Fig. 9.2: Penn Station. In 1910, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) completed its terminal on
Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street. Unlike the New York Central, the PRR was not interested in
engaging in real estate development. The hanging laundry in the right front shows how the
surrounding neighborhood was a dense tenement area, and was less amendable to upscale
development as compared to the area around Grand Central Station. The terminal’s effect on
Manhattan, however, was equally as important, as it drew the garment industry. As railroad
travel declined after World War II, the terminal became an aging giant, and was demolished in
1963. The current Madison Square Garden was built over the tracks.
[…] and loft space, which was more in line with the neighborhood’s character. Situated close to Penn Station, the district was home to hundreds of designers, manufacturers, and sellers of clothing for the […]