The terminal was to span from West 31st street to West 33rd street between 7th avenue and 9th avenue formerly known as the Tenderloin. After several years of planning, on June 22nd 1903, construction began. On November 27th 1910, nearly a decade later, Penn Station was open to the public. The station was eight acres and the fourth largest building at the time. The station was a symbol of progress and hope in New York at the turn of the century. Eighteen million people utilized the train station that year. By 1945, 100 million people used the railroad station yearly. The Penn Station brought thousands of people from Long Island, New Jersey and New England to Manhattan daily. The Pennsylvania station caused the economy to flourish immensely. No one knew the Pennsylvania Station would last only a few decades. .
Throughout the film The Rise and Fall of Penn Station, the producers Randall MacLowry & Michael Rossi, incorporated many primary sources to give further insight and also to prove that such events took place. For instance, the producers inserted a photo of sandhogs who appeared to have different ethnic backgrounds. "Sandhogs" was the coined term for tunnel workers. The term is still widely used today. Sandhogs who. Randall MacLowry & Michael Rossi added this photo to display that the processes of creating the railroad involved people of many races. Therefore, the railroad was made for everyone. "When I walked into Penn Station, I felt like a queen because I felt as if someone had done that for me," Lorraine Diehl recalls her late aunt's description of her experience when she visited the Penn Station. .
Beginning in 1946, the railroad company began losing significant amounts of money. Since the company was a private company, the public did not have a say in whether or not the station stayed open. The space was used for the Madison Square Garden sports complex and for office facilities.
