Chelsea in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Penn South Playground
.6 acre
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, April 29, 2021
1. Penn South Playground Marker
Inscription.
Penn South Playground. .6 acre. This playground, located on 26th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, takes its name from Pennsylvania Station, commonly known as Penn Station. The original Penn Station was an above-ground structure designed by the eminent New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, and was located between 7th and 8th Avenues from 31st to 33rd Streets. Built over a span of eight years, from 1902 to 1910, Pennsylvania Station would later become an important catalyst in the city's preservation movement.
Penn Station was designed at the height of the City Beautiful movement as a gateway to the metropolis of New York City. This movement married civic function with classical design, restoring the architectural splendor that industrialization had rejected. Penn Station, which was modeled after the Baths built by Roman Emperor Caracalla, was one of the city's most beautiful, ethereal monuments. Exalted by architects and revered by the public, Penn Station "set the stamp of excellence on the city,” according to The New York Times. Its unfortunate destruction in 1965, to create a new office tower and Madison Square Garden, spurred the formation of the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the passing of some of the most stringent landmark protection laws in the world.
The current Penn Station, built in 1968 on the same site, is an underground transportation hub with twenty-one tracks and 600,000 passengers traveling through it daily, making it North America's busiest station.
This playground, contained within the Penn Station South Houses, opened in 1961 bearing the same name as the housing complex. It was renamed Penn South Playground in 1989. In 1996 the playground was reconstructed and elementary school- age equipment on new safety surfacing was installed. The basketball courts were resurfaced and new painted street games were added to the pavement. Benches were sited beneath the shade of the London plane and ginkgo trees that line the park.
This playground, located on 26th Street
between 8th and 9th Avenues, takes
its name from Pennsylvania Station,
commonly known as Penn Station. The
original Penn Station was an above-ground
structure designed by the eminent New
York architectural firm McKim, Mead and
White, and was located between 7th and
8th Avenues from 31st to 33rd Streets.
Built over a span of eight years, from 1902
to 1910, Pennsylvania Station would later
become an important catalyst in the city's
preservation movement.
Penn Station was designed at the height of
the City Beautiful movement as a gateway
to the metropolis of New York City. This
movement married civic function with
classical design, restoring the architectural
splendor that industrialization had
rejected. Penn Station, which was modeled
after the Baths built by Roman Emperor
Caracalla, was one of the city's most
beautiful, ethereal monuments. Exalted by
architects and revered by the public, Penn
Station "set the stamp of excellence on the
city,” according to The New York Times. Its
unfortunate destruction in 1965, to create
a new office tower and Madison Square
Garden, spurred the formation of the
Landmarks Preservation Commission and
the passing of some of the most stringent
landmark protection laws in the world.
The current Penn Station, built in 1968
on
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the same site, is an underground
transportation hub with twenty-one
tracks and 600,000 passengers traveling
through it daily, making it North America's
busiest station.
This playground, contained within the Penn
Station South Houses, opened in 1961
bearing the same name as the housing
complex. It was renamed Penn South
Playground in 1989. In 1996 the playground
was reconstructed and elementary school-
age equipment on new safety surfacing
was installed. The basketball courts were
resurfaced and new painted street games
were added to the pavement. Benches were
sited beneath the shade of the London
plane and ginkgo trees that line the park.
Location. 40° 44.862′ N, 73° 59.91′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Chelsea. Marker is on West 26th Street west of 8th Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New York NY 10001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . 1. Pennsylvania Station (New York Preservation Archive Project). "The demolition of McKim, Mead & White’s Pennsylvania Station, amid public outcry, is popularly regarded as the birth of the modern preservation movement in New York City and the impetus for the Landmarks Law." (Submitted on May 10, 2021.)
2. Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963) (Wikipedia). "Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station in New York City, named for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), its builder and original tenant. The station occupied an 8-acre (3.2 ha) plot bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. As the terminal shared its name with several stations in other
lantern slide image courtesy of the Univ. of Michigan Art, Architecture and Engineering Library, circa 1910
3. Penn Station
cities, it was sometimes called New York Pennsylvania Station, or Penn Station for short." (Submitted on May 10, 2021.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 113 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 10, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
