It’s long been considered one of the city’s ugliest buildings, an “iron monstrosity” and the center of 1970s and 1980s sleaze that just can’t escape its sketchy reputation.

In 1950, when the gleaming, efficient-looking Port Authority Bus Terminal at Eighth Avenue and 41st Street opened, the place was on the receiving end of lots of love.

Just listen to this promotional newsreel on the new terminal, which raves about the escalators, the shops, the 31 bus ticket windows you can visit for a ticket to “any city of town in the United States.”

According to the reel, the bus terminal stands “among the milestones of the century.”

Well, that’s stretching it. But at the time, the idea was pretty good—up until then, Manhattan had eight smaller bus terminals scattered around Midtown.

[Top photo: PANYNJ; Newsreel: Historic Films via YouTube]

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Tags: 1950s NYC newsreels, 42nd Street Bus Terminal in 1950s, Building the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown 1950s, Port Authority Bus 1970s, Port Authority Bus Terminal 1950, Port Authority sleaze