Empire Station opponents: Architectural
planning should be ‘democratic process’
BY MARK HALLUM
The Empire Station Coalition,
a group questioning
the state’s plan to redevelop
Penn Station, argued Tuesday evening
in favor of more a traditional
architectural style in the rebuild of
nations largest transit hub and the
surrounding area.
Lynn Ellsworth, the executive
director of Human Scale NYC,
called for more of a democratic
process in how the Penn District
will look in the future while
others in the coalition made the
case for the same with addition of
saving the Hotel Pennsylvania and
moving Madison Square Garden.
“Can we make our architectural
decisions democratically?
According to researchers, in
ancient Athens, it was the assembly
of citizens that decided what
public buildings were to be built,
who should build them and how
much money to give them. That
The original Penn Station, as shown in 1911.
included the Parthenon,” Ellsworth
said in a virtual meeting.
“Look how great the neighborhood
once was… Look how the
old Penn Station fi t the city and
made it great, while being part of
it at a human scale. We can still
do stuff like this if we have the
will.”
While these demands are not
new, the coalition hoped that
some aspects of the plan would
change with the coming of
PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Governor Kathy Hochul to the
executive chamber after the resignation
of Andrew Cuomo who
championed the Empire Station
Complex in his last two consecutive
State of the State addresses.
The governor’s offi ce has yet
to release any amendments – if
any – that they plan to apply to
the $306 billiion Cuomo-era proposal,
which includes improvements
not only to the aesthetics
of the station, but also includes
an expansion to the south, and a
up to ten skyscrapers in the surrounding
blocks which has been
given to Vornado Realty Trust.
When ask if any of these elements
were up for re-evaluation
under the new administration, a
Hochul spokesperson provided
the following:
“Governor Hochul is committed
to a world-class transportation
network and smart development
across New York, and she looks
forward to reviewing the work of
the Community Advisory Committee
working group along with
broad public feedback to ensure
the best possible plan to improve
the Penn Station district.”
Among the unoffi cial landmarks
the activists hope to save,
one is already being subject to the
wrecking ball.
Just weeks ago, work crews at
the century-old Hotel Pennsylvania
were initiating the demolition
of the McKim, Mead and White
building that stands as the last
parcel of the old Penn Station
complex. The demolition has
been two decades in the making
with appeals to the Landmarks
Preservation Commission being
in vain.
Sam Turvey from Re-
ThinkNYC, however, believes
there is reason to stop the demolition
regardless due to the high
esteem that McKim, Mead and
White buildings still hold today.
“Many people tell us why
are you wasting your time, the
Landmarks Commission has not
gonna change their point of view,
but that’s not what we’re made
of,” Turvey said. “We believe the
right answer is that this campus
should be restored and certainly
the Hotel Pennsylvania should be
preserved.”
The owner of the 2,000-room
hotel, Vornado, has stated that the
interior has been so drastically
changed over the years that there
is little point in redeeming the
structure which cannot be easily
adapted for new purposes. In its
place will rise an offi ce building
that will rival the height of the
Empire State Building.
New York Public Library gets a new exhibition of rare literary items
BY HAEVEN GIBBONS
People stand in line in front
of Gottesman Hall inside
of The New York Public
Library, waiting to enter a room
fi lled with age-old artifacts, letters,
books and other items so
rare they can only be seen here.
The New York Public Library’s
fi rst permanent exhibition, featuring
more than 250 rare and
unique items from its research
collections, opened to the public
Friday. The exhibit showcases
objects spanning 4,000 years of
moments, movements and stories
that have helped shape the world.
“I think it’s very interesting.
It is like a little museum with a
lot of memorabilia and artifacts,”
said Cynthia Disla who visited the
exhibit on Sept. 24.
The free Polonsky Exhibition
of The New York Public
Library’s Treasures is located at
the Library’s iconic Stephen A.
Schwarzman Building on Fifth
Avenue and 42nd Street in Gottesman
Hall.
The exhibition is divided into
nine different sections including
Beginnings, Performance, Explorations,
Fortitude, The Written
Word, The Visual World, Childhood,
Belief, and New York City.
Each section tells the stories and
importance behind each object
and how it relates to a larger
history.
“I’m hoping that it will become
a must-see, like ‘you haven’t really
been to New York unless you’ve
been to the Polonsky Exhibition
of The New York Public Library’s
Treasures,” said Declan Kiely director
of special collections and
exhibits at The New York Public
Library.
Some items on display include
the only remaining copy of the letter
Christopher Columbus sent to
King Ferdinand’s court outlining
his discovery, Gutenberg’s fi rst
printed Bible, Charles Dickens’
writing desk, the original dolls
owned by the real-life Christopher
Robin that inspired the Winnie
The Pooh stories, manuscripts
and typescripts of classic works
by Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou
and Malcolm X and cue books
A display in the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public
Library’s Treasures.
from Broadway plays.
Rachel Buntrock, who visited
the museum on Friday, came to
see the original copy of the Bill
of Rights, The Declaration of
Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s
hand and the rare items that
PHOTO COURTESY OF NYPL
cannot be seen anywhere else like
Charles Dickens’ desk.
The Bill Of Rights displayed
in the exhibition is not the fi nal
version and includes two amendments
that are not included in the
fi nal version.
Cindy D’Auria said she learned
“too much” from the exhibition.
“It’s nice these beautiful pieces
are on display now for people to
see them and not stored away,”
Cindy said.
Kiely hopes attendees gain enlightenment
through pleasure and
surprise.
“One of the things we’ve tried to
do is include things that are unlike
each other,” Kiely said. “Things
you’d never expect to see in one
place creates interesting juxtapositions
and dialogues.”
The exhibition draws from the
library’s research centers: the Stephen
A. Schwarzman Building, the
Library for the Performing Arts,
and the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture which
have collected 45 million objects
including rare books, manuscripts,
photographs, prints, maps, ephemera,
audio and moving images over
the institution’s 126 years.
The exhibition will change over
time. Section themes and individual
items within those themes
will rotate to expose the public to
as much as possible.
Schneps Mediia September 30, 2021 3