{"id":25309,"date":"2023-04-22T16:19:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-22T20:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/?p=25309"},"modified":"2023-04-22T16:19:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-22T20:19:53","slug":"the-penn-station-moynihan-train-hall-annex-opened-to-fanare-and-derision-by-kira-scott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hunterword.com\/index.php\/the-penn-station-moynihan-train-hall-annex-opened-to-fanare-and-derision-by-kira-scott\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moynihan Train Hall Annex at NYC’s Penn Station Opened with Lots of Fanfare That Was Followed by Derision"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new annex is an expansion of Pennsylvania Station, the main intercity and commuter rail station in New York City, into the city’s former main post office building, the James A. Farley Building. Located between Eighth Avenue, Ninth Avenue, 31st Street, and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, the annex it provides new access to most of Penn Station’s platforms for Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road passengers, serving 17 of the station’s 21 tracks.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Enhanced customer amenities include, according to Amtrak Information, a grand and spacious train hall featuring a sky lit atrium, dedicated customer waiting areas, a combined ticketing and baggage area, improved passenger comfort and security, accessibility for customers with disabilities, inductive loop system for hearing assistance, complimentary WiFi in all customer spaces and dedicated lactation lounge for nursing mothers.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Georgia Funn was awkwardly leaning against a wall at Penn Station\u2019sMoynihan Train Hall when she was approached by this reporter for an interview. She is one of the station’s 650,000 daily commuters who couldn\u2019t wait to see this $1.6 billion project when it opened in January of last year. And she is one of the many commuters who wasn’t finding this station as accommodating as the fanfare and publicity led them to expect.<\/p>\n

Although the train hall increased the size of the station by 50 percent, Funn, 68, said, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel that much bigger than the original one.\u201d She gestured to the rest of the seatless hall and said, \u201cThey could\u2019ve used more of this dead space to make it a little bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyday, Funn waits for her Long Island Railroad train track to be announced so she can return home after a long day’s work as a church youth leader.<\/p>\n

At about 6 p.m. on a Monday, the ticketed waiting area was full as it often is during peak times. Other commuters, like Funn, who couldn\u2019t get a seat could be seen sitting on their suitcases, leaning against any available surfaces, standing or sitting on the floor.<\/p>\n

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Picture by Kira Scott<\/p><\/div>\n

However, the lack of seating is not the only reason many commuters wait outside of the ticketed waiting areas. For Funn, the waiting area is too far from entrances and exits. Only certain entrances are accessible to wheelchair users and those who have difficulty climbing long flights of stairs. Standing closer to the exits gives her enough time to walk to the track where she can board her train.<\/p>\n

Many commuters felt like the \u201cdead space\u201d in the train hall could be used for public seating. Unfortunately, those who are brave enough or desperate enough to take a seat on the floor outside of the waiting areas are often asked to move by security guards patrolling the station.<\/p>\n

Fancy New Places Can Cost an Arm and Leg
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\u201cThere are bars in the area but I don\u2019t think putting a bar in the station was the right call,\u201d said Brian Loesch. \u201cPeople get on the train after a hockey game and they\u2019re totally plastered. They\u2019re yelling and causing a commotion. It\u2019s not fair to everyone else.\u201d Loesch was not alone in complaining about whom the station\u2019s food and retail options cater to and whom they\u2019re excluding.<\/p>\n

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Picture by Kira Scott<\/p><\/div>\n

“They have all these fancy places to eat now. I don’t know most of them and they’re too expensive.” Bryant Padilla said. “I just go to Dunkin Donuts on the other side of the station.”<\/p>\n

Some commuters interviewed by this reporter recalled a McDonald\u2019s and a Shake Shack before the redesign. Many are unfamiliar with the new higher priced restaurants.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for this shift could be that the station is featuring restaurants with healthier options like Pressed<\/u><\/a>, which offers \u201can array of wholesome plant-based foods.\u201d<\/u><\/a> Not to mention CHOPT<\/u><\/a>, which offers a variety of salads and grain bowls.<\/p>\n

However, even the restaurants that aren\u2019t catering to such a health conscious demographic still serve food at higher prices. A burger from McDonald\u2019s or Shake Shack ranges as low as $3 to $6, whereas, Moynihan\u2019s Burger Joint offers burgers from nine dollars to $17<\/u><\/a> offers burgers ranging from $9 to $17.<\/p>\n

The lack of inexpensive food options and limited public seating have pushed many to say the station is being gentrified. And the terms \u201cdefensive architecture\u201d and \u201chostile architecture\u201d continue to make their way into the conversation.<\/p>\n

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Picture by Kira Scott<\/p><\/div>\n

