise of Penn Station

May 8, 2020 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susie Rosenbluth, Two Sues on the Aisle

Tours of New York City, especially Jewish landmarks, has become a hallmark of the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC). When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the non-profit group hardly missed a beat, morphing their magic from the streets of the city to the technological wizardry of Zoom. Last month, LESJC coordinated an evening stroll back in time featuring Paul Kaplan, author of New York’s Penn Station: The Rise and Fall of an American Landmark (History Press).

In a talk peppered with anecdotes and pictures, Mr. Kaplan, who has presented more than 45 book tours across the country and is the author of histories and cultural guides, including “Lillian Wald,” “Jewish New York,” and “Jewish South Florida,” turned his virtual audience into time travelers, transporting them to an era that was simultaneously simpler yet electrically exciting.

The journey began with an historic perspective, explaining the politics and society in New York at the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries, when the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), one of the largest corporations in the US since the end of the Civil War, was determined to provide a direct connection to Manhattan from New Jersey and Long Island and, thereby, to the rest of the United States through a series of tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers.

Monument to a World Capital

The leaders of the PRR intended from the start to build a monument to the importance of the railroad and the prominence of Manhattan as a world capital. Their inspiration came from the magnificent Gare d’Orsay train station in Paris, where trains ran on electricity under the Seine River, and the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, which boasted marble columns; high, majestic ceilings, and a vast room in which people could rest (call it a waiting room) before moving on to their next activity.

When Penn Station opened in 1910, it was immediately declared one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The waiting room was the largest indoor space ever created, and the engineering feat, successfully tunneling under the Hudson and East Rivers such that trains could travel through, was the marvel of its day.

Mr. Kaplan’s exploration included more than a virtual tour of the construction. His narrative exposed the challenges faced by the developers as they ploughed through what has been called the progressive era, which lasted from 1890 until 1920.

Alexander Cassatt (brother of Mary, one of very few female artists of the time and the only American member of the Impressionist circle in France) assumed the presidency of the PRR almost by default when several others died shortly after taking the position. Determined to oppose the layers of corruption rampant in New York at the time and to offer his workers, especially the so-called sand-hogs who, against all odds, built the all-important tunnels, he maneuvered the project through government reforms, anti-trust bills, land conservation acts, and women’s and worker’s rights movements.

Charles Jacobs

Cassatt’s right-hand man was his chief engineer, Charles Jacobs, an émigré from England who had previously constructed tunnels under New York City’s East River. It was Jacobs who determined that building beneath the Hudson River was feasible.

The next task was deciding where to build the station. They opted for one of Manhattan’s seediest working-class neighborhoods, the West Side from 31^st to 33^rd Streets between Seventh and Ninth Avenues, known as the Tenderloin, so called because the police chief had once announced that the bribes he could command in that district would allow him to feast on tenderloin steak.

With the secrecy of generals planning an attack, Cassatt and Jacobs engaged realtors to buy up more than 500 buildings in the area, paying hundreds of families anything from $5,000 to $85,000 ($150,000 to $2.5 million in today’s dollars), to make room for the immense new terminal.

Unfortunately, Cassatt died in 1906 and, thus, never witnessed the completion of the project, which, when it was finished in 1910, used 27,000 tons of steel, 500,000 cubic feet of granite, 83,000 square feet of skylights, and 17 million bricks.

Mr. Kaplan’s engaging description of the station brought the construction to life. Some described the project as New York’s own “Panama Canal on the West Side;” others said it was “ancient Rome in our own backyard.” Mr. Kaplan described it as a castle that was privately owned yet managed to convey to the public the sense that it belonged to them.

Captured the Imagination

During its first decade, the PRR suffered some growing pains, but it was clear it had captured the imagination of Americans everywhere. Its famous clock became an icon. No less an author than Thomas Wolfe immortalized it in You Can’t Go Home Again. It was not a shopping mall, but it was a destination.

During World War I, the US government nationalized Penn Station for the use of the military, but, despite the wear and tear caused by countless soldiers and the effects of the 1918 pandemic Spanish flu, the building and its railroad emerged to enjoy the 1920’s “Golden Age of Travel.”

Its fortunes declined during the Depression, only to be reborn during World War II when Penn Station became the scene of farewells before sons and husbands left for battle. By the time the war ended in 1945, more than 100 million passengers were traveling through Penn Station every year. The railroad allowed workers to reside in the suburbs and commute to Manhattan.

Financial Disaster

But by the 1960s, the building that was supposed to last forever was slated for destruction. The PRR was a financial disaster. Unable to compete with airlines or automobiles, unable to afford the high costs of equipment and maintenance, taxes, and onerous regulations, the PRR sold the air rights above Penn Station, and the space that housed Cassatt’s architectural wonder would become Madison Square Garden.

There were small protests, but, in 1963, demolition began. “There was no Landmarks Preservation law to save it, but the truth is, until the destruction began, few believed it would really be torn down,” said Mr. Kaplan.

Historic Remnants

There are a few remnants of the original Penn Station still around. For example, a wine and spirit shop in the mall features some vintage glass bricks, and there is a plaque, mounted in 1948, honoring the baggage handlers who helped the soldiers leaving for World War II. The stairs leading to tracks 5 and 6 are the original ones, made of brass and iron.

Most of the original Penn Station eagles and other statues were destroyed, but two of the eagles survived. One is in the Hicksville, Long Island train station and the other somewhere in the Midwest.

Despite the loss, Mr. Kaplan’s engaging style may lead you to happily anticipate the completion of the railroad’s future home, the Moynihan Train Hall, but that, of course, will be another story.

Provided Something Extraordinary

Mr. Kaplan’s book, which is out-of-stock on Amazon, can be purchased through Arcadia Publishing or by contacting Mr. Kaplan at PaulKaplanAuthor.com

To hear a YouTube recording of Mr. Kaplan’s talk or to learn more about future virtual tours offered by the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, go to the group’s website, https://www.nycjewishtours.org/.

As Mr. Kaplan explained, perhaps the greatest legacy of the Penn Station was the establishment in 1968 of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has saved many of New York’s iconic buildings, including Carnegie Hall.

“I think people realized what had been lost by the destruction of Penn Station. It was a creation by private enterprise that provided something extraordinary for the public and for future generations. There must be a balance between the need to preserve and the need to grow and change. That’s what living places must do,” he said.

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