Another RR Icon to Fall

[AlanB]

The Empire State Building's owner lost his bid to stop a new skyscraper from rising in the neighborhood when the New York City Council approved zoning and land use changes Wednesday that pave the way for the 1,190-foot tower.

The full story from MSN

While not mentioned specifically in the news article, this building will be built on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, replacing another piece of RR history.

Poor Bill H will no longer be able to use his favorite hotel.

A few more details on the Hotel Penn.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Another piece of Americana disappearing.....There oughta' be a law....... :angry:

 

[Guest]

Another one bites the dust! :angry: While I agree that the Penn was getting a little long in the tooth, and probably overpriced for what you got for your money, it definitely was convienent

to NYP and Mid-Town Manhattan! Just what New York needs, another high rise building!If they dont watch it they will turn in to Las Vegas East soon as Casinos come to the Apple!

 

[guest]

The Empire State Building's owner lost his bid to stop a new skyscraper from rising in the neighborhood when the New York City Council approved zoning and land use changes Wednesday that pave the way for the 1,190-foot tower.

The full story from MSN

While not mentioned specifically in the news article, this building will be built on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, replacing another piece of RR history.

Poor Bill H will no longer be able to use his favorite hotel.

A few more details on the Hotel Penn.

I say good riddance. It's been a dump for 25 years or more.

 

[jis]

Another piece of Americana disappearing.....There oughta' be a law....... :angry:

There is a law, and the body empowered by said law has refused to recognize this building as worthy of application of said protection law on more than one occasion.

On the one hand it is sad to see an iconic building go. OTOH, the building is in pretty sad shape, and is unlikely to be able to house the sort of office space effectively that makes a lot of sense in the vicinity of a large transportation hub.

With an eye on the future of Penn Station a relevant question to ask is whether Amtrak and NJT be entering into appropriate agreements with Vornado to keep easments available along 31st St and vicinity to allow future construction of Amtrak's Block 780 plan, and NJT's plan to extend tracks 1 through 4 eastwards to increase capacity of those tracks to 12 cars + two locomotives trains.

 

[Monon81]

Not only a railroad landmark, but a landmark in popular music, with a famous telephone number.

YouTube: Glenn Miller PEnnsylvania 6-5000

 

[amtrakwolverine]

The Empire State Building's owner lost his bid to stop a new skyscraper from rising in the neighborhood when the New York City Council approved zoning and land use changes Wednesday that pave the way for the 1,190-foot tower.

The full story from MSN

While not mentioned specifically in the news article, this building will be built on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, replacing another piece of RR history.

Poor Bill H will no longer be able to use his favorite hotel.

A few more details on the Hotel Penn.

I say good riddance. It's been a dump for 25 years or more.

Says someone who knows nothing about history.

 

[Guest]

The future of the telephone number is what I am wondering about.

I have never been there, but it is fun to call PE 6-5000 and listen to the song.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

The hotel should be safe for the foreseeable future as the developer of the hi-rise admits he doesn't even have tenants lined up and in the current economy, I imagine few if any will be running to sign leases. No one is going to build something as ambitious as this without good long term signed leases and oceans of solid cash in pocket.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

The Empire State Building's owner lost his bid to stop a new skyscraper from rising in the neighborhood when the New York City Council approved zoning and land use changes Wednesday that pave the way for the 1,190-foot tower.

The full story from MSN

While not mentioned specifically in the news article, this building will be built on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, replacing another piece of RR history.

Poor Bill H will no longer be able to use his favorite hotel.

A few more details on the Hotel Penn.

Yes, Alan, bad news for me.

I am fully aware that it gets mixed reviews, but it has always been there for me,power blackout in mind specifically.I was there for the blackout but they did allow us inside if we were physcally able to climb the dark stairs. We were able to open the windows and let the dry stale motionless air come in. Beats the side walk.

I have another favorite hotel in NYC, in the Times Square area, and I notice those folks were sleeping in the streets.

To avoid that I can handle the Penn even it it means the occasional rat the size of a kangaroo.

And it does have a neat history.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Stayed in the Hotel PA a couple of times. Small rooms but nice. Sorry to see a landmark go.

 

[guest]

The Empire State Building's owner lost his bid to stop a new skyscraper from rising in the neighborhood when the New York City Council approved zoning and land use changes Wednesday that pave the way for the 1,190-foot tower.

The full story from MSN

While not mentioned specifically in the news article, this building will be built on the current site of the Hotel Pennsylvania, replacing another piece of RR history.

Poor Bill H will no longer be able to use his favorite hotel.

A few more details on the Hotel Penn.

I say good riddance. It's been a dump for 25 years or more.

Says someone who knows nothing about history.

Actually, I'm a PhD in history so I would enjoy matching my historical knowledge and sense and importance of the past with you.

I've stayed in lots of hotels with historical significance that are beautifully-maintained, comfortable to sleep and eat in, offer nicely-appointed lobbies and so-forth. The Penn in its recent vintage has none of that. I stayed there in the 70s as a grad student, in the 80s as a visiting professor, but stopped after 1988 after a night spent with roaches and leaking pipes in the room.

