Where is the meeting point?

The reading meets at the Westbeth Community Room in Brooklyn — check-in is at the door and you do not need to print tickets; give your name upon arrival.

What is the cancellation policy?

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the tour starts.

Are there age restrictions?

No specific age limits are listed; content involves historical demolition and urban themes—use discretion for younger children.

Is the venue accessible?

Accessibility details are not provided in the listing; contact the organizer ahead of time if you need specific accommodations.

Can I take photos during the event?

Photography is allowed for the Norman McGrath exhibit, but refrain from flash or recording during the staged reading unless organizers say otherwise.

How long is the performance?

The staged reading runs about two hours, including the post-show talkback.

The Eternal Space: 10th Anniversary Staged Reading at Westbeth Community Room | Theater | History Tour

The Eternal Space returns to Brooklyn for a two-night staged reading at the Westbeth Community Room, where builders’ hands and shutter clicks combine to tell the story of Old Pennsylvania Station. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this event by Untapped New York and Village Preservation marks the play’s 10th anniversary and offers a rare blend of theater, history, and photography. Justin Rivers’ script traces the unlikely friendship between a construction worker and a photographer during the 1963 demolition of Penn Station. Onstage direction from Michael Joseph Ormond and performances by Mark Aldrich, Gregory Hofmann, and Laura Walter lean into the city’s grit—lines and silences that carry the sound of jackhammers and the ghost of vaulted ceilings. The staged reading format strips the production to voice and image, spotlighting the play’s emotional architecture and the archival photographs that anchor the story. Included in the evening is a small exhibit of Norman McGrath’s photographs: wide-angle shots of the station’s Beaux-Arts interior and candid images from the demolition that reshaped Manhattan’s skyline. A post-performance talkback with McGrath and Rivers gives context to the images and invites questions about memory, urban policy, and the cultural costs of development. For visitors who have taken Untapped New York’s Secrets of Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall Tour, this reading extends that exploration from concrete to narrative. The Westbeth Community Room’s low-ceilinged space makes the performance intimate; audience placement is close enough to read facial shifts and catch the rustle of script pages. This event appeals to urban explorers, history buffs, theatergoers, and photographers—anyone drawn to how cities change and how people respond. It’s a reminder that preservation debates aren’t abstract: they unfold in the places we pass through every day. Practical details: the reading runs about two hours; check-in is at the Westbeth Community Room and there’s no need to print tickets—give your name at the door. The event is accessible to most audiences, but seating is limited, so reserve early. If you want to pair the evening with a neighborhood walk, explore nearby Hudson River piers or the artists’ studios that colored Westbeth’s mid-century history. More than a performance, this anniversary staging is a civic exercise—part elegy, part investigation—inviting New Yorkers and visitors to listen to the city’s past and consider its future. Untapped New York has connected urban walking routes and site-based storytelling, turning sidewalks into classrooms; the staged reading feels like an indoor version of those tours. With Village Preservation as partner, the evening foregrounds civic stewardship and the fight to keep architectural memory visible. For visitors, the reading makes an efficient cultural stop—short, rooted in places—perfect for a night between neighborhoods or as a capstone to a day exploring Manhattan’s rail history.

About Untapped New York

Untapped New York is a specialist tour operator based in Jersey City, New Jersey, offering immersive, history-focused experiences across the New York metropolitan area. The company curates guided walking tours, hard hat access trips, private tours, and urban exploration itineraries that reveal hidden architecture, abandoned spaces, and lesser-known cultural stories. Signature experiences include private tours of remnants of Old Penn Station with photographic documentation from noted photographers and railroad historians; Secrets of Grand Central led by award-winning guides; and multiple Ellis Island Hospital hard hat tours that explore century-old contagious disease wards, autopsy rooms, and JR’s "Unframed" exhibition. Other offerings include underground subway explorations, Gilded Age mansions walks along Fifth Avenue, and thematic cultural routes such as NYC’s Irish History Tour.

Tours are presented as focused, small-group experiences—private and public—designed for visitors and locals who want deep historical context and rare access. Untapped New York highlights tangible artifacts and architectural remnants, combining storytelling with visual materials to enrich each tour. The company works with specialist guides, photographers, and historians to document locations factually and compellingly. Booking options include private tours and scheduled public departures for select trips. Whether exploring abandoned hospital wards, hidden stations, or the opulent façades of Millionaire’s Row, Untapped New York emphasizes archival research, expert-led narration, and unique on-site photographs to convey the layered history of New York’s built environment. Scheduled experiences feature Remnants of Penn Station, Secrets of Grand Central, Ellis Island Hospital Hard Hat Tours, NYC’s Underground Subway Tour, Fifth Avenue Gilded Age mansion walks.