James A. Farley Building

Last updated

U.S. General Post Office
James A. Farley Building (51878872365).jpg
James A. Farley Building
Location8th Ave. between 31st and 33rd Sts., New York, New York
Coordinates 40°45′04″N73°59′43″W / 40.75111°N 73.99528°W / 40.75111; -73.99528
Area8 acres
Built1911–1914
Architect McKim, Mead, and White
Architectural style Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No. 73002257 [1]
NYSRHP No.06101.000007 [2]
NYCL No.0232
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 29, 1973
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980 [2]
Designated NYCLMay 17, 1966

The James A. Farley Building (formerly Pennsylvania Terminal and the U.S. General Post Office) is a mixed-use structure in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, which formerly served as the city's main United States Postal Service (USPS) branch. Designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Beaux-Arts style, the structure was built between 1911 and 1914, with an annex constructed between 1932 and 1935. The Farley Building, at 421 Eighth Avenue between 31st Street and 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, faces Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden to the east.

Contents

The main facade of the Farley Building (over 8th Avenue) features a Corinthian colonnade finishing at a pavilion on each end. The imposing design was meant to match that of the original Pennsylvania Station across the street. An entablature above the colonnade bears the United States Postal Service creed: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." The colonnade's inner ceiling is decorated with the crests or emblems of ten major nations that existed at the building's completion. The remaining three facades have a similar but simpler design.

The James A. Farley Building was known as the Pennsylvania Terminal until 1918, when it was renamed the General Post Office Building. The building was made a New York City designated landmark in 1966 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It was officially renamed in 1982 in honor of James Farley who was the nation's 53rd postmaster general and served from 1933 to 1940. The building was sold to the New York government in 2006. The interior space that once housed the main mail sorting room now houses the Moynihan Train Hall since 2021. Office space in the building was leased to Meta in 2020.

Site

The building fronts on the west side of Eighth Avenue, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. It is at 421 Eighth Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The site is bounded by Eighth Avenue to the east, 31st Street to the south, Ninth Avenue to the west, and 33rd Street to the north. [3] The Farley Building occupies two full city blocks, an 8-acre (32,000 m2) footprint straddling the tracks of the Northeast Corridor and the Farley Corridor (sub-district B) in western Midtown Manhattan. [4] The building occupies a land lot measuring 455 feet (139 m) along Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and 800 feet (240 m) along 31st and 33rd Streets. According to the New York City Department of City Planning, it has a lot area of 364,000 square feet (33,800 m2) and a gross floor area of 1,378,125 square feet (128,032.0 m2). [5]

Architecture

The Farley Building consists of the old general post office building, completed in 1914, and its western annex, completed in 1935. The original building was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White, who also designed the adjacent original Pennsylvania Station in the same Beaux-Arts style. [6] [1] :3 [7] William Mitchell Kendall was the lead architect on the design. [8] The firm also designed the annex. [9]

Facade

A carefully detailed Corinthian colonnade under the inspirational inscription NYC-broadway-post-office-detail.jpg
A carefully detailed Corinthian colonnade under the inspirational inscription

The four-story structure consists of granite ashlar cladding around a steel-frame superstructure. [1] :2 The monumental facade on Eighth Avenue was conceived as a Corinthian colonnade, composed of twenty 53-foot-tall (16 m) columns. The imposing design was meant to match the strength of the colonnade of McKim, Mead, and White's original Pennsylvania Station across Eighth Avenue, which originally faced the General Post Office Building. A flight of 31 steps, extending across the full length of the colonnade, provides access from the street to the main floor. [6] [1] :2 The colonnade is braced at the end by two square pavilions, each capped with a low saucer dome, expressed on the exterior as a low stepped pyramid. [1] :2

An entablature above the colonnade bears the inscription "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds". The sentence is taken from Herodotus' Histories (Book 8, Ch. 98) and describes the faithful service of the Persian system of mounted postal messengers under Xerxes I of Persia. [6] [1] :2 [8] It was selected by the United States Department of the Treasury in 1912. [10] The inscription is frequently mistaken as the official motto of the United States Postal Service (USPS) and has become known as the United States Postal Service creed. [11] At the tops of the end pavilions, names of various figures have been carved, such as Cardinal Richelieu, who were deemed important to the history of postal delivery in the Western world. [12] [13] [14]

