Save Hotel Penn

postcardThe Save The Hotel movement has been in a holding pattern as of late, but we can now deliver some long-awaited good news.

We have confirmed from multiple sources, including many members of the Hotel’s own staff, that Vornado’s plan to raze the Hotel Pennsylvania and put up a skyscraper have been indefinitely shelved.

This was Vornado’s plan for the site, eschewing part of our history and heritage in favor of just another office block and a generic box of ads. We are grateful that it did not come to pass.

The Hotel Pennsylvania seems to have found its reprieve thanks to a combination of factors. Merrill Lynch, which was to be the anchor tenant in the new Vornado tower, suffered major setbacks and internal upsets which aused it to abandon its plans to move from their downtown offices. Meanwhile, the Hotel itself has shown record profits, its own renovations continue according to plan, and the place is looking and doing better every day.

While we were sadly not able to secure landmark status for the building, it seems Vornado has found it in its own best interests to keep the Hotel running as is.

Hotel PennsylvaniaWe considered deleting this page and our other sites now that our movement is without its cause, but we have decided to instead let it share indefinite hiatus with the demolition plans. It shall stand as a reminder of what was almost allowed to happen. More importantly, should the Hotel face any similar threats in the future, we’ll be ready.

The Hotel Pennsylvania is too important to too many people to let disappear into history. We’ll be here to make sure that does not happen.

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to all of you who helped to spread the word, came to protests, wrote letters, and all the other innumerable ways in which you helped do what needed to be done.

Save Hotel Penn