St. Pancras Station - What An Urban Gateway Should Be

Sir Gilbert Scott's Victorian exterior, the Eurostar, old & new train shed, and the hotel's grand reopening in May.

St. Pancras Station, only 250 yards from our flat, sets the modern standard for entering and leaving a city. Originally constructed in 1868 with a grand hotel and the largest enclosed space in the world, the station has now formally reopened as the portal to England. Sir Gilbert Scott, the architect, would surely be pleased to see his Victorian symbol of industrial-age exuberance begin a second life as a contemporary gateway. To think that the national rail service was thinking about tearing it down in the late '80s. Now you can easily take the Eurostar from here and be in Paris in 2 hours, purchase a gift or snack at one of the upscale retailers, stay in a $500/night hotel, or at least, have a martini in the elegant converted ticket office.