The facades along 31st and 33rd Streets contain colonnades with flat pilasters. [6] These sides are divided into seven sections: a tripartite central pavilion with archways, flanked on either side by a row of pilasters and a square end pavilion. The Ninth Avenue side contains a similar row of flat pilasters. [1] :2 There are three arches at the center of the Ninth Avenue facade, which were used for truck deliveries. [15] The roof is mostly flat, aside from the pyramidal roofs of the end pavilions. A sill runs above the third story. [1] :2 Until 1994, the fourth story was crowned by an ornate stone cornice. [16] The roof of the building is about 101 feet (31 m) above the curb. [17]

The main floor, 22 feet (6.7 m) above ground level, is surrounded by a dry moat, providing light and air to workspaces below. [6] The moats ran along 31st and 33rd Streets and along the corners at Eighth Avenue; they originally featured glass skylights overlooking the tracks. The moats were replaced with concrete slabs by the late 20th century. [18] :20 The moats at the corners at Eighth Avenue were infilled. In 2017, the former moats became entrances to the West End Concourse of Moynihan Train Hall, underneath the Farley Building. [19]

Interior

The front reception hall of the post office FarleyInterior.JPG
The front reception hall of the post office

Inside the Eighth Avenue entrance is a two-story-tall gallery that parallels the colonnaded front. The floors of the gallery were originally paved in various colors of marble, while the walls were made of buff marble and white plaster, with various windows along both sides. [17] The painted plaster ceiling of the front reception hall is divided into sections of 28 feet (8.5 m) each. [17] [20] Each ceiling section is decorated with carved national emblems or coats of arms of ten members of the Postal Union at the time of the building's construction: the United States, the United Kingdom, the German Empire, the French Third Republic, the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Spain, Belgium, Austria-Hungary, and the Netherlands. The French Third Republic was represented by the cipher "R.F." for République Française at the time of the Farley Building's opening, as the republic lacked an official national emblem. [21]

Elevators led from the Farley Building to most of Penn Station's platforms. By the end of the 20th century, only the elevator to track 12 was used to deliver mail. [18] :20 In addition, six siding tracks extend west from Penn Station underneath the Farley Building. At the time of the original Penn Station's completion in 1910, these tracks could fit 26 mail cars. There were three subsurface levels provided for mail transport within the building: a basement 18 feet (5.5 m) below street level, the tracks 50 feet (15 m) deep, and a trucking platform 72 feet (22 m) deep. These connected to the mailing level, which was just above street level. Chutes and conveyor belts connected the levels. [22]

Inside the building is Moynihan Train Hall, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). It consists of 255,000 sq ft (23,700 m2) of space [23] underneath a 92 ft (28 m) tall glass skylight. [24] The hall also contains 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) of retail space. [25] Moynihan Train Hall contains passenger facilities for Amtrak, its primary tenant. These include a ticketing and baggage area, a waiting lounge, conference spaces, and a balcony 20 ft (6.1 m) above the hall. [26]

History

Construction

A general post office in Midtown Manhattan had been planned from the late 1890s. [27] As part of the planning of Penn Station in the first decade of the 20th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) proposed that the United States Post Office Department construct a post office on 8th Avenue, across from the station. In February 1903, the U.S. government accepted the PRR's proposal and made plans to construct what would become the Farley Building. [28] A deed was prepared and submitted in 1905 to George B. Cortelyou, the Postmaster General of the United States. The PRR would construct the tracks and supporting columns under the post office as part of the plan. The site faced opposition from several members of the United States Congress, who expressed concern that the U.S. government would only own "a chunk of space in the air", namely the air rights above the tracks. [29] Concern also stemmed from the planned interior court measuring 100 by 150 feet (30 by 46 m), which could potentially become a ventilation flue. [30] Nonetheless, the land for the post office was acquired by June 1906. [31] The U.S. government took title to the site in January 1907, with an easement for the PRR allowing trains to use the tracks and platforms underneath. [32]

