An illustrated account of the construction, history, and demolition of one of the most famous railroad stations in America-- New York City's Penn Station.

This book recounts the heroic story of a public landmark: the masterpiece by McKim, Mead & White that opened in 1910, its tragic demolition in the 1960s, and the dazzling new station by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, due to open in 2005.".

“Superb. [A] first-rate narrative” (The Wall Street Journal) about the controversial construction of New York’s beloved original Penn Station and its tunnels, from the author of Eiffel's Tower and Urban Forests As bestselling books like Ron Chernow's Titan and David McCullough's The Great Bridge affirm, readers are fascinated with the grand personalities and schemes that populated New York at the close of the nineteenth century. Conquering Gotham re- creates the riveting struggle waged by the great Pennsylvania Railroad to build Penn Station and the monumental system of tunnels that would connect water-bound Manhattan to the rest of the continent by rail. Historian Jill Jonnes tells a ravishing tale of snarling plutocrats, engineering feats, and backroom politicking packed with the most colorful figures of Gilded Age New York. Conquering Gotham will be featured in an upcoming episdoe of PBS's American Experience.

As the 19th cent. ends, PA Railroad pres. Alexander Cassatt seeks some way -- other than fleets of ferries from N.J. -- to bring the PRR¿s millions of passengers into water-locked Gotham. By 1901 the PRR will build a monumental system of electrified tunnels under the Hudson River, Manhattan, and the East River to Long Island, capping them with the crown jewel of PA Station. And so begins a high-stakes Gilded Age drama pitting the nation¿s greatest corp. against the forces of Tammany N.Y. This narrative brings to life the feats of politicking and engineering that forever changed N.Y.¿s physical and psychological geography. In late 1910, PA Station, Charles McKim¿s great Doric temple to transportation, opens in all its magnificence. Photos.

The year is 1955, and the world of Danny Meadoff spins with ease and stability. Eisenhower is president, soul groups are black, NBA teams are white. Fathers do not speak with sons. The Dodgers have jumped out to an early lead and look to meet the Yankees in the Series. And, according to universal plan, to lose. Everything is in its place. Or is it? The father of Danny's best friend has become a philanderer and a Republican. The sax player at Flatbush and Nostrand blows notes that are not in the songs. There is talk--inconceivable, but talk nonetheless--of the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn. Danny's world seems to be wobbling in its orbit. Most worrisome, in this summer when time suspends and loopholes dimple the laws of probability, is the shadow. Late at night in Danny's backyard a shadow appears. Or does it? LEAD US NOT INTO PENN STATION is a picaresque, a tale following three young men through the rapids of loyalty, stasis, and mutability. Comic and nostalgic, it tells the story of a boy's redemptive love for his father.

This work traces the history of the creation, operation, and demolition of New York's Pennsylvania Station.

"A historical novel set in 1960s New York City involving a closeted architect and a young man who becomes involved in the early gay rights movement" --

A history of the various plans to get the Pennsylvania Railroad into Manhattan (over & under the Hudson R.) and out to the Northeast (across Hell Gate), and the monument that was Penn Station. Covers the tragic loss of that great edifice to the Quislings of Penn & the vulgar boosterism of NYC (which

The story of the spectacular and much-lamented train terminal whose destruction inspired a new passion for historic preservation. Includes photos. In early twentieth-century New York, few could have imagined a train terminal as grand as Pennsylvania Station. Yet, executives at the Pennsylvania Railroad secretly bought up land in Manhattan's infamous Tenderloin District to build one of the world's most spectacular monuments. Sandhogs would battle the fiercest of nature to build tunnels linking Manhattan to New Jersey and Long Island. For decades, Penn Station was a center of elegance and pride. But the ensuing rise of the airplane and automobile began to diminish train travel. Consequently, in the mid-1960s, the station was tragically destroyed. The loss inspired the birth of preservation laws in the city and the nation that would save other landmarks—such as New York’s Grand Central, just blocks away. Here, Paul Kaplan recounts the trials and triumphs of New York's Penn Station, with extensive photos and illustrations.