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THIS WEEK FIFTY years ago, authorities in New York City carried out a “monumental act of vandalism” by knocking Pennsylvania Station to the ground.
Sports venue Madison Square Garden was built on the site in the stead of what had been a pink-granite, marble-columned Beaux-Arts-style masterpiece. Photographs of the original Penn Station – built between 1905 and 1910 – show it to be a landmark to rival the still-existing Grand Central Station.
In fact, Grand Central Station owes its continued existence to a landmarks preservation law that was brought in on foot of the outcry over Penn’s destruction. A New York Times article from 1963 decried the demolition:
Until the first blow fell, no-one was convinced that Penn Station really would be demolished, or that New York would permit this monumental act of vandalism against one of the largest and finest landmarks of its age of Roman elegance.
The station had 84 marble Doric columns and a 150-foot vaulted ceiling over its concourse.
This image shows 3,000 people crammed into the main waiting room at Penn Station on 3 April 1949 to hear New York City council president Vincent Impellitteri speak at the launch of the United Jewish Appeal’s ‘Caravan of Hope’:
Image: AP Photo/Harry Harris
And on a less busy day in spring of 1962, the Historic American Buildings Survey snapped these images to preserve what was soon to be lost:
All above five images from US Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
The station had been a meeting place, a focal point for visiting dignitaries as well as a travel hub. This iconic image from 1942 is of a US soldier kissing his wife goodbye at Penn Station before going off to fight in World War II:
Image: Topham/Topham Picturepoint/Press Association Images
The children of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Gray Chaplin – Charles Jr and Sydney Earle – pictured on a train leaving Penn station en route to the Pacific coast on 14 July 1932:
Image: AP Photo archive
Cuban president Fidel Castro arriving at Penn Station to crowds of admirers on a US trip in 21 April 1959. (You can spot him just to the right of the lamp in the centre of the photograph, wearing a cap):
Image: Ray Stu bblebine/AP/Press Association Images
A 1962 aerial shot shows the original Penn Station in all its glory:
Image: AP Photo
After the destruction. The construction of the new Madison Square Garden – on the site where Penn Station had stood for 53 years – is shown on 24 August 1966:
And on 2 March 1967:
And on 14 December 1967:
And on opening night on 11 February 1968. Bob Hope stands centrestage, hosting a benefit show for the United Services Organisations.
All above images by AP Photo archive.
And what of the rail station? It still is a massive transport hub – the mostly underground terminal now looks like this:
Image: BusinessInsider
Do these kids have any adults supervising them or is this a extract from “Lord of the Flies”.
Can of coke or red bull or one of those monster drinks. Sure teenagers drink these all the time. Without an adult holding their hand
I’m pretty sure my mom or my PE teacher of the chief Beaver-Scout or somebody would have reigned it in a little if I was having heart palpations or my teammates were ending up in hospital.
When you were 17?
coffee should have an over 18 sticker on them and pictures of stressed out people with yellow teeth and broken relationships
Coffee is fine!.. It’s these sugar taurine caffeine laden drinks that are advertised as “energy” that is causing harm.
I am guessing you do not have teenagers in your family, try giving advice to one and see for yourself,
Every person in Ireland participating in sport is taking caffeine drinks, isotonic drinks or protein shakes. Nothing new here.
Have cyclist learnt nothing from the stimulant abuse in their sport
This is cyclists learning and being proactive about it you clown.
Pedlars penis I think they call it
Yet more “supplements”?
Can anybody take cycling seriously?
Who cares if they cycle fast anyway?
I couldn’t care less if they cycled at the speed of sound.
All of them are bores.
Come on now pat, if your going to make an effort make it count
Bores with no skill
No skill? That’s just a stupid thing to say.
You make what effort count Fergeioc?
Caffeine is a dangerous drug if taken in excess.
Nice in a cuppa… either tea or coffee usually.
A great harmless stimulant in a cuppa.
Gets you going in the morning.
.
Caffeine can kill you if taken in excess.
Boring cyclists want to bore us even more with their “hyper-caffeine” performance.
Who cares how fast they cycle anyway?
Nobody at all except themselves.
Calm down pat
Yawn
Not really . It’s an endurance pasttime as opposed to a sport that requires skill such as soccer, hurling, badminton etc. Hence much less substance abuse in these sports as there is only a moderate benefit
FJD descending a mountain road with sharp S bends at 90+ KPH requires a lot of skill, also have a look at downhill mountain biking and tell me it’s not skilful. And Badminton shouldn’t even be described as a sport, it’s just a game, like snooker or tiddlywinks.
Haha F J D. Your naive and clueless if you believe that!
I’d take you on and slam dunk ya with any of those sports without breakfast, never mind performance enhancing products!
Ape
Say what you like but the facts are its because cycling is endurance based and not skills based that substance abuse is rampant within the pasttime.
Go home FJD, you’re drunk..I suppose you’ll say now that there is no skill involved in descending a tricky mountain descent at speeds reaching 80-90 km/HR
Seriously though, if you think drugs are not involved in other sports your crazy! Cycling just happens to be better monitored now, most other sports are rarely tested consistently! Most drugs stay in your system for approx 2 days and normally only tested just before or after an event. Drug use is rampant in every sports off/training season when no testing is done. Your previous comment is not a fact it’s an opinion! Every sport requires skill and the best person wins, foolish to think otherwise!
Am I just stupid or is the idea of having caffeine prior to a work out not moronic in the extreme? I actually avoid all stimulants prior to jogging etc yet have always wondered about the sense of ppl raving about bulletproof coffee etc prior to workouts….
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