10. There are remnants of the old Penn Station outside the current station
14 of the 22 original eagles that adorned the old Penn Station still exist, located across the United States from Kansas City to Valley Forge to Market Street Bridge in Philadelphia. In Manhattan, one of these eagles is on the green roof of the Cooper Union building in the East Village, two others are at Penn Station’s entrance on 7th and 33rd Street, another is fenced in on 7th Avenue near 31st Street.
Also on 31st Street is the facade of the “coal-fired Penn Station power plant, now used for storage and backup power systems,” according to the New York Times. And the four-sided clock at the entrance on 34th Street close to 7th Avenue is also rumored to be an artifact.
Vincent Scully once wrote of Penn Station, “One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat.” Although it is unlikely the architectural loss of the original Penn Station will ever be reversed, we hope this gives you a new eye to Penn Station, the next time you visit. Here’s a link to useful maps to the transit hub.
Join us for an upcoming tour of the Remnants of Penn Station:
Tour of the Remnants of Penn Station
Check out our Untapped Cities Tours and Events, like a tour of the Secrets of Grand Central. Get in touch with the author @untappedmich.