The architect was selected under the Tarsney Act of 1893, which permitted the Supervisory Architect to hold an architectural design competition for U.S. government facilities. [33] Several prominent firms and architects were invited to submit plans in early 1908. [34] Supervisory architect James Knox Taylor selected McKim, Mead & White for the post office the same year. [35] [36] [a] By then, steelwork for the tracks and platforms was already under construction. [27] The initial appropriation for the post office building was $2.5 million, but in April 1910, Congress allocated another $1 million for construction. [37] The construction of Pennsylvania Station across the street was progressing more quickly. The as-yet-incomplete Penn Station post office saw its first mail, delivered through the mail platform, when the station officially opened on November 27, 1910. [38] [39] A $2.5 million contract to build the Post Office was awarded to the George A. Fuller Company in March 1911. [40] [41] [42] By December 1913, the post office was already processing second, third, and fourth class mail. The New York Times characterized the new post office as "not only the largest, but the finest in the world" of its kind. [17]

Operation as post office

Opening and early years

c. 1912 James Farley Post Office c1912.jpg
c.1912

The original monumental structure officially opened on September 5, 1914. [43] With this, the Long Island Rail Road's mail operations were moved from Long Island City to the Penn Station post office. [44] As completed, the Penn Station post office measured 355 feet (108 m) along Eighth Avenue and 332 feet (101 m) along the side streets, with 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of interior space. The Times described it as the second largest building in the city behind the original Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal, the post office incorporating some 165,000 cubic feet (4,700 m3) of pink granite, 18,000 tons of steel, and 7 million bricks. [17] The construction of the Penn Station post office spurred the opening of printing businesses in the vicinity. [45]

The post office was known as the Pennsylvania Terminal when it opened; at the time, the city's general post office was still the City Hall Post Office in Lower Manhattan. Effective July 1, 1918, the Penn Station post office became New York City's general post office. [46] By the early 1920s, the General Post Office had become congested, and a U.S. Congressional report in 1923 recommended that it be expanded westward. [47] The U.S. government announced its intention, in 1927, to buy the plot immediately west of the existing post office building. [48]

Expansion

The Post Office Department announced an expansion of the General Post Office in 1930. The western part of the block would contain an annex to the main facility, as well as a parcel post station called Morgan Station. [49] [50] McKim, Mead & White were rehired for the expansion. [9] In April 1931, the Treasury Department bought the western half of the block from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $2.5 million. [51] The building was expanded between 1932 and 1934 under then-Postmaster General James A. Farley. [18] :25 The work involved installing the largest girder in the city's history at the time, a 152-short-ton (136-long-ton; 138 t) girder that stretched 115 feet (35 m) across the railroad tracks. [52] Foundation work was contracted to James Stewart & Co. and was nearly completed by early 1933. [15]

The federal government awarded a $4.3 million construction contract to James Stewart & Co. in February 1934 after having unsuccessfully advertised for bids on three occasions over the previous years. [53] During the construction of the annex, Farley's building supply firm, the General Builders Supply Corporation, had received a federal contract under the Hoover administration to provide building materials. Farley was accused by U.S. senator Huey Long of receiving preferential treatment from the Roosevelt administration, but the Senate cleared him of any wrongdoing, in what would be known as "The Long-Farley Affair of 1935". [54] [55] The annex opened in December 1935. [8] [56] In February 1938, the Treasury awarded a $696,000 contract to O'Driscoll and Grove Inc. for the renovation of the original portion of the structure. The work was to be performed in phases and completed within 300 days. [57]

Late 20th century

During the 20th century, the General Post Office hosted Christmas tree-lighting events. [58] The building was made a New York City designated landmark in 1966 [6] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [1] In 1982, the Penn Station post office was dedicated as the James A. Farley Building, in honor of the former Postmaster General who had expanded the building in the 1930s. [8] [59] Known for being the supreme Democratic Party boss of New York State, [60] Farley was responsible for Franklin D. Roosevelt's rise to the U.S. presidency. [61]

In the early 1990s, U.S. senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan began to champion a plan to rebuild a replica of the historic Penn Station, in which he had shined shoes during the Great Depression. At the time, existing facilities at Penn Station were overcrowded and the USPS was planning to move much of its operations to another facility. [62] In 1994, the cornice was removed; it was so deteriorated that chunks of stone had started falling onto the street. [16] Parts of the deteriorated steel structure were also replaced. [18] :20

Early 21st century

The Farley Building was instrumental to maintaining service levels in the New York metropolitan area following the September 11 attacks in 2001, when it served as a backup to operations for the Church Street Station Post Office opposite the World Trade Center complex. [63] By October 2002, the New York state government had arranged to buy the Farley Building from the USPS for $230 million, with the USPS vacating much of the building. [64] [65] The Farley Post Office building was sold to the New York state government in 2006 in the hope that Moynihan's vision would be realized. [66] Before the Great Recession in 2009, the Farley Post Office was the only New York City post office that was open 24/7, [67] but as a result of the recession, its windows started closing at 10:00 p.m. [68] [69]

