Backer Reward and Ticketing Update

A proof of the Backer Reward postcard, designed by Courtney Zell.

Hey Backers!

We’re in the midst of some exciting times for our upcoming production but I wanted to address some important housekeeping points for our backers.

Backer Reward Fulfillment: 

Over the past six months it was necessary to use all of our time and resources to secure the theater and engage the other key components that will make The Eternal Space a full-fledged Off Broadway production this November. With most of that safely underway, I will be able to devote the month of July to fulfilling the print rewards that I know you’ve all been so patiently waiting for. These include the train ticket reproduction, the postcard, and the Norman McGrath prints. The only exception will be the designed production poster. We haven’t printed those yet since we are waiting to confirm the talent names. Our goal is to fulfill the posters at some point in the fall. Above you will see a proof of our backer postcard as designed by illustrator and artist Courtney Zell

Ticketing: 

For those of you who filled out the ticketing request forms we thank you and want you to know that we have received and are processing your requests. Since it took a few weeks to get the The Eternal Space into the Telecharge system, we are now ready to generate your invoices and send them along. Again prepare to receive those invoices throughout the month of July.

If you have tickets coming to you as a backer reward and haven’t had the chance to reserve your seats, you still can by clicking on this form. Please do so as tickets are already on sale to the public. And for those backers who don’t have tickets as part of their reward package but would like to jump on purchasing tickets for the fall, visit our newly instated Telecharge profile page by clicking here.

Should you have any questions or concerns I am happy to field them and again, I thank you for your support and your patience. Launching an Off-Broadway production is a mammoth task and one that wouldn’t be possible without your support.

With gratitude, 

Justin

Weekly Update: April 28, Jane's Walk NYC Edition

Greetings Backers,

More exciting news to report: The Municipal Art Society NYC asked me to lead three tours this coming weekend as part of their Jane’s Walk NYC celebration. Jane’s Walks are given in cities all over the world from May 1-3 to commemorate Jane Jacobs, urban visionary and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities. She is pictured above at the AGBANY Penn demolition protests in 1963.

Photo by Alison Mester 

Of course, my walks will focus on the demolition and remnants of Old Penn Station. These will be a little different from the tours we do in partnership with Untapped Cities, but still in the same spirit of Old Penn exploration. Click here for the info. There is no RSVP or ticketing required, all the walks are free. You just show up and look for the guy standing in front of the Penn Eagle holding a MAS plaque. We even have one this Friday at 1PM if you want to come by on your lunch hour. 

If you plan on attending please let me know. I’d love to say hi and if I can hand deliver your McGrath print, that would be awesome! Also, if you’re interested in volunteering (mainly helping me check people in and holding MASNY plaques) let me know, it will get you into the Jane’s Walk NYC celebration at the White Horse Tavern this Sunday, May 3rd at 6:00pm. 

In other news: If you haven’t reserved the performance date for your Kickstarter reward tickets please do so by clicking over and filling out the online form. Remember you have until May 15th before we open ticketing up to the general public. 

I hope where ever you are, you’re enjoying a beautiful day.

Weekly Update: Tax Day Edition, April 15, 2015

Taken from the New York Transit Museum's Landmark's exhibit currently up at Grand Central Terminal

Happy midweek to you! Here's your weekly update on all things The Eternal Space:

• Last Saturday we had two more successful Penn Station Remnant Tours with our friends at Untapped Cities. Pictures will be coming soon. In the meantime we've set the date for our next round: Sunday, May 31 at 2pm. Untapped Cities still has a waiting list to get through but they've opened up some spots should you want to join us. Click here to reserve a ticket. I would suggest acting fast because these tours tend to sell out. If you can't make this round, we're also planning a special tour in October as well.

• For all Kickstarter backers $50 and above I sent out emails about reserving your reward tickets to our show before we put the them on sale through Telecharge. If you didn't see it yet, here's the link to our online form. Kickstarter Backers have until May 15 to choose their seats before the general public. Needless to say, I'll keep reminding you. Remember: $50 & $75 backers are entitled to one ticket, $100 and above backers are entitled to two tickets.

