Designing and Creating a Landmark Clock: A Virtual Tour of the New Art Deco Clock in Moynihan Train Hall

with Peter Pennoyer Architects

The centerpiece of the newly opened, highly-anticipated Moynihan Train Hall is a monumental Art Deco clock, designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects and inspired by the Jazz Age architecture of New York City and the golden age of railroad travel. The clock which has been praised by the New York Times, Architectural Digest and many others was a late addition to the development of the train hall and required intense work in the architects’ office and in the factories of Hyde Park Moldings and Americlock Inc. to meet the Governor’s New Year’s Eve deadline.

After winning the commission in an invited competition sponsored by the Governor and New York State’s Empire Development in June of 2020, Peter Pennoyer Architects learned they would have just six months to finish the design and fabrication. How does a team design, coordinate and create a 12 foot by 6 foot clock that will be suspended 25 feet in the air in six months? Originally presented to PLINTH, the ICAA's group of students and emerging professionals, this event features Peter Pennoyer, Steven Worthington and Colin Richardson - the team at Peter Pennoyer Architects that led the effort - in a behind-the-scenes virtual tour of the design and construction of the clock, from inception to installation. They share their early inspiration, discuss the challenges they faced and talk about what it means to have a public commission at the center of a New York City landmark.

Tags: classicism at home, plinth