The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-20
Big HOTEL IN PENN TERMINAL,
THEATRE, TOO, MAYBE, AND
OTHER GREAT ENTERPRISES.
With 70. ono .OOO People Coming 10 the Tn.
derEround station Every Year. Bust.
ness Ought to he Fine-Pians Al.
ready Drawn for Mammoth Building.

authority that the plans Of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad for it's new central station
in the heart Of Manhattan include the con-
struction Of huge skyscraper hotel, which
will probably be the biggest of the many
giant hostelries recently projected in this
CITY.
-Four entire blocks OF city property
owned by the railroad company are avail
able for this station hotel. but only two OF
these will he utilized The plans have
already been drawn by McKim, Mead h
White, the architects TO whom the task al
designing the terminal has been entrusted,
but they have been kept 80 close a secret
that no hint of what they contain has hith-
erto come out
Ever since the details Of the Pennsvlvan a
tunnel project were announced early last
spring, the greatest curiosity has been
expressed as to what the railroad pro-
rosed to do. above the street level, with Il Q
great area of city property beneath which
its central station is TO be constructed
The station t. to lie between Tenth and
Seventh avenues. From Tenth to Eighth
avenues it is TO be one block wide ()et ween
Thirty-frst and Thirty-second streets) and
from Eighth TO Seventh avenues two blocks
wide (betwcen Thirty-frst and Thirty
third stree,s) The site is about twenty
eight acres in all.
Every foot Of real estate in this tract
has heen bought up by the company. which
can therefore do with it what 1t will A.
the station itself will be underground, ex-
cent for waiting rooms and Offices. there
has been a wide field for speculation as to
what will be done.
The surface station to he built by the
road will cover only two of these blocks,
those bounded by Thirty-first and Thirty
third streets, and Seventh and Eighth
avenues. The buildings on the two re-
naming blocks to the west Of this site,
for the present at any rate. will be undis-
turbed
What was 10 be done with the other two
blocks puzzled a number OF people including
certain Aldermen. for il could hardly be
believed that 80 wide awake an inst tuition
as the Pennsylvania Railroad would use
so valuable piece Of real estate for under
ground purposes only.
The rough general plans for the tunnel
work, as first revealed called for only a
glass rooted one STORY station on the model
Of the famous Quai DOrsay in Paris.
A graded circular carriageway led from
the street to bridges above the two plat
forms and tracks Above these were ticket
Offices and waiting rooms.
That was a. far a. the plans went then.
They have been developed since. but the
secret OF the compsny's further Intentions
has been well kept.
The last story IN circulation was
that the Pennsylvania Railroad COM
pany would move its executive ofices
from Philadelphia to this city and in
stall them in the building to be erected
over its prospective central station This
is impossible. because. as one Of the fficers
Of the company pointed out yesterday.
the company's charter provides that its
executive offices shall be in the st ate Of
Pennsylvania.
Hotel men to whom the company's de-
sign was made known yesterday said
that it was a logical part OF such great
scheme as the tunnel, and they minated
that IL the project ia as we'll carried out as
it is likely to be. the station hostelry will
prove formidable competitor to some
other structures in the Tenderloin dis
trict.
The site will be all that could be desired
for hotel. Hotel men recalled yesterday
that London has three such station hotels,
at Charing Cross. Kings Cross and st.
Pancras. and although the last two hotels
are in out Of the way and undesirable neigh
borhoods. where other large hotels have
failed. these pay a handsome profit to the
Midls nd and Great Northern Railway
companies. over the terminals OF which
they are built.
There are others besides the hotel
keepers. however, who are awaiting with
interest the announcement OF the Penn
sylvania's full plans for its station. With
site covering four blocks to deal with and
with thousands of persons brought di-
rectly to il by rail, what cannot be done?
Theatrical men are anxious to know IL
the scheme includes theatre or amuse-
ment hall A skyscraper two blocks square
could include all-hotel. concert hall.
theatre. and a whole lot Of other things be-
sides. What would become OF Madison
Square Garden. for instance. II it should be
decided to build over the underground
station a great amusement palace with a
hotel above that and roof garden topping
them ALI
So far al construction ia concerned
such a thing is perfectly feasible, and would
probably be extremely profitable
From time to time schemes to combine
in ne set OF buildings all sorts of amuse-
Hents ana business enterprises nave been
launched in this city. and invariably they
have come to nothing. principally because
of the enormous outlay necessary to pro-
vide site in a central part Of the city.
Three years ago an elaborate plan to
establish a permanent industrial exhibition
ground and amusement place on the plan
Of that at South Kensington. London, was
proposed to the Merchants Association,
and the association was inclined to think
well OF 1t,
But the scheme was 40 costly that no one
would look at it. II was proposed to estab-
lish the place in the West Side 1t was TO
cover eight city blocks and to include in
dustrial buildings which would really be
gigantic department stores wholesale and
retail devoted to the various great branches
e trade: a theatre. roof gardens. con-
cert halls. circus. a public gymnasium,
re .taurants, q hotel and nearly everything
else that man or woman could need.
The cost of site which people could
readily get at was the initial difficulty in
tn'. IA in al the other schemes Of the kind
Waen In doub, about gift for any one buy Krem.
crtE one Piece Colar buttons. All Jewellers. Ado