There's been talk for years now that a semi-forgotten underground passageway between Herald Square and Penn Station would be reopened. And while there's still nothing guaranteed, a few more details about the plan have emerged. The 800-foot pedestrian concourse, which was closed in the early '80s because of crime, is only nine feet wide at some points, and currently dilapidated. (Called Gimbels Passageway, it's named for the old Gimbels department store that closed in 1986, which was replaced by Manhattan Mall.) Now the Post reports that Vornado Realty Trust is still seeking permission to reopen the passage, expanding the narrowest section to 16 feet and filling it with retail shops and art, in the style of Rockefeller Center.
But Vornado won't rehabilitate the passageway, which could accommodate 12,000 people each hour, unless they win approval to build the city's second-tallest building, at Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street. Vornado wants zoning laws changed so it can build a 2 million square feet tower, well over the 1.15 million square feet currently allowed. The local community board has already voted against the development, with one official remarking, "They're asking for too much and giving too little." But is there any greater gift than being able to walk between the 34th Street subway and Amtrak without having to face the street level throngs?