History has nothing to do with whether or not a hotel is a dump or gem. Rather, the management has to care. And the hotel perse is not significant in either architectural or cultural terms to warrant protection as a state or national historic landmark.

And don't take my word for the Penn's reputation regarding its hospitality services. Take a look at its reputation on TravelAdvisor, just as one example.

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

Sorry to hear this hotel will go, I have stayed there a couple of times on my trips to New York, both with my son, and my girlfriend. It has seen better days, but it was nice to experience the art deco... err, decor. The main objection I have to modern hotels is their dreary sameness.. Holiday Inn in Sydney was similar to Holiday Inn Singapore, similar to Holiday Inn Paris, similar to Holiday Inn New York, etc. (but yes, one collects free (the same) nights!)

Another famous individual NY hotel I was lucky to stay at, with bags and bags of character was the "Chelsea Hotel", well known from the Leonard Cohen song. That was a fantastic, but totaly bizarre hotel, now under new ownership, I believe.

Having seen the masses of moth balled construction sites in Las Vegas earlier this year, I hope they are ready to construct anew before they demolish!

Cheers,

Eddie

ps What's this Hotel Perse that our Guest refers to, can't find that on Expedia, as such..

try per se...

 

[guest]

Hi,

Sorry to hear this hotel will go, I have stayed there a couple of times on my trips to New York, both with my son, and my girlfriend. It has seen better days, but it was nice to experience the art deco... err, decor. The main objection I have to modern hotels is their dreary sameness.. Holiday Inn in Sydney was similar to Holiday Inn Singapore, similar to Holiday Inn Paris, similar to Holiday Inn New York, etc. (but yes, one collects free (the same) nights!)

Another famous individual NY hotel I was lucky to stay at, with bags and bags of character was the "Chelsea Hotel", well known from the Leonard Cohen song. That was a fantastic, but totaly bizarre hotel, now under new ownership, I believe.

Having seen the masses of moth balled construction sites in Las Vegas earlier this year, I hope they are ready to construct anew before they demolish!

Cheers,

Eddie

ps What's this Hotel Perse that our Guest refers to, can't find that on Expedia, as such..

try per se...

The antidote to the dreary sameness in hotels is not to stay in chain franchises! There are plenty of hotels with individual style and character, and yes, even history, in whatever city you find yourself in!

 

[caravanman]

Yep, thats why I mourn the passing of individual hotels like the Penn...

Eddie

 

[jis]

The antidote to the dreary sameness in hotels is not to stay in chain franchises! There are plenty of hotels with individual style and character, and yes, even history, in whatever city you find yourself in!

Yes, those are nice when on vacation, but when I am traveling for work, all that I am looking for is a reliable, predictable place where I can sleep. I am hardly in the hotel other than for 8 hours of Zzzzs, and I prefer not to have to research hotels to get just that. Hence franchise hotels with good reputation works well under those circumstances. Of course the frequent traveler programs are an added bonus.

 

[guest]

The antidote to the dreary sameness in hotels is not to stay in chain franchises! There are plenty of hotels with individual style and character, and yes, even history, in whatever city you find yourself in!

Yes, those are nice when on vacation, but when I am traveling for work, all that I am looking for is a reliable, predictable place where I can sleep. I am hardly in the hotel other than for 8 hours of Zzzzs, and I prefer not to have to research hotels to get just that. Hence franchise hotels with good reputation works well under those circumstances. Of course the frequent traveler programs are an added bonus.

No problem at all with those preferences. It's simply a question of what someone is looking for. I agree that with a quick travel itinerary, you want to find something clean and reasonably priced, and chains offer a pretty good guarantee of consistency. But that can also mean a "sameness" that doesn't appeal to others, like Caveman. So hotels with more individuality are an alternative if you can't find both attributes together at a given hotel.

 

[nr272]

This is sad. Make way for another bland skyscraper.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

History has nothing to do with whether or not a hotel is a dump or gem.

Agreed. The Penn has been a dump for a long time. While I didn't encounter cockroaches or rats the size of kangaroos (or even wallabys), the dark, dingy, dirty room lacking virtually any modern amenities was intolerable.

When I was refused internet access at the business center because I wasn't a "business customer" I walked down the street to a Kinko's, secured other lodging, and got the hell out after one night.

Then I had the pleasure of hassling with hotels.com for almost a year to get a refund on the prepaid 4-day stay at a hotel they had clearly misrepresented.

The Penn Hotel building itself may be historically significant, but the Penn Hotel as a hotel will not be missed.

 

[jphjaxfl]

I have stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania since I was kid back in the 1950s until as recently as 3 years ago. Each time it was because I was arriving, departing or both from Penn Station. My Dad was a New York Central man so we usually arrived and departed from Grand Central and stayed at the Commadore, but a couple of times in the 1950s when traveling to or from Maine, we stopped the Pennsylvania. In the late 1960s when I started to visit NYC on my own, I was most frequently arriving at Penn Station so the Hotel Pennsy (then the Statler Hilton) was my place. Even in recent years, I have never had any problems with dirty rooms, bugs etc. The rooms were actually larger than some of the newer hotels in NYC. In Europe a hotel like the Pennsy would never be allowed to run down or be torn down. This hotel will be missed by me because of its great location, but there are plenty of others in NYC.