A plan to recreate the architectural masterpiece that was the original Penn Station, built in 1910 and demolished in the mid 1960s, could solve some of the overcrowding and delay issues that plague commuters on a daily basis, said supporters of the idea.

The proposal by the National Civic Art Society, would build a replica of the original station, which featured Roman inspired architecture and columns, soaring interior spaces and skylights that earned it the nickname, "the temple of transportation."

The loss of the station spawned a preservation movement that was credited with saving Grand Central Terminal from demolition.

The proposal calls for replacing the current dismal subterranean Penn Station with a $3 billion to $3.5 billion replica, which could be constructed in five years to serve the 650,000 daily passengers that use Penn Station, said Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society, which proposed the project.

By contrast, the $4 billion World Trade Center transportation hub's Oculus, built by the Port Authority, only serves 60,000 people a day, Shubow said.

The recreated Penn Station could be financed with bonds, the selling of air rights, and the creation of a redevelopment and revenue capture district, similar to one proposed by the Municipal Arts Society in a 2013 report, he said.

There are other Penn Station concepts, such as Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Empire Station idea, unveiled last year and an architect's proposal to use the glassed in superstructure of Madison Square Garden as a station exterior.

While a recreation of the original Penn Station provides "dignity and spiritual uplift to all who visit it", Shubow said, it also addresses problems on the track and platform level that cause delays and overcrowding for commuters.

The plan incorporates ideas from the ReThink NYC plan, which would eliminate some tracks, build wider platforms and more stairs and escalators at Penn Station for better commuter circulation.

"Our rendering of track level, shows the widened platforms and additional escalators, which could be three abreast, in contrast to the single escalators at present," Shubow said.

The idea was supported by David Peter Alan, chairman of the Lackawanna Commuter Coalition who visited the old station once when he was ten.

"I remember that the station was impressive, and I remember the glass ceiling with the light streaming down," Alan said. "I believe it would be good to build something beautiful there, rather than another ugly glass box. Cuomo is proposing big glass boxes that do not appear to have any character."

Recreating Penn Station would require demolition of Madison Square Garden, which is approaching the end of a 10-year special zoning permit granted in 2013 by the city planning commission and the office building at 2 Penn Plaza, said architect Richard Cameron, who worked on the Penn Station recreation.

"We think, along with a lot of other people, that Madison Square Garden has to move," Cameron said. "There will never be a proper building for the 600,000 plus, and growing, daily users of the train station/transit hub until it does."

While Amtrak and the Empire State Development Corporation are redeveloping the Farley post office, across Eighth Avenue for use as the Moynihan station, that plan still wouldn't answer the need for more passenger capacity or track level improvements at Penn, Shubow said.

"Our proposal is a stunning work of art that will be considered one of the greatest and most beautiful buildings in America, and indeed the world," he said.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

