NEW YORK CITY-The Municipal Art Society of New York announced Thursday the launch of its design challenge for a new Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Four well-known local design firms will re-envision Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

The four firms, Santiago Calatrava, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SHoP Architects and SOM, will have until May 29 to complete the challenge. MAS will hold a public unveiling of their work at an event at the TimesCenter (242 West 41st St.) on May 29th. The event will be open to the public, but registration is required.

These four companies were chosen because of their wide ranging experience on complicated urban sites—from the Highline in Chelsea to a new arena linked to a subway station in downtown Brooklyn, to the World Trade Center site—in addition to large infrastructure projects all over the world, according to the announcement.

As previously reported, MAS, in conjunction with the Regional Plan Authority, recently began advocating for a completely reimagined Penn Station and the relocation of Madison Square Garden. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer followed suit last week, issuing a call for the Garden to be relocated after 10 more years in its current location. That's a stark contrast to the plans of MSG's ownership, who have applied for a perpetual lease, which would keep them sitting atop Penn Station forever.

Says Vin Cipolla, president of MAS, “MAS strongly believes that now is the time to lay out a clear plan for New York City which offers a more optimistic vision. The city needs to do the right thing and set as its goal a new Penn Station and a new arena in 10 years. This process will explore the MSG sites that offer the greatest opportunity."

He continues, “A site which should be an economic development anchor for Midtown and Hudson Yards is instead a serious challenge to the global competitiveness and economic health of New York City. A new Penn Station and a new arena will be an economic engine for New York City—creating thousands of jobs, unlocking billions of dollars in additional private investment, making millions of commutes a year faster and more comfortable, and re-affirming our sense that we can take on big projects and get them done.”

Instant Insights /

MAS Selects Four Design Firms to Revamp Penn Station

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