NEW YORK | One Penn Plaza | 750 FT / 229 M | 57 FLOORS | 1972

Amanita · #1 Posted **May 18, 2011, 7:06 AM**

How about a little love for One Penn Plaza? This skyscraper may not get much attention, but I just love it. Gotta love its sleek simplicity and clean lines.
And the fact that it now generates some of its own power is just too cool!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Penn_Plaza
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/re...l/25cogen.html

Here's some One Penn Plaza fan art:
http://ladyamanita.deviantart.com/#/d3e0t39

I'll start off with a few pics of my own: (I took these during my last NYC visit)

SkyscrapersOfNewYork · #2 Posted **May 19, 2011, 2:53 AM**

one of my favorite boxes in Manhattan,simply timeless!

Travis007 · #3 Posted **May 19, 2011, 3:40 AM**

A quality skyscraper; simple, timeless, bold, and powerful.

Lecom · #4 Posted **May 19, 2011, 3:45 AM**

I'm usually a fan of highrise boxes, even ones generally considered bland and uninspiring, but this is one of the very few such monoliths that I really despise.

MolsonExport · #5 Posted **May 19, 2011, 1:49 PM**

Did this tower have anything to do with the destruction of Penn Station (the world's most gorgeous transit terminal in history)? Yes, I realize that it comes 10 years after the demise of Penn Station (replacement of which is beyond horrible).

If so, I automatically hate it with every whole grain fiber of my soul.

If not, I still dislike it.

Amanita · #6 Posted **May 19, 2011, 4:37 PM**

I don't think the tower can really be blamed for the demise of the original Penn Station, as like you said, it happened well after. And even if it was the same developer who tore down Penn station and built the tower, I won't blame the skyscraper- not its fault that its developer did something sucky.

It's said that these days, you can go into some of the underground parts of Penn Station, and actually put your hands on some of the rivetted columns that hold up One Penn Plaza. Cool! Next time I'm in town, I'll have to get my railroad worker friend to show me these spots!
She's a skyscraper fan too, and last time, we both grabbed one of One Penn's base columns and hugged it, just for the lulz. Too bad we didn't get somebody to take our picture!

marvelfannumber1 · #7 Posted **May 29, 2011, 6:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Did this tower have anything to do with the destruction of Penn Station (the world's most gorgeous transit terminal in history)? Yes, I realize that it comes 10 years after the demise of Penn Station (replacement of which is beyond horrible).

If so, I automatically hate it with every whole grain fiber of my soul.

If not, I still dislike it.

Actually it is not in the footprint of the old penn station so no it did not have anything to do with it .

Amanita · #8 Posted **May 29, 2011, 8:57 PM**

Yeah, I am not sure who tore down Penn Station, but One Penn Plaza was built by Harry Helmsley. He later complained that he couldn't find tenants, and that his new skyscraper was turning into a little money-suck! Lol. Now that lovely skyscraper has no problem finding tenants! Too bad there wasn't a way to have lovely old Penn Station sitting next to sleek and handsome One Penn Plaza!

Amanita · #9 Posted **Dec 26, 2011, 6:27 PM**

OK, help me out here. I've been digging like crazy and can't find much of ANYTHING written about One Penn Plaza. Even the AIA guide to NYC and New York 1960 have not a single word to say about it, even though it's one of the largest office complexes in Manhattan, and due to the fact it's got some elbow room between it and the other skyscrapers in the area, it tends to stand out.

I can't even find any writing from architecture critics of the time, which is surprising. They ran their mouths (and typing fingers) about every other major building of the period, even if it was just to talk smack.

I find it hard to believe that such a major building near such a contentious site (penn station) was just completely ignored. What did Harry Helmsley do, throw an invisibility shroud around the thing or something? (that would explain its early crummy occupancy rates, lol!) Was there really NOTHING written about this building between then and now, or am I missing something somewhere?

Patrick · #10 Posted **Dec 26, 2011, 9:50 PM**

Always loved it, a very underrated New York skyscraper despite it's prominent location. Bulky from some angles yet sleek from others. I like how it dominates it's surroundings, which includes skyscrapers like The New Yorker, Nelson Tower, and it's unattractive sibling, Two Penn Plaza. I remember there were plans to demolish the base of the building and build another skyscraper in it's place. Not sure if those plans are still alive, hopefully not.

Sexy:

Source: http://processwire.com/skyscrapers/c...ne-penn-plaza/

Source: http://untitledname.com/2011/03/one-penn-plaza

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:On..._Shankbone.jpg

Amanita · #11 Posted **Dec 26, 2011, 10:24 PM**

Yeah, hopefully not here as well! Considering how many retail tenants they've got in there, it would be pretty stupid to mess with the base of One Penn Plaza. There used to be a funny pic on the building's website, where due to the distortion of the camera lens used to take it, One Penn Plaza's base looked freaking HUGE! I wanted to photoshop it, with a thought bubble emerging from One Penn's crown- "Does this picture make my base look big?"

And I hear you about Two Penn Plaza- that one was designed by a different architect, I wonder if it at least shared the same developer as One Penn? And why was it named Two Penn Plaza, when it was actually the first one finished? With a different facade design, Two Penn might really have had something going on. Oh Well. One Penn's definitely the handsome one of the pair

I need to upload the pics I got from the top of the Empire State Building- I cranked up the zoom, and you can totally see somebody walking on the roof!

THE BIG APPLE · #12 Posted **Dec 27, 2011, 3:55 AM**

I just can't show any love for a building that stands on the land and PROPERTY of the ORIGINAL Penn Station.

CGII · #13 Posted **Dec 27, 2011, 5:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE BIG APPLE

I just can't show any love for a building that stands on the land and PROPERTY of the ORIGINAL Penn Station.

It doesn't.

Amanita · #14 Posted **Dec 27, 2011, 6:58 AM**

Yeah, get your facts straight

One Penn Plaza is across the street from where Penn Station was. I've got a little souvenir book from the Empire State Building, which illustrates this nicely, in both a modern photo, and one dating back to before Penn Station's demolition. By looking at the other landmarks in the old photo and comparing them to the present day pic, it's obvious where old Penn Station was, and One Penn Plaza does not encroach on its site in any way. It's only connection to the site is an underground tunnel which leads from the underground station into its lobby.

Now, Madison Square Garden, and the shorter, stockier Two Penn Plaza DO sit on the old Penn Station site. So having been set straight, do you still hate One Penn, and blame it for something that happened almost a decade before it was even built, or are you willing to reconsider?

NYC4Life · #15 Posted **Dec 28, 2011, 5:30 PM**

This tower gets almost the same amount of love as the Metlife Building on Park Avenue, almost none at all. Personally, I like this tower and its isolation with the ESB makes it more defining on the skyline.

brenGT2 · #16 Posted **Dec 28, 2011, 7:17 PM**

I only have one shot of the building from my trip to New York in May. It's still a good one!

Perspective by brenGT2, on Flickr

Amanita · #17 Posted **Dec 29, 2011, 7:11 PM**

Nice

I got some similar ones. I love how you got the mist coming from its HVAC system

For those in the know, are those huge fans on the roof used as air intakes, or strictly to vent stuff out?

I know why Pan Am (Metlife) gets trashed on, but since One Penn isn't sitting right on Penn Station's site, why the hate or ignoring? Heck, the critics of the period had lots to say about Pan Am, and a lot of other major skyscrapers, even if they hated them. So how did something as huge and prominent as One Penn end up totally ignored?

Amanita · #18 Posted **Jan 6, 2012, 10:00 PM**

Ok, here is what happens when One Penn Plaza and some serious cosplay meet. Looking at the outfit, you can see how I worked things like the building's silver pinstripes, black and grey coloring, and overall angular look into the outfit. I also brought out the red and white of the building signage and lobby accents, and used those to make the costume less drab. And check out the belt buckle! One Penn security thought it was so awesome they let my friend and I into the lobby so they could get a better look. One of them said that the building manager would love it.

I also wore the outfit around NYC on Halloween, but didn't have the headdress done. So I got a braided black wig as a last minute substitute. If anyone asked, the braids were my elevator cables

RLS_rls · #19 Posted **Jan 8, 2012, 8:01 AM**

lol that's cool amanita. good job.

Amanita · #20 Posted **Jan 8, 2012, 7:59 PM**

Thanks! You should see what I'm planning to do to the San Remo and Chrysler Buildings!
BTW, the costume won an honorable mention in the costume contest at my local sci-fi con.