Did you know that New York City's original Pennsylvania Station was demolished in 1963, even though it was one of America's most impressive public buildings? Opened in 1910, the station was designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White. Its enormous waiting room was inspired by the ancient Roman Baths of Caracalla, with towering columns, high ceilings, and natural light. But by the early 1960s, the railroad was struggling financially, and the valuable land above the station offered an opportunity for redevelopment. The station was demolished and replaced by a new complex beneath Madison Square Garden. Its destruction caused such public outrage that it helped inspire New York's architectural preservation movement. Writing about the demolition, architecture critic Vincent Scully famously observed: “One entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat.” I started my newsletter because I love old buildings and the stories behind them. Every week I pick something beautiful and try to figure out what made it so special. If that sounds like your kind of thing you can join below; and if you’d like to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber: architecturetradition.substa…