Renovated Bus Terminal

Port Authority, New York, New York

2017

This is a design for the renovation of the existing Port Authority Bus Terminal and adjoining Port Authority properties in Mid-town, Manhattan. The design is in response to a publicly discussed need for expansion and renovation to the existing terminal. In accordance with the desires of the Port Authority, the design vertically expands the existing terminal.

The renovated and expanded facade is designed in the Beaux Arts style, inspired by New York’s great public buildings. Magnificent towers are introduced in key locations. Their character is reminiscent of the beautiful tower of the original Madison Square Garden. Interiors also use the great Beaux Arts language, a nod to the other prominent New York transportation hubs of Grand Central Station and the original Penn Station.

An urban square is designed to give pedestrians a place to gather and behold the beautiful expanded bus terminal. The square focuses the eye on a new and monumental tower and a grand entrance to the secondary lobby. The new square opens up to a pedestrian promenade, lined by new mixed-use buildings, leading to an urban belvedere which overlooks a new Lincoln Tunnel entrance.

In response to the needs for more bus staging and storage, a facility is provided but with retail on the ground floor to maintain street life. A large residential tower emerges from the center of the facility, visually terminating the view along Hudson Boulevard.  

The renovation of the bus terminal and all new additions maintain the street edge and engage pedestrians through the use of human-scaled architecture and retail. This design represents a maximum build-out for Port Authority’s Mid-town properties while creating a beautiful urban environment for pedestrians.