What to Know
- When the MTA recently finished its $500 million entrance to Long Island Railroad at New York Penn Station, riders noticed -- so much so that customers are looking for the other entrance to be revamped.
- New renderings from a firm called ASTM of an entrance on 8th Avenue with similar light and escalators down into the station as the 7th Avenue entrance.
- That type of idea which could cost multiple billions received support from multiple layers of government Tuesday, with a twist: some officials want to tear down The Theater at MSG -- formerly known as the Hulu Theater, and before that the Felt Forum.
When the MTA recently finished its $500 million entrance to Long Island Railroad at New York Penn Station, riders noticed -- so much so that customers are looking for the other entrance to be revamped.
“The entrance on 7th Avenue came out great," Bob Caldaro, an LIRR customer, said. "It would be nice to have an entrance equally nice on the other end."
New renderings from a firm called ASTM of an entrance on 8th Avenue call for similar light and escalators down into the station as the 7th Avenue entrance.
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“I think it would look much more appealing," Tara Sackey, a commuter, said of the renderings.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said that New Yorkers deserve a worthy Penn Station.
"If there is one thing every New Yorker can agree on, is that we deserve a Penn Station that is worthy of the greatest city in the world," Nadler said.
News
That type of idea which could cost multiple billions received support from multiple layers of government Tuesday, with a twist: some officials want to tear down The Theater at MSG -- formerly known as the Hulu Theater, and before that the Felt Forum.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said scrapping the theater frees up the western facade of an NY Penn. The goal? Erasing the pain of the decision decades ago to tear down the once grand Penn Station.
“We have the best chance now than we've had maybe since the 60s to do something about it," Levine said. "We have more momentum than ever."
But that momentum may face a familiar roadblock: Madison Square Garden. The "world’s most famous arena" famously occupies the middle of NY Penn Station. They own the theater and, therefore, they’d have to agree to major changes.
However, some local lawmakers applied pressure by extending the Garden’s permit for only five more years, which means — the clock is ticking.
“We want the theater taken out to create a grand train station and we’ve got less than 5 years to do it,“ New York City Council member Eric Bottcher said.
In a statement, Madison Square Garden said: “Recognizing that the decision on which plan goes forward is not ours to make, we look forward to collaborating with all key stakeholders on improving Penn Station.”
Nonetheless, even if the MTA says no there are some back-up plans to create entrances at the corners of the block.