• Norman Print Update: I'm continuing to hold off on fulfilling the McGrath prints since artist and illustrator extraordinaire Courtney Zell is almost finished designing our official postcard. Once that is printed, I am stoning two birds in one mailing (no birds will be hurt in your Norman print/postcard fulfillment). Thank you for your patience.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Weekly Update: April 6, 2015

There is so much... awesome... to report from last week so let's get to it. 

First, we signed the lease on The Lion Theatre! Ladies and gentlemen, because of you, this production is officially a reality with a home. We will open on Thursday, November 12 and run through  Sunday, December 6.

In the coming weeks we will activate our advance ticket sales through Telecharge. Backers who have tickets coming to them as part of their rewards package will be getting an email directly from me asking when they would like to attend the show. This is so I can enter you into the Telecharge system before other potential audience members can purchase those seats. In short: you guys get first dibs.  

To be clear you do not need to take any action right now! Just expect an email from me by the end of this week and it will explain the next steps.

Last Wednesday evening we had a stellar event with the New York Transit Museum. The coordinators reported that it was their best-attended Platform event yet and there was a lot of positive buzz concerning our show specifically. It was literally standing room only as people were stuffed in the train cars trying to listen to the show because the platform was covered with audience members. 

We are hopeful that the museum will work with us to coordinate a dedicated event just for our before our production begins in the fall. We were also appreciative to have some friendly backers attend the evening and show their support. Big thanks again to those who came out! 

Here are a few more pictures from the evening. I will be posting all the photos up on Instagram each day this week. 

Lastly, some Kickstarter backers have been reaching out about the Norman McGrath prints. I would like to clarify that they have not been mailed out yet. I bulk-ordered the proper shipping envelopes and awaiting their arrival before I begin the fulfillment process. Once I do, I will send a confirmation email stating that they were sent out so you know to expect them. 

Have a great week and thanks!

Weekly Update: March 23, 2014

Last week I mentioned that The Eternal Space was chosen to be part of the New York Transit Museum’s Platform performance event and I’m happy to report that we’ve been scheduled for the evening of April 1st at 6:30. The museum describes Platform as “an open mic night for historians and urbanists… a show-and-tell for their creative musings on mass transit.”

I met up with the coordinator of the event last Tuesday morning and we scoured the museum for the best performance space. For those who may not know, the Transit Museum occupies the refurbished 1936 Court Street subway station in downtown Brooklyn. The lower level is the station platform, occupied on both sides by historic subway cars that people are allowed to go in and out of at their leisure. Most of the evening’s performances will take place inside those cars. 

Our thirty-minute select scene will be read on the station platform between the old 1963 World’s Fair shuttle train (which left from Penn Station) and a 1933 BMT train car that is worth a look all on its own. We’ll be using restored Grand Central waiting room benches as audience seating and the photographs will likely be cast on one of the historic train cars.

Clyde Baldo and Matt Pilieci will reprise their roles as Joseph Lanza and Paul Abbot with technical direction by Rome Brown and stage directions read by Dan Stern.

For those who are local and want a sneak peek at the show this is an awesome opportunity in a unique space. Tickets are $15 but if you enter the code CREATE10 when you purchase the tickets from NYTM’S Platform page, you can snag them for $10. That’s quite a deal considering there will be ten other artists across several media also on hand to enjoy that evening.

Click through to this page for more info and the opportunity to purchase tickets. If you plan on attending let me know, I’d love to say hi.

The Return of the Weekly Update... Ides of March Edition

My apologies for being out of touch over the past few weeks. We’ve had a great deal going on and there’s hardly been time to write. I have a long list to report and will try to do so today in brief. Over the subsequent weeks I’ll focus on unpacking each point one-by-one with a little more detail. 

