http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/1/2/13520/44447/hotels/Is_the_Hotel_Penn_Finally_Dunzo_
Is the Hotel Penn Finally Dunzo?
Matt Stratton
January 2, 2009
The day we've all thought was coming for a long time may finally be upon us: The NY Observer is reporting that a realty trust has filed an application with the New York City to rezone Hotel Pennsylvania's property, ostensibly to pave the way to demolish the hotel to build a planned office tower where the hotel now stands. Could it be?
The company interested in knocking down the hotel is Vornado Realty Trust, the same one who got us excited about the demolition of the old run-down hotel this time two years ago.
But it's all a bit more complicated than it seems:
Some preservationists — though not the main preservation advocacy groups — have been pushing for the designation ... Hotel Penn as a city landmark, a move that would likely bar its destruction. However, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in early 2008 issued a letter saying it would not take action on the building as it did not find it to meet the qualifications. Ultimately the rezoning will need approval from the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
While we respect historic landmarks, the Hotel Penn is in dire need of an overhaul. We can only hope that something good will happen here.
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http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/1...t_Distract_From_Hotel_Penn_s_Grimey_View
Grimey Windows Don't Distract From Hotel Penn's Grimey View
December 26, 2008
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
Oh, Hotel Pennsylvania. You have been through so much, haven't you? You had gotten so run down and exhausted that you were ready to give up — and then you were saved from the wrecking ball , only to continue living your life thrown into such degrading and humiliating situations as being given away to viewers of the same network that airs shows like "Parental Control" and "Next." We get why you might be a bit lazy or down & out these days.
But you know what? We're not sure we can support this: a view that is so utterly crappy that it appears you have allowed your windows to grime up so much that, presumably, the guest may be distracted from such a bad view. A Flickr-er by the name of r3v cls stayed at the Penn last April and was greeted not only by these atrocious views (but in the Penn's defense, NYC is a big city and there isn't a whole lot of room for sweeping, scenic panoramic eye-feasts), but the windows standing between the guest and such views are coated with a pretty sexy layer of dirt.
Check out this closeup of the window, which was accompanied by the following caption by the photographer: "Now that's a dirty window. You'd think it was raining or foggy or something. Nope." Gross.
Photos:
r3v cls