During the 2010s, the event venue operator Skylight Group used the Farley Building as an event venue. [70] [71] The Moynihan Station Development Corporation awarded a contract to Skylight in September 2012, allowing the latter group to use the building's sorting room and loading area for events. [72] Events staged at the building included fashion shows such as New York Fashion Week, [73] in addition to movie premieres, parties, and product launches. [72]

Reuse

Moynihan Train Hall in 2021 ESC 1 Jan (6) jeh.jpg
Moynihan Train Hall in 2021

Portions of the James Farley Post Office were adaptively reused and converted to a new head house for Penn Station, called Moynihan Train Hall, which houses Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road. [74] [75] The first phase, consisting of new exits, a connection to the New York City Subway at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, and an expanded concourse within the James Farley Post Office, started on October 18, 2010. [76] [77] [78] The first phase opened in June 2017. [79] Construction of the second phase, comprising a new train hall within the Farley Building, started two months afterward. [80] It opened on January 1, 2021. [81]

As part of the Moynihan redevelopment, The Related Companies and Vornado Realty Trust were selected to develop the building's retail space. [82] The companies signed a contract in June 2017. [83] Vornado and Related leased the building for 99 years, and in exchange, contributed $630 million to the hall's construction. [83] [84] In early 2018, Vornado and Related started considering plans to convert the Farley Building's remaining space that was not being used by the train hall. The developers contemplated marketing the building for use by a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company. [85] In August 2020, Meta Platforms signed a lease for all 730,000 square feet (68,000 m2) of the office space in the Farley Building, following a similar acquisition the company had made at nearby Hudson Yards the previous year. [86] [87] The lease came during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, when most Manhattan office workers were remote workers, and was seen at the time as a major positive for Manhattan's office market. [86] [88]

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Square Garden</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City, U.S.

Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd streets above Pennsylvania Station. It is the fourth venue to bear the name "Madison Square Garden"; the first two, opened in 1879 and 1890 respectively, were located on Madison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue, with the third Madison Square Garden (1925) farther uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Penn Station</span> Major rail hub in New York City

Pennsylvania Station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers per weekday as of 2019. The station is located beneath Madison Square Garden in the block bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets and in the James A. Farley Building, with additional exits to nearby streets, in Midtown Manhattan. It is close to several popular Manhattan locations, including Herald Square, the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy's Herald Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Times Square–42nd Street station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The Times Square–42nd Street station is a major New York City Subway station complex located under Times Square, at the intersection of 42nd Street, Seventh Avenue, and Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan. The complex allows free transfers between the IRT 42nd Street Shuttle, the BMT Broadway Line, the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line and the IRT Flushing Line, as well as to the IND Eighth Avenue Line a block west at 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal. The complex is served by the 1, 2, 3, 7, N and Q trains at all times, the W train during weekdays; the R and 42nd Street Shuttle (S) trains at all times except late nights; and <7> trains during rush hours in the peak direction. A free passageway from the shuttle platform to the 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station, served by the 7, <7>​​, B, ​D, ​F, <F>, and ​M trains, is open during the day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

34th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs the width of Manhattan Island from the West Side Highway on the West Side to FDR Drive on the East Side. 34th Street is used as a crosstown artery between New Jersey to the west and Queens to the east, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey with the Queens–Midtown Tunnel to Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hearst Tower (Manhattan)</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Hearst Tower is a building at the southwest corner of 57th Street and Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, United States. It is the world headquarters of media conglomerate Hearst Communications, housing many of the firm's publications and communications companies. The Hearst Tower consists of two sections, with a total height of 597 feet (182 m) and 46 stories. The six lowest stories form the Hearst Magazine Building, designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons, which was completed in 1928. Above it is the Hearst Tower addition, designed by Norman Foster and finished in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street–Penn Station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

34th Street–Penn Station is an express station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of 34th Street and Eighth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is served by the A and E trains at all times, and by the C train at all times except late nights. The station is adjacent to Pennsylvania Station, the busiest railroad station in the United States as well as a major transfer point to Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the Long Island Rail Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Municipal Building</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building is a 40-story, 580-foot (180 m) building at 1 Centre Street, east of Chambers Street, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Terminal</span> Former development in New York City