First, the Norman McGrath prints are in my possession and they are amazing! For those backers who are owed these I will begin that fulfillment process soon. Next week I’ll have more for you on the exact timing and method. Also for those interested in purchasing a print, we will have them up for sale on the website very soon as well. 

Second, I believe I reported in my last update eons ago that we were booking The Lion on Theatre Row right in the heart of Manhattan’s theater district. I’m happy to report that the ink is almost dry on the contract and it looks like November 12 will be our opening. I’ll be sure to let you know when that is official so we can begin to schedule those backers who have show tickets coming their way.  

Tour photo by Alison Mester 

Third,  you may have heard through social media that our Penn Station Remnant Tour co-hosted with Untapped Cities was a great success. Not only did we sell out the one intended backer tour, Untapped Cities had such interest from their readership that they created a second tour. That one sell out too! Then there were enough people on the waiting list to hold two more tours in mid-April AND… wait for it… both sold out as well! Now we’re looking at tour dates for the beginning of June. The backers who attended our first tour reported that they really enjoyed the tour. If you’re interested in joining us in late June, you won’t be disappointed. As soon as we finalize the date, I will reach out to you guys first in case tickets go fast like the others. 

Tour photo by Alison Mester 

And lastly, I am excited to report that the New York Transit Museum has picked The Eternal Space to be highlighted in it’s evening transit arts program called Platforms. We are setting the date and finalizing our offering’s format but it could be as early as April 1. If you’re in the area and want a sneak peak at the show you should come on down. We will be performing inside one of the most unique museums in the city.

Ok, that was a long one, but again, there are many awesome things happening for our production. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I look forward to being in touch next week.   

Weekly Wednesday Production Update--Norman McGrath Prints

Photo by Norman McGrath 

Last Friday I spoke to Norman about our successful Kickstarter funding. He was thrilled and agreed that he and I should pick three prints for our backers to choose from. He wanted me to assure them that he would take good care to choose pictures that have never been printed before and were also special to him. 

After I give him a tally of who wants what, he will personally produce, sign, and number each print to increase their value.  In addition Norman is going to increase the size of the print from an 8 1/2" X 11" to a 11"X14" to give it "more presence" should our backers decide to display it. Overall he is excited to get this process started and I am so grateful to have Norman involved.

If you didn't have the opportunity to contribute to the Kickstarter and would like to make a tax deductible donation to our upcoming production, you can click through to my artist page at The Field and do so easily. If you're interested in purchasing a special edition Norman McGrath print please contact us through our email widget on the home page and we would be happy to set that up for you.

In other news... we are putting together proposals to submit to theaters, some I'm hoping will go out before Thanksgiving. I'm meeting with Untapped Cities next week to discuss the particulars of the Penn Station tour and will be sure to update you on our progress next week. 

Until then, be well and stay warm!

Introducing Your Weekly Wednesday Update

Pic by Dawn Slegona. 

It's hard to believe it's been almost a full week since we funded our Kickstarter campaign. Now that we have a production to mount, I will keep you informed of our progress through weekly blog posts. I thought Wednesday would be a good day for these as I will be concurrently be doing Kickstarter Backer updates on the same day. 

With these updates, you'll get an inside look at things like booking a theater space to securing production staff or maybe even some new adventures in uncovering demolition photos straight through to behind-the-scenes peeks at rehearsals. If on some weeks there isn't that much to report, I'll include another rare photo. 

Either way, you're in the loop and an important part of our process. We cannot wait for everyone to see this show and now you can say you've been with us since the beginning. 

We've Launched Our Kickstarter Campaign!

Click Here to Visit Our Kickstarter Page!

This weekend we launched a 40-day Kickstarter Campaign with a $20,000 end goal to help the production support an upcoming showcase run in New York City.  

We are very excited to be offering our backers one-of-a-kind gifts designed to reflect the show’s focus: photography, rail travel, and the Old Pennsylvania Station.  Show Producer Cassie Farrelly says, “New York has always been a place where creativity thrives. The original Penn Station embodied this appreciation for art, The Eternal Space celebrates this achievement and our backing gifts are truly one of a kind – just like the play and the city it honors.”

