1961. 7. 25. Announcement of Pennsylvania Station demolition by the Madison Square Garden Corporation ▶
1962. Formation of the Action Group for Better Architecture in New York (AGBANY) ▶▶
1962. 8. 2. AGBANY’s picketing ▶▶
1963.10. 28. Demolition of Pennsylvania Station begins
1965. 4. New York City Landmarks Preservation Law enacted ▶▶▶
1966. James A. Farley Building designated as New York Landmark
1998. James A. Farley Building’s remodeling promotion by senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
1999. SOM’s design proposal
2003. Archival process begins Pennsylvania Station, AGBANY by the New York Preservation Archive Project ▶▶▶▶
2016. SOM’s design completed
2021. James A. Farley Building remodeling completion ▶▶▶▶▶
▶ Announcement of Pennsylvania Station demolition by the Madison Square Garden Corporation
The original Pennsylvania Station was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architects McKim, Mead & White. They were also responsible for the design of the James A. Farley Building located across from the Pennsylvania Station. The station was prosperous for several decades after opening, but after World War II, the use of airplanes and automobiles increased and the station faced operational difficulties. The Pennsylvania Railroad Corporation pursued the development of air rights, and in 1954, the real estate firm of Webb and Knapp, and in 1960, the Madison Square Garden Corporation, finally obtained the air rights. The construction of Madison Square Garden was announced at the same time as the demolition of Pennsylvania Station. The plan was to build a 22,000-seat stadium and office aboveground following demolition, and to place a railway station underground.
(RICHARD E. MOONEY, ʻEnd of a Landmark: The Demolition of Old Penn Station’, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, 14 August 2017, summary)
Image courtesy of SOM
▶▶ The Action Group for Better Architecture in New York and picketing
Han Garam (Han): The Action Group for Better Architecture in New York (AGBANY) was formed to oppose the demolition of the station and the construction of Madison Square Garden. Who were the members and key players in this group?
Brad Vogel (Vogel): AGBANY was a treasure trove of charismatic individuals. The picket involved the participation of architects, such as Giorgio Cavaglieri, Elliott Willensky, Norval White, and Philip Johnson, among others, as well as the American art and architecture critic Aline B. Saarinen, the activist and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs, along with attorney Ray Rubinow. The author Norman Mailer was also involved. We’ve determined that over 300 verified individuals were part of AGBANY. Although AGBANY no longer exists, crucially, at least one member, Peter Samton, who was present at the famous 1962 picket, remains active in advocating for preservation, architectural issues, and civic circles.
Han: The organisation picketed the site. Could you give us more information about the size, duration, and methods behind the picket?
Vogel: The famous picket line on the sidewalk of 7th Avenue in front of Pennsylvania Station’s east façade and main entrance took place from 5 – 7pm on the evening of the 2nd of August 1962. AGBANY alerted the media to the planned protest beforehand. Between 150 and 500 well-dressed marchers were reported to have attended the protest. The picketers, many in suits and dresses, carried a number of protest signs, with messages such as: ʻDon’t Amputate – Renovate’, ʻProgress is Quality, Not Novelty’, ʻSHAME’, ʻBe A Penn Pal’, ʻSave Our City’, ʻSave Our Station’, ʻSave Our Heritage’, ʻStop Demolition; – there was even a baby pushed in a carriage with a sign that read ʻDon’t Let Them Destroy My Heritage’. In terms of impact, the picket’s power to inspire and influence the historic preservation movement and the field of urban planning has grown tremendously in the decades after it took place. However, it did not move the powers that be at the time.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission was created in 1965 through groundbreaking legislation signed by the late Mayor Robert F. Wagner in response to the loss of historically significant buildings in New York City, among them, most notably, Pennsylvania Station.
Criteria for the Preservation of Individual Landmarks
‒ The exteriors of individual structures, ranging from farmhouses to skyscrapers
‒ At least 30-years old
‒ Possess a unique character or specific historical or aesthetic interest or value
‒ Permits are required for construction that will affect the external surfaces of an individual landmark or building in a historic district
‒ Permits are not required for emergency or standard repairs
‒ Examples: James A. Farley Building, Woolworth Building
Criteria for the Preservation of Interior Landmarks
‒ Customarily open or accessible to the public and also meet the criteria for individual landmarks
‒ At least 30-years old
‒ Have a unique character or specific historical or aesthetic interest or value
‒ Permits are required for construction that will affect the exterior of an individual landmark or building in a historic district and for projects that require a permit from the Department of Buildings
‒ Permits are not required for emergency or standard repairs
‒ Examples: the lobby of the Empire State Building, the concourse and waiting room at the Grand Central Terminal
Criteria for the Preservation of Scenic Landmarks
‒ City-owned parks or other landscape features
‒ At least 30-years old
‒ Have a unique character or specific historical or aesthetic interest or value
‒ Examples: Central Park, Ocean Parkway
Criteria for the Preservation of Historic Districts
‒ Areas of the city that possess architectural and historical significance
‒ Represent at least one period or style of architecture typical of one or more eras in the city’s history
‒ Possess a distinct ʻsense of place’
‒ Possess a coherent streetscape
‒ Examples: the Brooklyn Heights, Greenwich Village, Tribeca historic districts
(Website of Landmarks Preservation Commission)
Image courtesy of SOM
▶▶▶▶ Archival process for Pennsylvania Station, AGBANY by the New York Preservation Archive Project
Han: The New York Preservation Archive Project (NYPAP) has documented the cases and events related to the AGBANY. What was the most challenging aspect when documenting this architectural history, which involves many overlapping events over a significant period of time?
Vogel: With many preservation efforts that are ad hoc, situational, or very grassroots in character, it is much more difficult to piece the puzzle together years after the fact. Fortunately, AGBANY was a well-organised, press-conscious preservation effort so there are plenty of materials accessible in the public realm to consult throughout this research project. Our website contains over ten oral histories from those involved in AGBANY. NYPAP’s mission is to protect and raise awareness of the narratives related to historic preservation in New York through public programmes, outreach activities, celebrations and by providing wider access to information.
Han: How can we foster a more sophisticated social consensus around the handling of architectural heritage sites beyond the architectural field? What additional efforts should we make?
Vogel: Building a social consensus requires work to change the public mindset, prompting questions about the value and efficacy of large-scale urban projects that can have devastating side effects. Arriving at a place of consensus imbued with Jane Jacobs’ wisdom about the preference for the accumulation of small- scale interventions, rather than mega-scale projects, would go a long way towards increasing the odds of survival for large swaths of our historic urban fabric. How to arrive at this point in our collective maturity? Taking the history of preservation in New York City as instructive, the motivation behind any effort must involve cultivating and supporting an ethics of preservation, especially among our public officials.
Image courtesy of SOM
▶▶▶▶▶ Completion of the James A. Farley Building remodeling project
Championed by the visionary Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the 1990s, SOM developed a modern design that celebrated this historic landmark. Today, a new skylight extends throughout this concourse – drawing sunlight back into these spaces while also reclaiming the grandeur of the original, sky-lit Pennsylvania Station. (Website of SOM)
Vogel said, ʻIt is not necessarily surprising given the complexity of the site and project – with funding issues and multiple federal, state, and city agencies involved – and the fact that the large-scale adaptive reuse project unfolded even as a postal facility open to the public continued to operate in a portion of the James A. Farley building’ in an interview.
Brad Vogel
Brad Vogel serves as executive director of the New York Preservation Archive Project. An attorney and preservationist, he previously served as a fellow with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Vogel has written and presented extensively on the history of the preservation movement.
