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PLANS FOR THE NEW PENN STATION WOULD FOREVER CHANGE LOOK OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, DESTROY THEATER WITHIN MSG

The Gothamist in New York acquired renderings of plans to overhaul Penn Station, the train hub that sits under Madison Square Garden and the plans, if they remain in place and move forward, would forever alter the exterior of Madison Square Garden and lead to the removal of The Infosys Theater, where WWE NXT currently runs.

According to their report, "The winning design centers on a new glass entrance on Eighth Avenue that would let natural light into the train hall. The records show Amtrak and the federal government would have to demolish the Theater at MSG as well as part of the Garden’s facade to build the new entrance."

A photo in the article showcases a new wall that would surround MSG on several sides. 

The article also notes, "The documents show the winning plan requires buying property from MSG and CEO James Dolan, including the Theater at MSG, signage outside the Garden’s facade, the sidewalks on 31st and 33rd streets, and the Eighth Avenue plaza loading zone where trucks typically drop off cargo for the theater."

There is no word how the loss of that loading zone, which is where WWE parks their production trucks as well as loads in equipment, would change the logistics of producing an event at the venue.  The changes would also see the loss of the staff entrance WWE talents have entered the legendary venue from for generations.

A spokesperson for MSG did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.

It was announced last week that the Madison Square Garden would not be forced to move as part of the planned renovaton of the Penn Station train hub, which sits underneath MSG.  There had previously been pitches for the legendary venue to be razed and relocated so that Penn Station could expand and take over MSG's footprint.  The accepted pitch for the renovation will not require that and MSG will continue to be connected to Penn Station when the renovations have completed.  Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and The Long Island Railroad all stop in Penn, allowing easy access for riders from several States to MSG.

Back in 2013, the city of New York only renewed MSG's permit to exist and operate above Penn Station for an additional 15 years, through 2028.   At the time, there were forces within NYC's political scene that pushed to have MSG Arena relocated to somewhere else in Manhattan in favor of the Penn Station expansion.  At the time, Madison Square Garden had been seeking a permanent permit to operate above the Station as at it had just paid millions of dollars for a complete overall and renovation of the legendary facility, which took several years.  The MSG renovations were not funded by the city, so at the time, it appeared MSG ownership had spent a ton on a venue that had a finite lifespan.  That worry is no longer the case.

This version of MSG is the Arena's third location, having opened in February 1968.  The Garden, long considered WWE's home arena, has hosted more historic title changes and milestone WWE events than any other dating back to the earliest days of professional wrestling promoted by the McMahon family.  It has hosted three Wrestlemanias, including the first, tenth and 20th renditions of the event as well as countless other events, including Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Supercard.  The Infosys Theater, as it is now known, within the Garden complex, has hosted events from WWE NXT, WCW, GLOW and AAA Lucha Libre.

WWE will return to MSG this July for a live Saturday Night's Main Event special on Peacock.

The United States President has ordered that work on Penn Station begin by the end of 2027.

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