New York, New York, USA

Working closely with developer ASTM North America, HOK and the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) have released the designs for the renovation of the historic Penn Station that includes the full restoration of the existing structures without destroying the surrounding infrastructure and a new entrance on Eighth Avenue.

“ASTM’s plan will solve the litany of issues that have long plagued Penn Station and is the full realization of [New York] Governor Hochul’s own vision,” explains ASTM North America CEO, Pat Foye.

HOK and PAU’s plans see the facade of the arena wrapped in a stone façade that mirrors that of Moynihan Train Hall across the street.

The architects are planning to install a “glass box” adjacent to Madison Square Garden that would serve as the exit for 70 percent of passengers leaving the station.

The plan will see the number of stairways, elevators, and escalators increasing from 91 to 120, with access to the 21 tracks at the station.

“Our new stone facade mirrors and reinterprets McKim’s masonry colonnade across Eighth Avenue at Moynihan Station, creating a great public outdoor room that brings the historical in conversation with the contemporary, all while prioritizing light and air, an improved public realm, a great mix of civic uses, and compatibility with planned rail and neighborhood growth,” states PAU founder Vishaan Chakrabarti.

Skylights and a glass ceiling will lighten up the lower spaces of the station, which are mostly underground.

It is estimated that the project will take six years to be completed and the cost will be around $6 billion.

Project: Penn Station Renovation
Architects: HOK and the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
Renderings: HOK and the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)