31 Penn Plaza Lobby

Originally known as the Greeley Arcade Building and later as PennCom Plaza, 31 Penn Plaza is a historic 17-story Neo-Classical office building. It is located near Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, and Herald Square in New York City. Designed by George and Edward Blum and completed in 1925, the building has long been part of the architectural fabric of Manhattan’s Penn Plaza district.

As part of a $26 million renovation, the building was repositioned for modern commercial use while preserving its historic character. The renovation included a redesigned entrance, restored façade, modernized elevators, upgraded common areas, and a marble-clad lobby.

Within the renovated lobby, public art became an important storytelling element. A historic image of the building was recreated on a single large-format sheet of tempered low-iron glass using GGI’s Alice® direct-to-glass printing process. Printed in warm sepia tones, the glass artwork connects visitors to the building’s past while adding visual interest, permanence, and depth to the contemporary lobby environment.

This project demonstrates how historic images can be incorporated into architectural design to support place-based storytelling. By using printed architectural glass as the medium, the 31 Penn Plaza lobby installation transforms archival imagery into a durable, site-specific public art feature that honors the building’s history and enhances the space’s experience.