As a follow-up to the 2013 Bard Birthday Breakfast Benefit, the Archive Project and the Neighborhood Preservation Center hosted “The Rise & Fall of Penn Station: A Screening Party.” Over 200 New Yorkers descended upon Professor Thom’s Bar & Restaurant in the East Village for drinks, some of the City’s best nachos, and a viewing of the new documentary The Rise & Fall of Penn Station! The film did not disappoint; after introductory remarks by Peter Samton, one of the original protesters of the station’s demolition, and Archive Project founder and chair Anthony C. Wood, the audience immersed themselves in the epic tale of the doomed terminal. The many facets of the story were compelling—the acquisition and clearing of blocks in the Tenderloin District where the building would rise, the perilous construction of the tunnels under the East and Hudson Rivers in the first decade of the 20^th century, the decline in rail travel after World War II, the financial failure of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the battle to save the station from demolition in the 1960s. Indeed, each topic could easily have been the focus of its own documentary. The film, first aired on PBS in February 2014 as part of the American Experience series, is a worthy addition to the body of work on the iconic station.

View the documentary on the PBS website by clicking here. 

This program was part of the NYC Landmarks50 Alliance celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the NYC Landmarks Law.

Location:
Professor Thom's
219 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
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