Since a centerpiece of the production is photography, renowned architectural photographer, Norman McGrath is offering signed, original prints direct from his impressive catalogue. His photography is a critical element of the stage production.

The urban-enthusiast’s blog Untapped Cities will host a Penn Station walking tour open only to Kickstarter backers. Attendees with have the chance to discover, first-hand, old Penn Station remnants scattered throughout the current station. Included is a gathering after the tour for a drink and conversation with the tour leaders and the show’s creator.

Click through the image to see our Kickstarter page!

Etsy needlepoint sensation Carsonzickersham has designed and crafted limited edition Penn Station Eagle samplers. Since there were twenty-two eagles removed from the Station’s facade, the designers are making twenty-two framed samplers and breaking the mold. 

Comic and Letterpress artist Courtney Zell will be designing a production poster using Norman McGrath’s actual contact sheets from his Penn Station collection. The poster will be used for the showcase run but Kickstarter backers will have the chance to get their own limited-edition poster first. The poster will be signed by the playwright, Justin Rivers. 

“Kickstarter is a natural fit for The Eternal Space since our project’s every step has been a group effort. I’m excited and honored to team up with Untapped Cities, Norman McGrath, Courtney Zell and Carsonzickersham to provide unique backer gifts that reflect both our show and our appreciation, ” said The Eternal Space playwright Justin Rivers.

The Eternal Space is a two-man play that begins with a coincidental meeting in 1963 in New York’s Pennsylvania Station. This chance meeting launches a three-year debate about progress, preservation, and posterity as one man fights to keep the station standing while the other is instrumental in taking it down. Using original photography from the journalists who documented the station’s destruction and recreations of broadcast recordings as powerful backdrops to the story, the show charts an unlikely friendship through the social and cultural upheavals of the mid-1960s.

Previously, the show has had four developmental readings, one of which at the Manhattan’s Center for Architecture/AIANY as part of the demolition’s 50th anniversary remembrance.  Rick Bell, Executive Director of AIANY called the play’s dialogue “scintillating” and went onto say, “The Eternal Space dramatizes the conflicts between those who would replace our architectural legacy in the name of progress, and those whose frame of reference carries heavy intellectual baggage. Is reconciliation possible?” Bell finished by saying The Eternal Space was a play  “that makes you think twice about what we take for granted." Additional readings were held at Fordham Lincoln Center and The Tank NYC in the past twenty-two months. 

Please consider contributing and you can help our show have an Off-Broadway run!

Click Here to Visit Our Kickstarter Page

The New Works Series Has Announced Us In It's Line-Up

We're very excited to be a part of this series at Fordham Lincoln Center. Please come out and join us! We're also having a talk-back after the reading with architectural photographer Norman McGrath. Tickets are free but seating is limited. Reserve a ticket with either dawn@theeternalspaceplay.com or fordhamalumnicompany@gmail.com

See you on June 9th at 7PM! 

Took a Look at eOculus's Beautiful Write Up of Lights, Camera, Demolition

via aiany.org & eOculus

The AIANY's newsletter, eOculus did a great write-up of our November 6th event at the Center of Architecture. Read the full piece here. 

A Great Write Up from Smithsonian Magazine's Design Decoded

We had a mention in this wonderful post from the Design Decoded blog penned by our fellow panelist and staunch supporter Jimmy Stamp. It examines how a deep sense of nostalgia colors our view of the former Penn Station in all its stages of life and how photography plays such a large part in forming that view. Check out the full post here! 

Untapped Cities Covers Our Event at the Center for Architecture

A great post by Ben Helmer  from Untapped Cities recapping our November 6th event: Lights, Camera, Demolition: Recalling Penn Station on Stage and In Pictures. You can click on the image above or here to read the full post. 

A huge thanks to Untapped Cities for their unwavering support! 

5O Years Ago Today The Demolition Began

Photo by Norman McGrath. Used with Permission.

