The Rise and Fall of Penn Station

Producer and director Randall MacLowry discusses his documentary “The Rise and Fall of Penn Station.” Penn Station opened November 27, 1910, and was a grand, beautiful building. But in 1961, the financially strapped Pennsylvania Railroad announced that it had sold the air rights above Penn Station, and the company tore down the train station to build Madison Square Garden. In response to Penn Station’s destruction, New York City established the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Grand Central Terminal was designated a historic landmark in 1967, sparing it from the sad fate of Penn Station. “The Rise and Fall of Penn Station” premieres on PBS February 18 at 9 pm.