SOM Unveils Latest Moynihan Design

SOM has been working on the transformation of the 1912 building since the early 1990s, when US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan championed the idea. Plans by SOM and other architectural firms have come and gone over the years, but one thing that has remained in place is the creation of a grand atrium covered by a glass roof – a gesture that harks back to the original McKim, Mead & White Penn Station. In SOM's latest renderings for the hall – unveiled shortly after Governor Cuomo called for Penn Station to be overhauled – this feature takes on an undulating form as the glass panes vault from one truss to the next.

Per SOM's website:

Shrouded during World War II, the vast space at the center of the historic building will be restored to its original sky-lit state. An iconic new skylight will enclose the new boarding concourse, arching up from massive original steel trusses that span the internal courtyard. Melding old and new, SOM’s design establishes a grand civic space that celebrates the unique history of the Farley Building while evoking the vaulted concourse of the original Penn Station. 

Technically, the transformation of the courtyard is part of the project's second phase, with work on the first phase – new entrances for Penn Station, a retail concourse, and a smaller glass-vaulted atrium, also carried out by SOM – already underway. Phase 1 completion is expected in September 2016, and Phase 2 completion will follow in 2018.