On October 28, 1963 our nation's collective plate was full. Civil rights was in the fore of our national consciousness because of Dr. Martin Luther King's historic march just two months before. A controversial war was brewing in Vietnam and in less than a month a President would be assassinated. What would go almost completely unnoticed was the first demolition day of New York's Pennsylvania Station. It was a drizzly Monday morning because Hurricane Ginny was barreling up the East Coast and would eventually hit Eastern Long Island with high winds and heavy rains. Now, closer to our time, most New Yorkers are remembering the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy's devastation, another turning point in our city's history.  

But 49 years before, wrecking crews showed up on 8th Avenue and promptly began chipping away at the granite facade of the largest indoor space in New York City and one of the largest public spaces in the world. Photographer Norman McGrath said:  "They started the demolition with the car ramps and the outside of the station. The columns were massive and you could see the workers struggling." It looked as though "the station didn't want to yield."  

It's clear that the anniversary of Penn Station's demolition, like its commencement, will go practically unnoticed. Just like 50 years ago there are so many important things taking the spotlight. But consider what architect and original AGBANY member Peter Sampton told the New York Times last August on the 50th Anniversary of the AGBANY protests outside Penn Station: “I really believe Grand Central Terminal was saved because of what happened at Penn Station.” And not only Grand Central but any historic building or neighborhood that was standing in the way of government-funded progress.

In 1966 the National Historic Preservation Act was passed and signed into law by President Johnson. Penn Station's demolition became the poster child for preservation. As Chairman and Founder of the New York Preservation Archive Project said, "We had to lose Penn Station to get the Historic Preservation Act." The act was a signal that not all Americans were interested in misguided attempts at urban renewal. And more important:  Many Americans woke up to their history. A country wrapped up in a maelstrom of social and cultural change stopped for a moment to realize that there were some things in the jet-set age of progress worth preserving for future generations. Penn Station was one of the major sacrifices that opened people's eyes. That alone is worth stopping for a moment to remember.  

More Details on Our Nov 6th Event with AIANY

Photo by Ron Ziel. Used with Permission 

 About the event: The program will begin with a reading of selected scenes from The Eternal Space followed by a panel discussion featuring notable photographers, historians, preservationists and urbanists.

The dramatic portion of the program will feature actors Clyde Baldo and Matt Pilieci, who will reprise their workshop roles. Playwright Justin Rivers has adapted his original script for this unique program.  The panelists confirmed at time of release include: Norman McGrath, photographer; James Stamp, architectural historian; Justin Rivers, playwright [N.B. Additional panelists will be announced upon confirmation of their participation]

About the Show: On October 28th, 1963 the demolition of the old Pennsylvania Station began. The wrecking crews worked outside in the morning drizzle to dismantle a fifty-three-year-old architectural marvel.  Inside, a construction worker turned photographer was running away from his past while an aging English teacher couldn't let his go. Their coincidental meeting on that day began a three-year conversation over the value of old and new, as one man fought to keep the station standing while the other was taking it down.  This is the premise for The Eternal Space, a two-man play that charts an unlikely friendship during the social and cultural upheavals of the mid-1960s.

Photography:  Photography is a critical element of the planned stage production, providing the scenic background for the play’s dialogue. Research has amassed a catalog of over 500 never-published/exhibited photos from New York based-photographers. 

50th Anniversary: The event will follow on the heels of the 50th anniversary of the original Penn Station demolition (October 28th). The loss of the beaux-arts building would invigorate the efforts of the preservation movement both locally and nationally. National legislation that followed would later be critical to saving Grand Central Terminal and many other NYC buildings. Plans for a new station structure are contentious points in the coming NYC Mayoral Election.