The Hudson Terminal was a rapid transit station and office-tower complex in the Radio Row neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Opened during 1908 and 1909, it was composed of a terminal station for the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (H&M), as well as two 22-story office skyscrapers and three basement stories. The complex occupied much of a two-block site bounded by Greenwich, Cortlandt, Church, and Fulton Streets, which later became the World Trade Center site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Pennsylvania</span> Former hotel in Manhattan, New York

The Hotel Pennsylvania was a hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. It remained the city's fourth-largest until it closed permanently on April 1, 2020. After years of unsuccessful preservation battles, it was demolished in 2023. The hotel is to be replaced by 15 Penn Plaza, a 68-story tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn South</span> Residential buildings in Manhattan, New York

Penn South, officially known as Mutual Redevelopment Houses and formerly Penn Station South, is a limited-equity housing cooperative development located between Eighth and Ninth Avenues and West 23rd and 29th Streets, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The complex has 2,820 units in ten 22-story buildings. Penn South is so named because of its location southwest of New York Penn Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">55 Wall Street</span> Building in Manhattan, New York

55 Wall Street, formerly the National City Bank Building, is an eight-story building on Wall Street between William and Hanover streets in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The lowest three stories were completed in either 1841 or 1842 as the four-story Merchants' Exchange and designed by Isaiah Rogers in the Greek Revival style. Between 1907 and 1910, McKim, Mead & White removed the original fourth story and added five floors to create the present building. The facade and part of the interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is listed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a National Historic Landmark. It is also a contributing property to the Wall Street Historic District, listed on the NRHP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 Penn Plaza</span> Proposed skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

15 Penn Plaza, also known as PENN15 and Vornado Tower, is a planned supertall office tower to be constructed by Vornado Realty Trust on Seventh Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The building, designed by Foster and Partners, will contain 430 units on 61 floors and 2,050,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of floor space as well as passageways to the adjacent Pennsylvania Station, 34th Street–Herald Square station, and the 33rd Street terminal of the PATH. Despite only having 61 floors, it is planned to be 1,270 feet (390 m) tall, 20 feet (6.1 m) taller than the mooring mast or spire of the Empire State Building two blocks east. The timing of construction will be dependent on market conditions. Vornado is currently exploring using the site for "fashion shows or other temporary uses" until market conditions warrant construction of the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronx General Post Office</span> Historic post office in the Bronx, New York

The Bronx General Post Office is a historic post office building at 558 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx in New York City, United States. Designed by Thomas Harlan Ellett, the four-story structure was completed in 1937 for the United States Post Office Department and later served as a United States Postal Service (USPS) branch. The interior includes a series of 13 murals created by Ben Shahn and Bernarda Bryson for the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">111 Eighth Avenue</span> Mixed-use building in Manhattan, New York

111 Eighth Avenue, also known as the Google Building and formerly known as Union Inland Terminal #1 and the Port Authority Building, is an Art Deco multi-use building in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Fifteen stories tall and occupying an entire city block, it has 2.9 million square feet (270,000 m2) of floor space, more than the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor)</span> Planned expansion of the U.S. Northeast Corridor

The Gateway Program is a ongoing expansion and renovation of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rail line between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City along the right-of-way between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station. The project is intended to build new rail bridges in the New Jersey Meadowlands, dig a new set of tunnels under Bergen Hill and the Hudson River, rehabilitate the existing 1910 tunnel, and construct a new terminal annex. The improvements are designed to double train capacity and permit more high-speed rail service along the current right-of-way, whose two-track rail line, used both by Amtrak and NJ Transit Rail Operations (NJT), has reached its full capacity of 24 trains per hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)</span> Former train station in New York City

Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station in New York City that was built for, named after, and originally occupied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). The station occupied an 8-acre (3.2 ha) plot bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. As the station shared its name with several stations in other cities, it was sometimes called New York Pennsylvania Station. Originally completed in 1910, the aboveground portions of the building were demolished between 1963 and 1966, and the underground concourses and platforms were heavily renovated to form the current Pennsylvania Station within the same footprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord & Taylor Building</span> Commercial building in Manhattan, New York

The Lord & Taylor Building is an 11-story commercial building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that formerly served as Lord & Taylor's flagship department store in the city. Designed by Starrett & van Vleck in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, it is at 424–434 Fifth Avenue between 38th and 39th Streets. Since 2023, it has been an office building for Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Grand Central Terminal</span> History of a New York City commuter rail station

