Penn Station
New York, NY
Beaux-Arts Architectural Masterpiece
Demolished in 1963.
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
[Reproduction number, HABS, NY, 31-NEYO, 78-2].

Each year countless historic buildings and neighborhoods in metropolitan and rural areas throughout our country are lost either to neglect or demolition. With each building's collapse goes some of the character and craftsmanship that used to define our cities' main streets and town centers. The intricate columns, detailed sculptures, arches and ornaments that defined the office buildings, homes, theaters, banks and churches of our country are fewer and fewer. Demolished by developers with the approval of local governments, these historic buildings are often replaced by high rise condominiums and apartments, cookie-cutter chain stores, nondescript retail buildings and parking lots. The result is not just the irreplaceable loss of architectural treasures but the historic ambience the buildings brought to the communities where they were located. What replaces them usually lacks any unique architectural quality and provides little cultural value for the future. Attacks on historic buildings are nothing new. For decades they have fallen at the hands of developers who find it more cost effective to rebuild than rehabilitate.