 The public was indifferent to the proposal, but the city refused because decades of deferred maintenance (caused by neglecting stations in order to have the funds to run federally-required trains) had left the station in extremely poor condition.In 1965, over the objections of city councilman (and later state representative) Joseph Scelsi, the city council allowed the NYC to build a much smaller wooden station east of downtown near the large manufacturing plants of General Electric and other companies.Although preservation attempts were made in 1966, the Union Station building was too deteriorated to save, and it was demolished for urban renewal efforts in 1968.