Penn Station is basically the fifth circle of hell.

According to Dante, the fifth circle is reserved for those who are angry and sullen, which is essentially Penn Station in a nutshell.

In all honesty, the original Pennsylvania Station was once considered one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of its time, causing people to weep openly at its beauty simply because the grandeur was for little more than a transportation hub.

Opened in 1910, Pennsylvania station had accomplished the seemingly impossible task of creating 16 miles of underground tunnels (7 under water) to connect the largest railroad company (The Pennsylvania Railroad) to one of the most economically booming cities in the country, New York City.

Unfortunately, due to the sharp decline in railroad traffic due to the automobile and airline booms of the mid-1960s, the building that once rivaled the Grand Central Terminal was demolished to make way for a business complex and sporting arena.

Check out these 53-minute-long documentary courtesy of PBS's American Experience below.

[anad]