Penn Station’s popular Tracks bar has shuttered
Photo © 6sqft
Penn Station’s longtime oyster bar has officially closed its doors. After nearly two decades, Tracks Raw Bar & Grill will relocate from its spot underneath the Midtown West transit hub to a new location nearby at 220 West 31st Street, as first reported by Untapped Cities. As 6sqft learned in June, the bar, along with nine other businesses, was forced to vacate to make way for a new Penn Station entrance, part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $600 million overhaul of the station.
Rendering of the new LIRR entrance, courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office
According to Untapped Cities, Tracks’ interior is being dismantled, with the bar’s signature transit-themed photos and collectibles removed. Messages that surely were written by regulars can be seen where artwork once hung.
A sign posted outside of the windowless bar reads: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Tracks will be closing due to renovations in Penn Station….Thank you very much for your local patronage throughout the years.”
The new Tracks location opens this month across from Madison Square Garden, taking over from the sports bar, Cafe 31.
The bar’s co-owner, Bruce Caulfield, told the Wall Street Journal that the businesses received letters in April saying they had until August 31 to vacate for construction, which has already begun.
Penn Station’s new entrance at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue will provide direct access to the Long Island Rail Road concourse and subway, hopefully eliminating congestion in the process. The work is expected to wrap up in December 2020.
[Via Untapped Cities]
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