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nn Station

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The original Penn Station shortly before it was demolished. / Library of Congress

Rendering of the proposed concourse at the Moynihan Train Hall. / Empire State Development

the world. The winning bidder may opt to use the drawings created by SOM, as well as the firm’s construction-phase services. A different set of architects and engineers, how- ever, can be used if it doesn’t “adversely impact the proj- ect’s schedule or cost,” according to the RFP issued by proj- ect sponsors Empire State Development, Amtrak, Metro- politan Transportation Authority, and its affiliated Long Is- land Rail Road. Bidders can compete for the work under one of three op- tions: Farley building only, Penn Station only, or both to- gether. Bidders can also submit as single entities, joint ven- tures, or as teams. While the scope of work is tremendous, only a few bidders are expected to compete for the con- tracts. Developers being mentioned are Extell Development Company, Related, Vornado Realty Trust, and Brookfield – companies that have access to vast amounts of capital, have political cache, and that know the ins and outs of a mega- lopolis like New York. Consider these baseline qualifications for the Moynihan Train Hall: ❚ ❚ Application fee: $25,000 ❚ ❚ Cost letter: $1.5M ❚ ❚ Letter of credit: $15M ❚ ❚ 20-year pro-forma ❚ ❚ Audited financials, three years ❚ ❚ Performance bond: $800M ❚ ❚ Investment track record in projects exceeding $500M annu- ally ❚ ❚ At least three transportation projects greater than $250M within the last 10 years

❚ ❚ At least two retail projects with more than $10M in rental revenue in the last seven years The entirety of the project is known as the Empire Station Complex, and to get it done, Gov. Cuomo is offering his take on the public-private partnership – in exchange for foot- ing the bill for the renovation, the developer, or develop- ers, will control the site’s office, retail, and hospitality rights through long-term leases. The original Penn Station, considered a Beaux Arts master- piece designed by McKim, Mead & White , was demolished in 1963. At the time, rail ridership was in decline, but train travel along the East Coast rebounded, and when it did, Penn Station proved to be undersized and inefficient. “In terms of scale, the need for a big, beautiful entry to New York – it’s nowhere more needed than at Penn Station.” At around 650,000 people and more than 1,000 trains per day, Penn Station is by far the busiest commuter depot in the nation, and, according to Gov. Cuomo’s office, handles more traffic than JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia airports combined. And as the New York City Department of Plan- ning expects the city’s population to increase to as much as 9 million by 2040, the station’s usage will only increase – as will its potential to generate huge revenues through rents. For F. Eric Goshow, founding partner of New York-based Goshow Architects and a past president of AIA New York State, the Big Apple deserves something grand, not a con- gested hole in the ground, as is currently the case.

See PENN STATION, page 8

LETTER April 11, 2016, ISSUE 1147

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