'One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat' — See beautiful pictures of New York's old Penn Station before it was torn down by Dina Spector and Áine Cain on May 17, 2017, 4:13 PM Advertisement
 It's hard to believe that Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station was once a masterpiece of pink granite, marble columns, and arched-glass windows. In 1963, the above-ground portion of the station was demolished to make room for a massive sports arena, Madison Square Garden. Its reputation as an architectural masterpiece quickly faded. And most recently several incidents have boosted the station's reputation as a subterranean hellscape. A train derailment in April that spawned mass cancellations outraged travelers. Later in the month, stampedes and false rumors of an active shooter rippled through Penn after police tased a man. Then, in early May, foul-smelling sewage water rained down on commuters from the ceiling. Amtrak's long overdue rail repairs threaten to worsen a headache for the 650,000 people who travel through Penn Station each day. But things were not always this bad. Take a look at these photos of the original Penn Station, one of the last structures of neo-classical architecture in New York City, before it was torn down. SEE ALSO: 13 pictures reveal what it was like to ride the New York City subways in the 1970s The original Pennsylvania Station stood from 1910 until its destruction in 1963. 
The station was named for the now-defunct Pennsylvania Railroad, the company that built it. For that same reason, there are also Pennsylvania Stations in cities like Newark and Baltimore. 
Construction on the Beaux-Arts-style marvel began in 1901 and took nine years to complete. It was designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, which also built Columbia University's campus. 
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