Vornado Realty celebrates opening of Plaza33 with NYC Department of Transit

Manhattan, NY Vornado Realty Trust celebrated the complete  transformation of a portion of West 33^rd St. into the new Plaza33, a permanent pedestrian plaza in the Penn district with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 24.

Developed through a public-private partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation, the 1/3-acre promenade features trees, lush landscaping, circular stone benches, and colorful chairs and tables. Plaza33 is an oasis for the surrounding neighborhood and a new connection to transit, nearby amenities and office buildings, sitting directly above Penn Station’s new LIRR Concourse.

Vornado Realty Trust CEO Steven Roth, Manhattan borough president Mark Levine, assembly member Tony Simone, and council member Erik Bottcher, civic organizations, were present at the ribbon cutting

Plaza33 is the centerpiece of a $65 million project by Vornado to make the streetscape around Penn Station safer, greener, more accessible and more pedestrian-friendly. In addition to the plaza, Vornado has partnered with the NYC Department of Transportation to replace one-half mile of concrete sidewalks across the Penn district with Petit Granit stone pavers, and to double the width of the 7^th Ave. sidewalks that border Penn Station.

The new Plaza33 highlights:

• 16,000 s/f of reclaimed public space for pedestrians

• Five mature October Glory maple trees

• Seamless connection to the newly renovated East Plaza at Penn 1; the recently completed grand entrance to Penn Station’s all-new LIRR Concourse, with ADA-accessible elevators, new escalators and a glass canopy; and the new ADA-compliant Amtrak entrance at 32^nd St. — including three new elevators from the street into Penn Station

• Special programming provided through the 34^th St. partnership, which already brings programming to nearby Herald and Greeley Squares

• New food and beverage offerings in adjacent retail space curated by Vornado that serve a wide range of budgets and tastes, including soon to open Roberta’s Pizza, Los Tacos No. 1 and Anita Gelato.