Moynihan Station Work Continues Behind the Scenes
Although Moynihan Station has been out of the headlines for some time, work has continued on plans for underground track improvements. And, if the State succeeds in getting federal, so-called, TIGER funding this month, construction on the first phase could begin this February.
Andrew Lynn, Port Authority Director of Regional Development, gave the Landmarks Conservancy Board an update on Moynihan at its January 21 meeting. Phase One of the project would concentrate on track and ventilation improvements, as well as providing street level access to the Farley Building so Amtrak riders could exit from there. Amtrak announced last year that it would move its operations into Farley and work on a final agreement to do so is continuing.
Lynn told the Board that the State was looking at a “preservation friendly” design for the station hall and hoped the project would qualify for federal preservation tax credits. This means, for instance, that glass skylights over the train hall and intermodal hall would not rise above the building’s walls and that the State intends to preserve as much interior fabric as possible. Skidmore Owings and Merrill are the architects for the train hall.
Phase One costs $267 million and could take up to five years to complete. While some federal and state funding is available, the $98 million request for TIGER funding is crucial. Phase One would be a public project overseen by the Port Authority and the Moynihan Station Development Corporation. The Conservancy, as part of the “Friends of Moynihan Station,” signed a letter of support for the TIGER funding.
Developers Related and Vornado remain involved in Moynihan and would be active in Phase Two, building the train hall and related retail. Eventually, they would develop the Farley annex as well. At this point, they are looking at a retail arcade that would be easily accessible from the train hall.
The Landmarks Conservancy has supported Moynihan Station since the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan first proposed turning the landmark Farley Post Office into a train station in 1993. We helped found “Friends of Moynihan Station,” a group of preservation, planning, civic and elected officials, in 2005.
When Related and Vornado proposed moving Madison Square Garden into the back of Farley in 2007, the Conservancy sought to minimize the impact of a new Garden on the building and opposed plans to turn the Post Office Lobby into the main entrance to the new Garden.
We continue to work with State officials and the “Friends” to ensure that Moynihan Station is constructed and that the landmark building is protected.
