Richard Cameron, principal designer at Atelier & Co., Brooklyn, NY, and one of the original founders of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, has developed an ambitious plan to rebuild New York City’s old Penn Station in all its former glory. The original McKim Mead & White structure, which opened in 1910, was torn down in 1963 and replaced with the current underground station that serves 600,000 passengers a day. As Clem Labine explains in Traditional Building Magazine, the Rebuild Penn Station plan has three major elements: (1) Reconstruct the grand spaces of the original Penn Station; (2) Create a modern transit hub that connects two subway lines, two commuter railroads, and Amtrak; (3) Redevelop the area in and around Penn Station to create a world-class urban destination – like Rockefeller Center. McKim had envisioned his splendid rail terminal as the centerpiece of a spectacular City Beautiful project – but he died before his full dream could be realized.
The Rebuild Penn Station Plan station plan has generated coverage from The Gothamist, City Lab, and The New York Times.
The lecture will be held in the beautiful Skyline Room—offering sweeping views of the city—on the fourth floor of the Parkway Central Library Branch. Rebuilding Penn Station: A Lecture with Richard Cameron is part of the ICAA Philadelphia’s celebration marking 150 years since Horace Trumbauer’s birth. Throughout 2018, the Chapter will be hosting a number of Trumbauer-themed events throughout the region in honor of the native Philadelphian’s tremendous contributions to American architecture, including his firm’s design of the Parkway Central Library Branch. The year of celebration will culminate with the second Trumbauer Awards ceremony, on November 15, 2018, in the Trumbauer-designed Lincoln Ballroom of The Union League of Philadelphia. The awards program recognizes the work of individuals and firms to preserve and advance the classical tradition in the greater Philadelphia area.
Richard Cameron is a principal designer at Atelier & Co. in Brooklyn, NY. He is the co-founder of both the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and The Beaux-Arts Atelier, an educational platform for practicing architecture as a fine art. In 2013 he received The Arthur Ross Board of Directors Honor Award from the ICA&A. Richard has a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Toronto and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Architecture Magazine, Architectural Digest, and on the Brian Lehrer show.
1.5 AIA LU credits will be available for this lecture. Please bring your AIA membership number in order to fill out the necessary paperwork.