rather it was a part of the city to be avoided and as sickening as the demolition of penn station was i challenge you to consider what it may have become if penn station was already a seedy part of new york back then imagine what it might look like today and how the entire area around it may have evolved i never thought i'd say this about the demolition of such a beautiful building but with that image in my mind i suppose that madison square garden was the better of two evils so despite international outrage demolition began on october the NUMBER_TOKENth NUMBER_TOKEN with a giant steel deck being placed above the tracks and platforms so that rail service could continue uninterrupted by the summer of NUMBER_TOKEN much of the station had already been demolished very few artifacts were preserved but after a new york times photographer captured the sculpture day in a new jersey meadowlands landfill salvage efforts were made of the NUMBER_TOKEN eagle sculptures on the station's exterior the location of NUMBER_TOKEN are known with two remaining in new york city the eagle scout memorial fountain in kansas city missouri contains a complete intact day and night sculpture from the station including the small eagles and winged hourglass the brooklyn museum has saved one of the station's iconic columns and the beautiful night statue at the station itself a few layout features remain such as vault lights in the original flooring as seen from below and a historic staircase with brass and iron handrails between tracks three and four others have been replaced by escalators the penn station service building which is off site but built in NUMBER_TOKEN to provide electricity and heat to the station survived the demolition but in NUMBER_TOKEN a southward expansion of penn station was proposed which would most definitely doom this structure to a wrecking ball as well so why is this tale of urban decay so tragic in the demolition of pennsylvania station we lost far more than a work of art we lost our dignity you see there was a time not so long ago when travelers would not even be permitted to board an airplane without the proper attire in contrast to the state of total filth and disarray we can see at any american airport shopping mall or even government building you have to ask yourself how do people become this way and as much as i'd like to blame the individual it would seem that when cities reduce their citizens prestige by demolishing monuments and replacing them with eyesores you really shouldn't be so surprised when people don't even bother getting out of their pajamas to take a train in my mind the demolition of this great station was a logical business decision but it came at an extreme cost to society progress is the enemy of tradition but when you remove tradition people have no foundation so progress might lead you to places you'd rather not go or in other words as yale architectural historian vincent scully put it one entered the city like a god one scuttles in now like a rat help keep the story of penn station alive by sharing this video with a friend and for more tales of urban decay subscribe to its history check out our daily channel stories this is ryan silkesh signing off
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