Grand Central Terminal is a major commuter rail terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, serving the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines. It is the most recent of three functionally similar buildings on the same site. The current structure was built by and named for the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, though it also served the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Passenger service has continued under the successors of the New York Central and New Haven railroads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B. Altman and Company Building</span> Mixed-use building in Manhattan, New York

The B. Altman and Company Building is a commercial building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, that formerly served as B. Altman and Company's flagship department store. It occupies an entire city block between Fifth Avenue, Madison Avenue, 34th Street, and 35th Street, directly opposite the Empire State Building, with a primary address of 355–371 Fifth Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moynihan Train Hall</span> Expansion of New York Penn Station (opened 2021)

Moynihan Train Hall 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 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. The hall is named after Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the U.S. senator who had originally championed the plan. The building's Beaux-Arts exterior resembles that of the original Penn Station; both buildings were designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "National Register Information System  United States General Post Office (#73002257)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  3. "NYCityMap". NYC.gov. New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications . Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  4. "No. 7 Subway Extension-Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program" (PDF). City of New York. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. "372 9 Avenue, 10001". New York City Department of City Planning . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "United States General Post Office" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. May 17, 1966. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  7. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 276. ISBN   978-0-19538-386-7.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Barbaralee (2011). The Landmarks of New York (5th ed.). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. p. 498. ISBN   978-1-4384-3769-9.
  9. 1 2 "Postoffice Architects.; Designers for New $7,000,000 Annex Have Been Chosen". The New York Times. December 17, 1930. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  10. "Herodotus for Postman; Apt Quotation to Adorn Eighth Avenue Entrance to Post Office". The New York Times. October 27, 1912. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  11. "Frequently Asked Questions". National Postal Museum. January 5, 1978. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020. Actually, the U.S. Postal Service does not have an official motto. The phrase which most people associate with the postal office is that which is engraved on the outside of the James A. Farley Post Office building...
  12. "Daily What?! Cardinal Richelieu's Name on the James A. Farley Post Office". Untapped New York. July 24, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  13. Schneider, Daniel B. (June 3, 2001). "F.y.i." The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  14. American Philatelic Association; American Philatelic Society (1934). The American Philatelist. American Philatelic Association. p. 578. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Proposed Addition to the New York General Postoffice". The New York Times. March 2, 1933. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Rothstein, Mervyn (January 23, 1994). "Postings: Done in by the Elements; Post Office Will Restore a Crumbling Cornice". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Post Office Is Ready to Open; Large Part of Christmas Mail Handled in $6,000,000 Granite Building. Covers Two City Blocks Has No Foundations, But Rests on Steel Beams Over Pennsylvania Railroad Tracks". The New York Times. December 28, 1913. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Environmental Assessment Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Project (PDF). Vol. 1. Federal Railroad Administration; United States Department of Transportation. August 1999. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. Brenzel, Kathryn (June 15, 2017). "First Phase of Moynihan Train Hall Project Opens on Eighth Ave". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  20. Upton, Harborough Desmond (1917). "Modern Decorative Plaster Work". The Architectural Forum. No. v. 26. p. 90.
