Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels

The is a wonderful book about the making of the tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers in the first decade of the 1900s. It also touches on the robber baron politics at the time, not unlike what we have today! The story of the methods, equipment, and men involved is very good.

This work is a beautifully crafted history of the Pennsylvania Railroad's efforts to extend its tracks into New York City during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. Relates all of the historical, technical, social, political and industrial issues, as well as people of the time, in a way that leads the reader into thinking that this is a good novel, in addition to a well-written history. When you realize that the old station no longer exists, the vision and work that went into its origins and construction take on greater meaning, especially in the jaded way we view the world today.

I never quite knew the history behind the tunnels and Penn station even after using it for years. After reading this book I was struck by the perseverance of the men who built the tunnels and Penn station. I also was sad that the magnificent original Penn station was lost to history. The hideous MSG building there now pales in comparison to the real Penn station. Great book, but what a shame it is that NYC lost an architectural gem.

Making my first visit to New York and arriving via Amtrak, I was fascinated by Penn Station. Knowing what is there now is not what was there when (and loving the visit to NYC), I decided I needed to learn more about it. This is a fascinating story of engineering along with quite a bit of plain old ingenuity. The elements of the story - the tunnel, the station, the politics, the cronyism - all interlocked with New York at the turn of the last century is a tale of an amazing age of change. The station only lasted 50-some years, in some ways doomed from the beginning by the cars that were already running around on the streets at the time. The tunnels, however, are still there and serving magnificently. It's hard to imagine this all transpiring without the vision of Alexander Cassat, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad who made it all happen. After you read this, be sure to search the internet for the story of the station's demolition, it will surely sadden you to see it.

A great historical view of what made this country great and the people of vision that dragged New York City into the 20th century. Railroads were the backbone of this country, tying our great cities together. This story makes you long for those early days of railroad greatness. Whether you have an interest in politics of the day, engineeing marvels, or just the human drama of the period - this tale carries it all. Enjoy!

The history of the building of the PRR tunnels into Manhattan and the creation of the station fascinatingly told through the details of all the principals involved. The pictures and the story are just reminders of what was lost when Penn Station was torn down and replaced with the world's worst train station. Very, very good book though and a great reminder of how important landmark preservation is.

This book is interesting but ultimately disappointing. The title and description do a magnificent job overselling the book as a cutaway look inside an urban landmark. Rather than a treasure trove of unknown details and secrets of a subway and train terminal that millions of people use on a daily basis, it is dry narrative of the men who constructed it. For instance, it's more than 100 pages into the book that ground is finally broken on the tunnel and nearly halfway until Penn Station begins to take shape. The author is prone to superfic tangents on Tammany Hall, Vanderbilt, bridge construction, New York politics and the presidency. These digressions have the air of trying to fill space or had substance to a weak story. That is a strange feeling since the subject matter is so rich. After filling so much space with unnecessary details, the book rushes to completion after Penn Station opens. The destruction of the General Waiting Room to make way for Madison Square Garden is by far the best written part of the book but it gets but one chapter. For a reader after some urban anthropology, Conquering Gotham oversells and under delivers.

Anything about the Pennsylvania Railroad grabs my interest. When the biggest railroad undertakes construction of the biggest station in the biggest city in the USA, the subject swells on my radar. The auther covers the dreaming, the planning, the maneuvering and the unimaginable deployment of men and machines (and no doubt quite a few animals) that toiled so that Penn Station could arise. Not so widely known, and I have to include my self in this uninformed group before reading Conquering Gotham, is the fact that Penn Station never really succeeded. It failed to ignite a boom in Hell's Kitchen real estate that was predicted by its advocates, and for the final decade of its life was part of a (misguided) argument that held up the grimy monument as one of the causes of Hell's Kitchen's misfortunes. Much like the PRR's flagship Broadway Limited which was second to none in any aspect of First Class train travel, but a very distant second to the rival 20th Century Limited of the New York Central, Penn Station just wasn't as successful as it could or should have been. This in no way lets the short-sighted money people who caused Pennsylvania Station's shameful destruction off the hook. Thank you author Jonnes for bringing all this history to life.

A fascinating read and exploration of the trials and tribulations of the engineers and entrepreneurs who had to take on the massive problem of linking the mainland to Manhattan and Long Island. The flavour of the rough and tumble of American politics and life in New York City comes through strongly. Will appeal to historians, engineers, scientists, architects and lovers of New York City

a very detailed analysis of the construction of the Pennsylvannia Railroad's station and the building of the tunnels that were needed to access the station in New York.There is also quite a lot of information on the politics of the USA at the time and what most legislators thought of the building of the tunnels into Manhattan

Highly recomended