Although ideas for a suitably grand station to replace the deplorable gateway that now exists at Penn Station have been kicking around for decades, the Municipal Arts Society (MAS) has sought to reinvigorate the discussion with a visioning challenge.
With discussion of the future of Madison Square Garden fresh in the minds of New Yorkers, MAS invited four teams of leading designers to think big about the future of train travel in the city to "push some boundaries of what's possible." The inspiring results of that exercise, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro, SHoP Architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, are now on exhibit at the Times Center in Midtown Manhattan, reports Alex Goldmark.
"Four architecture firms submitted the renderings below that demonstrate 'there are a range of practical and liberating possibilities for an expanded, world-class Penn Station and a great new Madison Square Garden. They have set a brilliant and achievable standard to serve commuters, fans, and the future of Manhattan’s west side and the City itself,' said Vin Cipolla, president of The Municipal Art Society."
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