Century-old Penn Station eagle is historic gem of Midtown

The eagle has landed – again.A century-old pink-granite eagle statue that was once perched atop Manhattan’s original Penn Station and later guarded its successor in the same area is back on display after spending years in storage, The Post has learned.The historic 1,700-pound stone bird was one of roughly two dozen that adorned the original Beaux Arts transit station between Seventh and Eighth avenues and West 31st and 33rd streets before the site’s controversial demolition in the 1960s.The bird then graced the famed hub’s revived, expanded Midtown location before ending up in storage again in 2019.The majestic sculpture only returned to the area March 6, tucked into a pedestrian plaza between 33rd and 34th streets as part of developer Vornado Realty Trust’s massive $2.4 billion revamp of the neighborhood dubbed “the Penn District.”“Our investment in the future of the Penn District proudly builds on the history of the neighborhood,” said Glen Weiss, co-head of Real Estate and executive vice president at Vornado, in a statement.

“It is a privilege to bring back the iconic eagle that once graced Penn Station as part of our transformation of the public realm.”The eagle was removed from its Midtown perch on Seventh Avenue to a storage facility in 2019 as construction began on the massive local redevelopment project, a Vornado rep said.The granite statue was then meticulously cleaned and restored, according to Urban Art Projects — the storied firm behind projects such as the redesign of the Big Button in the Garment District and the famous Academy Awards trophies.“That sculpture was in very good condition, we actually didn’t need to do a lot of restoration on the stone piece,” said Nick Anderson of Urban Art Projects to The Post.“It was mostly [a matter of using] soap and water to clean up cobwebs and other things, dirt that accumulated from being in storage for a while and being around for such a long time.”The 110-year-old granite s...