Farley Post Office Transformation to Moynihan Train Hall

The James A. Farley Post Office building, completed in 1913 by McKim, Mead & White was built adjacent to the firm’s Penn Station located across the street. After the demolition of the old Penn Station, the Farley building became one of the first buildings protected under the city’s new Landmarks Law.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced several milestones for the project., The Farley Post office to the Moynihan Train Hall—namely, the fact that the structure for its enormous skylight has been installed, and the first glass panel for that architectural feature has been placed.

The original Pennsylvania Station, opened in 1910, was designed by the famed McKim, Mead & White architecture firm. The station's steel and glass concourse pictured below, with its great domed roof, suggests the motion and power of the modern age.

Photo: Courtesy of Library of Congress

Although a Beaux-Arts architectural masterpiece built of marble to last forever the railroad sold the air rights above the Penn Station. The building was demolished in 1960 and replaced by an office tower and new Madison Square Garden. The new Penn Station would be underground below Madison Square Garden.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, New York's Senator for 24 years, spent over a decade championing a modern Pennsylvania Station for New York City. As a child during the Great Depression, he sold newspapers and shined shoes in the old Penn Station.


Senator Moynihan believed that America is the land of second chances. He saw the idea to build a new Penn Station in the landmark Farley Post Office across Eighth Ave from Penn Station as New York's golden opportunity to redeem itself for tearing down the original Pennsylvania Station.

When it’s completed in 2020, the Moynihan Train Hall will connect to the current Penn Station, offering new access points, more tracks, and a less claustrophobic waiting area for commuters.