Chasing the Ghost of Penn Station

Wow, I should have learned from this abandoned model that modeling something that no longer exists is difficult. And this building has been gone for over 40 years!

When I worked on the Tappan Zee Model it also required some significant research, but I found what I needed on the Internet.
However, despite finding some useful resources online, I wasn't able to get any of the key measurements I needed for my Penn Station project.

Fortunately I had plans to be in New York city, so I would actually have to do research in a book! I took a trip to the New York Public Library, another NYC landmark and Beaux Art beauty.




In room 300, the Art & Architecture Reading Room, I found a book of Penn Station plans that was actually published by the architect, McKim, Mead, and White. It was very exciting to get the exact information I would need to accurately model Penn Station completely to scale.

My New Mission

I've spent a lot of time New York City, and as someone who has an interest in architecture, I was quite surprised to find out about an absolutely classic building that I never new existed. Of course I have the excuse that it was destroyed many years before my birth.

I was made aware of this building when looking for the New York sports stadium, Madison Square Garden, in the 3d Warehouse. I saw that, despite being a fine model, it had several 'one star' ratings. The explanation for these low scores (unfairly to the modeler) was that the current MSG was a ugly and hated replacement for the beautiful Beaux Arts building that was the original train station at the location.



Upon reading the history, outlined in greater detail here, (an informative site with an unfortunately bad design) I was then shocked that this original building is not represented in the 3d Warehouse despite it's iconic status.

To me the most appealing aspect of the design is the experience related in arriving into Manhattan by train, "like a king" whereas now the experience is more like entering "as a rat". Since I specialize in modeling interiors, I'm going to attempt to model this former building so I can experience that king like entrance virtually.

A Family Room for a 1950s Ranch

As opposed to a totally new house, my most recent project is an addition to a 1950s ranch. I added a family room with vaulted ceilings, converted it from a 1.5 bath house into one with two full baths, added a fireplace and improved the flow by swapping the kitchen and the dining room, adding a mud room from the garage. Below is a preview of the new exterior.



Once it's complete I'll post a full image set.

Play House

This was a small model I did for fun. It is a child's play house that includes lots of different elements. It has a sandbox in the bottom, a climbing wall, slide and swings surrounding it, and inside it has bunks for camping (for pretend or for real) and a hatchway to the lookout roof.

The various gates can be locked depending on the ages of the kids who are using it. This way a variety of ages can enjoy it and it remains a challenging toy even as the children grow a bit older.

Like all my models, if you have Sketchup installed, you can download this from the "My Models in the Warehouse" link that is under "Useful Links".

Salem Towne House

An example of the center hall Greek revival, the leading progressive design of America in the 1790s, where each room is designed to impress, but this one is modernized for today's family. For social occasions it features the traditional entryway, large dining room and formal living room. But when it's just the family at home, the massive master suite pampers the heads of household and also leaves plenty of room for the kids and house guests. Whether entertaining or just at home, everyone congregates in the heart of the home anyway; which in this case is in the natural spot: the extremely large eat-in kitchen that is strategically positioned on top of the two car garage.

2.5 Bathrooms
4 Bedrooms
1.19 Acres
2 car garage

5100 Sq. ft. Interior Space
875 Sq. ft. Exterior Space (Deck)

Retaining Wall
Hidden Door and Servant Stairs

Salem Towne House Guided Tour

Salem Towne House Video Tour

Firetower House

The first design is for a mountain house with several unique features.

It is a large unique custom modern contemporary on beautiful one acre lot. It includes four or more special features as well tons of natural light and airy spaces.

Its roofline is inspired by the mountains themselves, and the rear windows and fireplace are inspired by a classically designed ski lodge.
Rooms : 11
Bedrooms : 4
Bathrooms : 2 Full/1 half
Garage : Attached, 2 car, mud room
Heating : Forced Air, Gas
Cooling : Central Air
Basement : Yes
Approx. Sq. Ft. : 4975
Lot Size : 1 Acre

Firetower House Slideshow

Firetower House

The relatively bad quality of the video is due to my using the free version of Sketchup (I think).