  21. Young, Michelle (July 27, 2017). "NYC Fun Facts: The Seals in the Ceiling of James A. Farley Post Office Across from Penn Station". Untapped New York. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  22. "Mails Handled Fast at the New Station; Government Is Ready to Hook Up Mechanically With the Pennsylvania Station Here". The New York Times. November 22, 1910. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  23. Coburn, Jesse (December 28, 2020). "NYC's Moynihan Train Hall a Bright Alternative to Penn Station in 2021". Newsday. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  24. "Moynihan Train Hall Set to Open December 31". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  25. "Moynihan Train Hall Will Open This Week After $1.6 Billion Renovation Project, Cuomo Announces". New York Business Journal. December 28, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  26. Chan, Justin (January 30, 2019). "Amtrak Reveals Designs of Customer Space at Moynihan Train Hall by FXCollaborative". Architectural Record. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  27. 1 2 "Architects' Plans for New Post Office; Structure Over Tracks of New Pennsylvania Station to Be More Than 400 Feet Wide". The New York Times. April 12, 1908. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  28. "Post Office Sites Selected by Commission; Offers of the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroad Companies – $2,000,000 Needed". The New York Times. February 25, 1903. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  29. "Pennsylvania Station Post Office Opposed; Plan Held Up by Cortelyou for Concessions from the Road". The New York Times. March 9, 1906. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  30. "Willcox, Too, Against Proposed Post Office; Local Officials Oppose Site Offered by the Pennsylvania". The New York Times. March 10, 1906. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  31. "Terminal Post Office Purchase Completed; Cortelyou Approves the Plans for a Site in Eighth Avenue". The New York Times. June 29, 1906. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  32. "Gets Check for $1,660,000.: Pennsylvania Road Paid by Government for New Post Office Site". The New York Times. January 29, 1907. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  33. Lee, Antoinette J. (April 20, 2000). Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-512822-2.
  34. 1 2 "Plans for the New Post Office Building". The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 81, no. 2080. January 25, 1908. p. 1372 via columbia.edu.
  35. "White's Firm Selected.: New York Architects Win Competition for Post-Office Building" . The Washington Post. April 11, 1908. p. 2. ISSN   0190-8286. ProQuest   144862412 . Retrieved January 1, 2021 via ProQuest.
  36. "Post Office Demonstrates Governmental Expression". The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 81, no. 2096. May 16, 1908. p. 910 via columbia.edu.
  37. "Enlarge New Post Office.; Additional $1,000,000 For Building at Pennsylvania Terminal in This City". The New York Times. April 7, 1910. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  38. "Pennsylvania Opens Its Great Station; First Regular Train Sent Through the Hudson River Tunnel at Midnight". The New York Times . November 27, 1910. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  39. "Big Tubes To-Day Connect Brooklyn With Entire Country". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 27, 1910. p. 27. Retrieved January 1, 2021 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  40. "All Ready for Work on New Post Office; Contract Let to George A. Fuller Company and Building to be Done in 23 Months". The New York Times. March 11, 1911. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  41. "New Post Office for New York". Wall Street Journal. March 11, 1911. p. 16. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved January 1, 2021 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  42. "New Postoffice Uptown: Contract Awarded for Building Opposite Pennsylvania Station". New-York Tribune. March 11, 1911. p. 5. Retrieved January 4, 2021 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  43. "Morgan Moves Into New Post Office: Transfer Completed After Dark and Building to Be Opened for Business Today". The New York Times. September 6, 1914. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  44. "Long Island Railroad Mail: To Be Handled From the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Meaning Quicker Transfer". Wall Street Journal. August 1, 1914. p. 5. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved January 1, 2021 via newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  45. "Printing Trades Around Penn. Zone; Post Office a Contributing Factor in Creating New Business Centre". The New York Times. June 29, 1913. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  46. "New General Post Office.; Thirty-First Street Building Designated as Main Station". The New York Times. June 29, 1918. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  47. "To Double Main Post Office Here; Congress Committee Recommends Use of Pennsylvania Site for $6,000,000 Building". The New York Times. February 24, 1923. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  48. "Government to Add to Main Postoffice; Authorities Announce Plan to Take Over Adjoining Plot in Ninth Avenue". The New York Times. March 10, 1927. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  49. "Postoffice Lists $42,000,000 In Expansion Here: 8Th Ave. Annex, Remodeling in Brooklyn, Bronx Concentration Station Named" . New York Herald Tribune. April 4, 1930. p. 1. ProQuest   1113134203 . Retrieved January 1, 2021 via ProQuest.
  50. "$42,000,000 Outlay to Speed City's Mail: Brown Promises Manhattan 2 New Buildings in Program for Metropolitan Area". The New York Times. April 4, 1930. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  51. "Buy Plot for Annex to Postoffice Here; Federal Officials Present Check for $2,500,000 For Deed to Ninth Avenue Realty". The New York Times. April 3, 1931. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  52. "Midnight Hoist To Set Up City's Biggest Girder: 152-Ton Beam Up Tomorrow at New Postoffice Over 'Pennsy's Electric Rails Mammoth Girder Awaiting Its Final Move" . New York Herald Tribune. December 4, 1932. p. 26. ProQuest   1125441761 . Retrieved January 1, 2021 via ProQuest.