Defensive Architecture? Hostile Architecture?<\/h3>\n

In a 2019 article published in the Urban Research Journal, Writer Cara Chellew defined defensive and hostile architecture as architecture that \u201cguide[s] or restrict[s] behavior in urban space as a form of crime prevention,<\/u><\/a> protection of property, or order maintenance.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Defensive architecture comes in many forms. It can be as overt as adding spikes to an architectural feature. It can be as subtle as not adding seats where it makes sense to add seating. It can be somewhere in between: like creating a bench with dividers, to ensure that people can sit, but not lay down. @hostiledesign_nyc<\/u><\/a> on Instagram documents examples of this architectural practice in New York.<\/p>\n

This technique is sometimes referred to as \u201canti-homeless architecture,\u201d and in many cases that is its purpose. However, Chellew argued that this architectural practice \u201ctargets people who use<\/u><\/a> or rely on public space more than others.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Some companies contributing to the renovation are FXCollaborative<\/a> Architects LLP<\/a>, WSP USA Inc<\/a>. and John McAslan + Partners<\/a>. They did not respond to this reporter’s requests for comments. Thus, it can\u2019t be determined whether the issues commuters have with the new station were intentional. However, \u00a0a look at other projects these firms have worked on there are some similarities.<\/p>\n

John McAslan + Partners has worked on other major train stations internationally. In 2012, the architectural firm renovated King’s Cross Station in London, England. At the time this article was in the works, this firm was also working onSydney Metro\u2019s Central Station in Australia,<\/a> which is expected to be completed by 2024.
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\nIt\u2019s obvious that tall and grand ceiling features are a signature of McAslan + Partners design aesthetic as well as open spaces with little to no public seating.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, FXCollaborative Architects LLP<\/a> and WSP USA In<\/a>c. have both contributed to the renovations of smaller scale train stations, such as the Second Avenue Subway station and the 34th Street Station, of the Number 7 subway, respectively. In images of both train stations there aren’t any signs of public seating either.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s important to keep in mind that these architectural firms, engineering and design companies are not the only ones following this trend. It\u2019s possible that what Cara Chellew called hostile architectural elements are is the future of train stations and other public spaces.<\/p>\n

The Homeless Issue<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even so, this isn\u2019t the case everywhere. The renovation of the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia \u00a0is scheduled to be completed in 2025. Similar to Penn Station, it serves Amtrak and NJ Transit customers. In renderings for this station’s redevelopment there are tons of seating compared to Moynihan Train Hall.<\/p>\n

The designers of the 30th Street Station did not respond to requests for comment. However, it\u2019s possible that the rates of homelessness in each state may be a factor in determining whether or not public seating is provided in a station.<\/p>\n

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness,<\/u><\/a> the homeless population in New York is more than six times the amount of the homeless population in Pennsylvania. Correspondingly, in states with lower rates of homelessness there could be less of an inclination to control access to public space.<\/p>\n

The Coalition for the Homeless<\/u><\/a> found that \u201cin recent years, homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Eric Adams responded to this influx of homelessness with his Subway Safety Plan in February:<\/a> \u201cIt is cruel and inhumane to allow un-housed people to live on the subway,<\/u><\/a> and unfair to paying passengers and transit workers who deserve a clean, orderly, and safe<\/u><\/a> environment.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Although his plan included helping homeless individuals find shelter and support for substance abuse or mental health, some New York City commuters felt that his actions did not truly address homelessness in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n

In an interview with this reporter, commuter Christopher Lopera said, \u201cSince COVID we\u2019ve all seen the increase in homelessness. It\u2019s getting bad and I guess people would rather pretend it doesn\u2019t exist then do something about it.\u201d According to the Coalition for the Homeless,<\/u><\/a> \u201cThe primary cause of homelessness, particularly among families, is lack of affordable housing.\u201d Perhaps resources spent trying to keep homeless people out of public spaces could be used to fund affordable housing.<\/p>\n

Until then, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber told New York One, \u00a0<\/u>\u201cSeating \u2018is definitely among the<\/u><\/a> issues that will be resolved by the design team as part of this.\u2019\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

In an interview with the Preservation Leadership Forum, Colin Koop spoke about other challenges the design team faced when considering this project. Koop is a design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, a construction engineering company that worked on Moynihan Train Hall. Koop expressed the importance of honoring and restoring \u201cthe lost grandeur of the original,<\/u><\/a> Beaux-Arts Penn Station,\u201d<\/u><\/a> with this renovation.<\/p>\n

In the defense of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and the other architectural companies that contributed to the train hall, there isn\u2019t any visible seating in the original station.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, commuters interviewed by this reporter wondered if honoring the past is worth neglecting the needs of those in the present.<\/p>\n

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\nKira Scott can be reached at kira.scott00@myhunter.cuny.edu<\/span>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article by Kira Scott.<\/p>\n

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