I have seen my share of ugly architecture (I grew up surrounded by the best socialist realism had to offer, after all) but Penn Station in New York must still be in my Global Top 5 Architecture Nightmares. It is mind-baffling to think that they tore down the original beautiful Pennsylvania Station–which looked much like Grand Central–in the 1960s to build the monstrosity that serves as one of the nation’s busiest rail stations.
The NY Times reports today that the $14 billion plans to rebuild Penn Station and the district around it is in danger because of the “softening economy, shortfalls in government financing, political inertia and daunting logistical problems.” Meanwhile, the developers have already spent $50M in planning efforts.
Looks like Penn Station will remain Grand Central’s ugly sibling for a while.