  53. "Stewart Company to Build Postoffice Annex; Starts in Six Weeks on $4,287,700 Contract". The New York Times. February 27, 1934. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  54. "The Congress: Political Feud". Time . February 25, 1935. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  55. Jones, Terry L. (August 23, 1987). "An Administration under Fire: The Long-Farley Affair of 1935". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. Vol. 28, no. 1. pp. 5–17. JSTOR   4232557.
  56. "Penn Station Now Using Greatest Mail Facilities". The New York Times. December 2, 1935. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  57. "Gets Postoffice Work; New York Concern Will Renovate Eighth Avenue Building". The New York Times. February 18, 1938. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  58. "Christmas Tree Lit; 600 View Ceremony in Lobby of General Postoffice". The New York Times. December 20, 1945. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  59. Carroll, Maurice (May 25, 1982). "Farley Hailed by Renaming of Postal Site". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  60. "The Nation: Farley Wins". Time. August 31, 1942. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  61. http://tvnews.vanderbilt.eduprogram.pl?ID=488627 Archived July 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  62. Dao, James (May 13, 1992). "Amtrak's Envious Look at Post Office". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  63. Dunlap, David W. (October 11, 2001). "Penn Station Faces Delay Of Expansion". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  64. "LIRR Line May End at New Penn Station by 2009". TimesLedger. October 16, 2002. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  65. Bagli, Charles V. (October 8, 2002). "Deal Revives Delayed Plan For Train Hub". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  66. Bagli, Charles V. (March 6, 2015). "New Grandeur for Penn Station in Latest Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  67. "James A. Farley Post Office". NYC: The Official Guide. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  68. Molnar, Phil; Burke, Kerry (April 16, 2009). "James A. Farley Post Office to Close 24-Hour Window". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  69. D'Anna, Eddie (April 17, 2009). "New York City's Main Post Office Stops 24-Hour Service". Staten Island Advance . Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  70. Mulshine, Molly (September 8, 2014). "Got a Few Million to Spend on a Party? She's Got a Warehouse to Rent You". Observer. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  71. Gardner, Ralph Jr (April 30, 2013). "Setting Stages Fit for Bond". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  72. 1 2 Senison, Heather (September 29, 2013). "James Farley Post Office Delivers as Event Space". amNewYork. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  73. Hojnicki, Carrie (March 31, 2015). "New York Fashion Week Gets a New Home". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  74. Tangel, Andrew; West, Melanie Grayce (January 8, 2016). "New Name for Revamped Penn Station Surprises Moynihan Officials, Sparks Debate" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  75. Hardt, Bob (January 7, 2016). "NY1 ItCH: Let's Not Rename Moynihan Station". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  76. "New York Penn Station Expansion to Finally See Light of Day". Trains. October 18, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  77. "Work to Begin on Massive Penn Station Expansion". Long Island Business News . Associated Press. May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  78. "3 Contractors Picked for Penn Station Overhaul". Associated Press. September 27, 2016. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  79. Warerkar, Tanay (June 15, 2017). "Penn Station's West End Concourse Finally Opens to the Public". Curbed NY. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  80. Nasa, Rahima; Blain, Glenn (August 17, 2017). "Cuomo touts $1.6B train hall project next to Penn Station". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  81. Coburn, Jesse (December 28, 2020). "NYC's Moynihan Train Hall opens Friday to LIRR commuters". Newsday. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  82. Bagli, Charles V. (September 27, 2016). "Cuomo's Vision for Revamped Penn Station: New Home for Amtrak and L.I.R.R." The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  83. 1 2 Brenzel, Kathryn (June 16, 2017). "Vornado, Related and Skanska Finalize Deal to Build $1.6B Moynihan Train Hall". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  84. Goldbaum, Christina (December 30, 2020). "New Train Hall Opens at Penn Station, Echoing Building's Former Glory". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  85. Morris, Keiko (April 1, 2018). "Vornado and Related Venture Hoping to Create Research Center at Farley Building". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  86. 1 2 Haag, Matthew (August 3, 2020). "Facebook Bets Big on Future of N.Y.C., And Offices, With New Lease". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  87. Gross, Elana Lyn (August 3, 2020). "Facebook Leases Large Space At Manhattan's Farley Building, Signaling Confidence In The City And Office Buildings". Forbes. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  88. Geiger, Daniel (August 3, 2020). "Facebook Just Reached a Blockbuster Deal to Lease the Massive Farley Building in NYC as a Tech and Engineering Hub. Here's Why It's a Huge Win for a Shaken Office Market". Business Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2020.