A Bygone Bus Terminal in Midtown

Christopher Grey remembers the Greyhound Bus Station that used to be located in New York's Midtown. Demolished and forgotten, it never provoked the outrage that arose over the destruction of Penn Station.

1 minute read

November 9, 2011, 11:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur


Built in 1935, Grey writes that the station had to innovate around the still new invention of bus transportation. Quoting from a manual providing guidance to architects on how to build a bus terminal, Grey writes:

"Internal windows overlooking the vehicle area were important, since most passengers still found bus transportation 'somewhat of a mystery,' and were concerned with missing their trip. A separate baggage room was advisable since 'the inconvenience which would result from giving the passengers their luggage immediately upon alighting is obvious.' Truly, bus travel has changed."

The Art Moderne building was built in 1935, and it appears that no one protested when it was destroyed in 1963.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder