Personal Project
Rebuild Old Penn Station
As a way to remind New Yorkers of the importance of preserving iconic architecture, we set off to create a virtual 3D reconstruction of the old Pennsylvania Station in New York City that was tragically demolished in 1963.
In partnership with The Rebuild Penn Station Organization and the New York Historical Society, we gathered vast amounts of archival data to accurately create the most detailed 3D model of the station ever built.
The final model generated represents the most historically accurate and detailed 3D model of the old station. Using it, we have created a variety digital visualization assets including 3D renderings, and a full length animation.
HISTORY
New York City's original Penn Station was one of the finest buildings ever constructed. With its vast main hall and soaring concourse, it provided a triumphant gateway into the city. Its demolition in 1963 was widely considered one of the greatest architectural and civic mishaps in American history.
After its destruction, New York City created the Landmarks Society to ensure that the mistake would never be made again. Despite this though, New York City lost one of its most iconic buildings ever built.
"One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat."
-Vincent Scully
Pennsylvania Station Today
PROCESS
Unlike traditional architectural visualization, our goal for this project was to reconstruct building that had once previously existed. As a result, our greatest assets to learn about the old station's design was archival photographs taken at various points throughout history.
Through a few days of research however, we learned quickly that the public photos online did not include the level of detail necessary for our project.
Through our search effort though, we learned that the original blue prints for the station were housed in the archives at the New York Historical Society (NYHS) and (after some convincing) we were permitted to visit the archives and photograph the original plans for the station that were hand drawn on parchment paper.
Nearly 3000 photographs later, we had the level of detail we needed to get started. From there...it was off to rebuild history.
After nearly a month of modeling, we had completed our first draft of the station, representing the aggregation of 67x original blue print designs
PHASE TWO
After finishing the 3D model, the next phase of the project included matching the texture and material of the old station with our model to create the most photorealistic final product.
Ultimately, our final product for this project will be an augmented reality experience that visitors of the existing Penn Station will be able to use to see what the station would look like today if it were never demolished.
Through this project, our goal is to inspire nostalgia, wonder, and a renewed sense of civic loyalty to the iconic places and buildings that shape our urban environment.
