The Penn District

The neighbourhood lies at the intersection of a proud urban legacy and the changing contemporary needs of Midtown Manhattan. On the one hand, it is a district shaped by a rich history, yet it had become strained by its fragmented urban fabric. As one of New York’s best-connected locations, it has the capacity to be one of the world’s most significant urban centres. One of the city’s prime transport hubs, Penn Station lies belowground (It has since been expanded above ground with the refurbishment of the Beaux-Arts Farley Post Office into Moynihan Train Hall). Madison Square Garden, one of America’s iconic venues sits within the milieu. Yet the surrounding office buildings were of an ageing stock, facing challenges of a disconnected pedestrian experience, underutilised public spaces, and a lack of cohesive character. It needed a refresh.

Our proposals unfolded across three scales: the district, the block, and individual buildings. At the district-level, we devised a vision. This was underpinned by analysing the urban grid. Used to the more irregular street patterns of London, the grid was particularly inspiring for us. We mapped the unique shifts in the neighbourhood’s grid from the orderly avenues and streets (such as 31 st and 33 rd ) to the dynamic junction at Hudson Yards, a new high-density development which was under construction next door. This allowed for us to identify opportunities for intervention. We then studied flows through a comprehensive analysis of pedestrian and transit movements, which highlighted the need to enhance connectivity between Penn Station, Broadway, and surrounding areas, spanning below-ground, grade-level, and elevated routes. The result was a proposed galleria system that interweaves underground connections, a new plaza at 32nd Street, and elevated public spaces which would create seamless transitions between transit hubs, entertainment venues and retail spaces.

Block-Level strategies focused on making places more inviting. We proposed a rethink of 1 Penn Plaza. Completed by Khan & Jacobs in 1972, the skyscraper is the tallest building on the site. A significant retrofit would include a new entrance, sky lobbies introduced via cut-outs every five floors and upgraded amenities like cafes and libraries to transform the existing office building into a rich mixed-use environment.

McKim, Mead & White’s Hotel Pennsylvania would retain one wing while others would be replaced by 250,000 sqft retail and entertainment space. Anchoring this transformation near major attractions like Macy’s and Broadway would create a destination that draws locals and visitors alike. New tall buildings that would expand the district’s floor capacity while harmonising with its ever-evolving skyline. Streetscape improvements focused on pedestrianising streets, such as 32nd Street, which would humanise the public realm and shift the axis to prioritise people over vehicles.

Finally, there were proposals for building-level interventions. Programmatic integration would embed a new mix of uses—retail, food halls, hotels, and entertainment venues—across levels, building on the vibrancy of nearby Broadway and Macy’s. We also sought architectural cohesion, developing ideas for a “family” of buildings that balanced the individual character of each with the collective harmony, ensuring each building played a distinct yet interconnected role.

Woven together, these ideas would redefine The Penn District as a lively urban crossroads, connecting disparate parts of Midtown into a cohesive whole. Key site-wide principals included: a Multilevel Experience integrating underground, street-level, and elevated spaces to foster connectivity and convenience; a revitalised public realm with a pedestrian-first approach that recasts the streetscape as an inviting social space, where a new galleria would connect key destinations with fluidity and purpose; and a balanced character of buildings where The Penn District could achieve a distinctive identity rooted in Manhattan's tight streets and tall buildings.