The history of Penn Station, which opened in 1910, and which no longer exists, is quite interesting. Trains were the greatest way to travel distances before airplanes and some would say they are still the best way to travel, though often more expensive. The history of Penn Station is the history of of the Pennsylvania Rail Road which had extensive rails all over the state, a monopoly, but had to stop at New Jersey. A plan was made to buy up four blocks of the Tender Loin, a place where poor immigrants lived in tenements, and replace it with a station twice the size as the most beautiful one in Paris, France, the Gare d' Orsey. An engineering and architectural feat, though partly a gift to New York, this "civic deed" was also a successful attempt to corner the travel market, by tunneling under two rivers, to bring trains in underground.
Alexander Cassett, a man of wealthy whose sister was the artist Mary Cassett, went to Paris to visit her, and was inspired. He also came out of retirement to head up the plan and died before the station opened. It started with a $50 million dollar buy - for cash - of buildings above ground but with exclusive access to the tunnels to be engineered, if only they would hold the water and earth above them. Blow outs of river water happened. In the end this train terminal was awe inspiring. And then the day came when it had to be torn down.
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If your immigrant ancestors came through New York, there's a very good chance they got on a train to their next destination. They buy of real estate to be torn down to make way for the project began in 1901. Work was going on until 1910.
Thought this would be an interesting THANKSGIVING time post since so many travel to see their loved ones for the holiday. With Covid-19 travel restrictions, I guess there are going to be a lot of Zoom Turkey Dinners.
