4.29.24 - Area around Penn Station undergoing $65 million revitalization
' The next step in the transformation of Penn Station is transforming the surface on which thousands of Long Island commuters step each day — the sidewalks outside.
Vornado Realty Trust, which owns and operates much of the property inside and around Penn, is undergoing a $65 million effort to expand and rebuild the sidewalks outside the station, and also make the space more welcoming to commuters as they emerge from or head down to the Long Island Rail Road's primary Manhattan terminal.
The effort is among several that have been underway for years to modernize the 114-year-old transit hub, which long has been criticized as gloomy, cramped and antiquated
"Our vision is to welcome office workers, commuters, visitors and shoppers with wide granite sidewalks, expansive tree-lined plazas, new and accessible entrances to Penn Station, and storefronts activated by outstanding curated restaurants and retailers," Vornado executive vice president Barry Langer said in a statement.
The centerpiece of Vornado's effort to beautify the Penn District is the installation of 4 acres of granite paver stones — imported from Belgium — along the sidewalks outside of Penn Station, as well as throughout a new 16,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza on 33rd Street, just outside the new East End Gateway leading into and out of the LIRR's subterranean concourse. The public space, scheduled to open in June, will include five recently planted October Glory maple trees, plentiful outside seating, and several new dining options.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation, which partnered with Vornado on the plaza, called it a "world-class public space" in the heart of Midtown "benefiting New Yorkers who live and work in the area, as well as those who travel through the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere."
Pedestrians also will have more space to spread out along Seventh Avenue, the busiest corridor leading into and out of Penn and adjacent Madison Square Garden. As part of the project, Vornado is doubling the width of the sidewalk on Seventh between 31st and 34th streets. The first section of sidewalk was recently completed, and the entire project is slated to be finished by the fall.
Vornado officials said the wider sidewalks also aim to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, who also will benefit from three new elevators leading into and out of Penn Station.
Visiting Penn Station for the first time in more than a decade, Jim Wallis, of Hampstead, North Carolina, called it "a big difference" from what he remembered.
"It's just beautiful. It really is great," Wallis said. "As I came up and left the station, I was impressed ... and the granite is great. I'm wondering how it does with ice and snow." '