About the AIA New York Chapter: AIA New York is the oldest and largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects with almost 5,000 architect, allied professional, student, and public members. AIANY is dedicated to three goals: design excellence, public outreach and professional development. www.aiany.org      

About the Center for Architecture: The Center for Architecture is a destination for all interested in the built environment. It is home to the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation, vibrant nonprofit organizations that provide resources to both the public and building industry professionals. Through exhibitions, programs, and special events, the Center aims to improve the quality and sustainability of the built environment, foster exchange between the design, construction, and real estate communities, and encourage collaborations across the city and globe. For more information, please visit cfa.aiany.org.

Remember this is free event, but you need to RSVP. You can do that here.

Lights, Camera, Demolition: NY's Penn Station Recalled On Stage and In Pictures

AIANY / Center for Architecture to Host a Staged Reading of The Eternal Space

Photo by Norman McGrath, Used with Permission 

The Eternal Space announced today that we will offer a reading of selected scenes at the Architect’s Institute of America New York’s Center for Architecture as part of a program acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the demolition of the city’s Pennsylvania Station, on Wednesday, November 6th. The evening will also honor unique photography of the demolition from some of the subject’s most noteworthy photographers. Following the reading, a panel discussion with topic experts will occur. The AIANY Historic Building Committee is organizing the event.

“The Eternal Space dramatizes the conflicts between those who would replace our architectural legacy in the name of progress, and those whose frame of reference carries heavy intellectual baggage. Is reconciliation possible? Come hear the scintillating dialogue in a play that makes you think twice about what we take for granted," said Rick Bell, Executive Director of AIANY. “We invite architects, historians and urban enthusiasts to attend this unique event.”

The event will take place at the AIANY Center for Architecture’s in the Gerald D. Hines Gallery at 536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY, at 6:00 PM. The event is free with registration on Brown Paper Tickets.  All photos will be integrated into the reading and panel discussion by projection.

“The tragic destruction of McKim, Mead & White's magnificent Penn Station, which began fifty years ago, remains among the most compelling arguments for the cause of historic preservation in America,” said John Arbuckle, AIANY Historic Building Committee co-chair.

The Eternal Space is a two-man play that begins with a coincidental meeting in 1963, launching a three-year conversation about the value of old and new, as one man fights to keep the station standing while the other is instrumental in taking it down. Using original photography from the journalists who documented the station’s destruction and recreations of broadcast recordings as powerful backdrops to the story, The Eternal Space charts an unlikely friendship during the social and cultural upheavals of the mid-1960s.

 “I am honored that The Eternal Space is being read at the AIANY. This event promises to be an engaging evening that any architect, photographer, theatergoer or historian is sure to enjoy, ” said The Eternal Space playwright Justin Rivers.

Event Summary:                   

November 6, 2013,6:00 PM 

AIANY / Center for Architecture

536 LaGuardia Place

NY, NY 10012

FREE, Registration required

Register at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/500186

Or www.theeternalspaceplay.com

For Justin Rivers & The Eternal Space:

Contact: Sara Zick,

 646-209-8726

sarazick@gmail.com

For AIANY:

Contact: Camila Schaulsohn, Communications Coordinator

212-358-6114

Cschaulsohn@aiany.org

A Reading of The Eternal Space at the AIANY on November 6th

The Eternal Space is thrilled to announce that on the evening of November 6th it will be hosting a reading and expert panel discussion at the  Architects Institute of America New York chapter. The program, set to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Penn Station's demolition, will be an evening that promises to captivate any architect, photographer, historian or just your general NYC enthusiast. 

More details to come very soon. 

AIANY's Center for Architecture

Reaching Out to Photographer Ron Ziel

On Tuesday night, our research team had the privilege of an hour long phone call with photographer, Ron Ziel. He is an accomplished photographer of Penn Station, the LIRR, steam engines and an expert in railroad history. We are glad that he has agreed to lend his Penn Station catalog to the show. For all our Long Island friends, he has the largest archive of LIRR photos anywhere. 

His website is definitely worth a look: www.ronzielsteam.com

Photo courtesy of Ronzielsteam.com

Teaming Up With Photographer Norman McGrath

Slides from Norman McGrath's Penn Station demolition catalogue.

