Grand Central Terminal (popularly called Grand Central) is a Terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in
New York City. It is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms 44, with 67 tracks along them. They are on two levels, both below ground, with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower. The monumental railway station was constructed in 1903-1913 for the New York and
Harlem Railroad Company. It is a grand Beaux-Arts building which serves as a transportation hub connecting train, metro, car and pedestrian traffic in an efficient way. Grand Central Terminal is home to five fine restaurants, twenty casual restaurants, and about fifty unique specialty shops. The terminal hosts large public events in its 12,000 square foot
Vanderbilt Hall.
The terminal opened in 1913, after about 10 years of construction. Over the years, the terminal suffered deterioration and possible demolition. Founded to oversee the station’s replaning, the Grand Central Corporation envisioned the project as
“Terminal City”- a multi-lot development linking the new station with
hotels, apartments, and office buildings running along 42nd Street and up Park Avenue. This plan, often described as a “city within a city” can be understood as the precursor to ideas explored later at
Rockefeller Center.
Outside, the station’s facade has the grand scale of the interior. Modeled on a Roman triumphal arch, the facade symbolizes the triumph of the railroad.
Jules Coutan’s central sculptural group depicts Mercury (the god of commerce) supported by Minerva and Hercules (representing mental and moral strength).
The interior of
Grand Central is also amazing sight and will transport you to another time. The Main Concourse seen here is an immense space 120 feet wide, 375 feet long and 125 feet high. Each of the four clock faces are made from opal, and both Sotheby’s and Christie’s have estimated the value to be between US$10 million and US$20 million.
Besides train platforms, Grand Central contains
restaurants (the most famous of which is the Oyster Bar and also
the bar at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House overlooks the busy terminal), fast food restaurants, bakeries, newsstands, a gourmet and fresh food market, an annex of the New York Transit Museum and more than forty retail stores.
The terminal, a thruway for millions of commuters every week, offers many a chance to conjure up to romance of train travel. In 1963 Grand Central Terminal was landmarked. This innovative complex, integrating the train system with an intricate web of urban conditions, will be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Grand Central holds many secrets that you only need to look closely to see. Visit the Grand Central Terminal’s official website to print out a great itinerary for your tour –
Official Web Site
