Reference no: EM133647925
Discussion Post
This threaded discussion asks you to explore Penn Station, New York, in its various embodiments, then and today. Describe and analyze the train station by relying on your reading of Bjelajac's "Chapter 7: Modernist Art and Politics, 1905-41." Also consider other resources on the subject linked below or sources you come across in your independent research. Take a close look at the following three visual representations depicting the rise and fall of Pennsylvania Railroad Station in New York City. George Bellows' painting of its excavation site, a photograph of the completed structure built by architects McKim, Meade, and White, as well as a streaming video about the destruction of Penn Station. Railroad stations are a good example to show the fusion of engineering and aesthetics. These structures function to provide travelers and commuters with access to transportation. At the same time, stations are also rendered in aesthetically pleasing terms. They are structures built in a certain style that is both utilitarian as well as beautiful.
Questions to guide your own observations and how to engage peer postings include:
Question 1. What does the fate of Penn Station say about American cities, culture and society?
Question 2. What drove the initial construction of Penn Station? What did the original Penn Station look like? Was it "neoclassical" or "modern" or both?
Question 3. Do you recognize any forms, styles and shapes? Does its style remind you of anything we have discussed in class so far?
Question 4. Why was the original Penn Station torn down? How is the demolition of Penn Station being viewed today?
Question 5. What do you learn from peer postings? Are there ways in which your findings complement those of your peers or vice versa? Describe and explain.