On Monday evening The Eternal Space team was honored to begin its partnership with the accomplished architectural photographer Norman McGrath. His photographic career has spanned over half a century with one of his first projects being Penn Station's demolition during the mid-1960's. 

Mr. McGrath's book Photographing Buildings Inside and Out  had sold nearly 50,000 copies quickly becoming required reading for any one interested in photographing architecture. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest and he has been awarded by the AIA with it's Institute Honor. He has lectured and exhibited at the Center for Architecture here in New York which garnered him a mention in the New York Times and cemented his reputation as a gifted teacher and an authority on the photography of buildings.

My first exposure to McGrath was eight years ago through Hilary Ballon's book, New York's Pennsylvania Stations. In it he presented a stunning photo essay of the station's demolition--the first I had seen in color. This was a topic he spoke on multiple times during our visit: "All the photos I've seen are in black and white and I don't know why." 

McGrath's welcomed myself and set designer Michael Gurdo into his home for an initial overview of his massive demolition collection.  In the short two hours we were there we felt like we hardly made a dent in the two thick binders of slides and boxes of prints. All the while McGrath would pepper our viewings with stories of his shoots. "I was lucky enough to be working for a structural engineer in the Pennsylvania Hotel across the street, so on my lunch, I could just go up to roof." McGrath admitted that he was fascinated by the glass roof of the station's main concourse.  He would say a couple times, "I just loved that roof."

Working on the 16th floor of the Pennsylvania Hotel and living on 30th Street afforded him the opportunity to capture the station at all times of day and night and through the different seasons. "We went in unchallenged. You could just walk right in and no one would stop you." He said it was as easy as crawling under a tarp and going about his business.

"They started the demolition with the car ramps and the outside of the station. The columns were massive and you could see the workers struggling. But once they got to the inside it went down in no time. Because it was all faux." Almost like clockwork, I would come across a slide of a partially dismantled column from the interior of the main waiting room. It was virtually hollow with nothing but a girder running up the center of it.  A total stark contrast to the solid granite facade of the station's exterior.

Beyond the vivid color and meticulous compositions, what McGrath's photos did so well was explore the everyday public interacting with the station during the demolition. Most notably there was a photo of a street crowd leaning in to watch the demolition in progress. You couldn't see what they were looking at, but you could see the look on their faces: blank fascination mixed with a hint of disbelief. It so captured a universal feeling that still resonates with people when speaking about the station today. Or more poignantly I came across a slide of an older woman, handkerchief tied around her head, walking out of a shop in the old arcade with the placards behind her reading "FINAL SALE" and "CLEARANCE."

When I asked him if the public seemed at all affected by the demolition at the time. He said that, at first, no one believed they would actually go through with it. But when they started he recalled how incredible it was to witness the coordination of the massive deconstruction effort with the confused flow of commuters and travelers passing through. Cranes were literally suspended over people's heads and "I don't recall anyone ever getting hurt. People would just sit and wait calmly for their trains."

Mr. McGrath displaying his Penn Station collection.

The collection wasn't in any chronological order which made it all the more fun to go through. The juxtaposition between the old station giving way to Madison Square Garden and eventually its current basement location would pop up right next to slides of an untouched facade or the concourse roof intact. Then suddenly I'd see an interior of the brand new Madison Square Garden preparing for the circus or an opening of a new shop in the newly minted subterranean station. Norman McGrath was there from start to finish and then some after the finish. I told him I couldn't find pictures of the new basement station anywhere. He simply pointed and said, "They're right there." It was that kind of tireless consistency in his documentation that one would expect from a structural engineer. Luckily he invited us back to continue our examination and make the difficult choice of what we would feature in the production. 

Toward the end of our time, I noticed a photo of a partially dismantled granite column chained to a flatbed. It was scarred from the chains wrapped around it and the sheer size was nothing short of magnificent. It dwarfed the truck. Then I thought of something he said in passing earlier, "The station just didn't want to yield."

After all these years, it still doesn't.