The Issue: The future of Penn Station, and whether MSG should get to operate at its current site indefinitely.
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Bob McManus is correct is pointing out that “great cities remain great cities only through renewal and reconstruction,” (“Get Over Penn Station,” PostOpinion, March 29).
It is in that spirit, rather than nostalgia, that Regional Plan Association and Municipal Art Society are recommending that Penn Station be rebuilt and a new location be found for Madison Square Garden.
The current Penn Station is grim, unwelcoming and painfully overcrowded. Just ask any of the hundreds of thousands of people who navigate its cramped corridors every day.
Unlike appealing transit hubs in other major cities, and across town at Grand Central Terminal, which attract visitors and support jobs and economic activity in their neighborhoods, Penn Station only draws people who have to be there.
MSG plays a vital role in our city and region, and would continue to do so at another address. This isn’t about going back. It’s about building a successful, welcoming city for future generations.Wendy Pollack
Regional Plan
Association
Manhattan
In the 21st century, a large part of what a city sells and what sells a city is its image. Iconic buildings like Sydney’s Opera House or Grand Central often attract not only tourism, but economic development that more than covers initial construction and operating costs.
The Dolans are well aware of this, which is why they keep the Madison Square Garden name.
The 1890 structure that made the arena famous was itself a stunning architectural landmark. The MSG brand would benefit from its own distinctive building elsewhere, no matter the cost of the current redesign, instead of blocking and blighting the future of New York.
Dave Sigmund
Bloomfield, NJ