Grand Central Terminal Turns 100 Today.

[N2NH]

Grand Central Terminal opened on February 1st, 1913.


For the most part, train terminals are desperate places. They're an unavoidable evil linking us to somewhere else -- but not before assaulting us with tepid coffee, drafty waiting rooms and smelly, ugly ticket halls. Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal, which turns 100 this month, is a glorious exception.
But it's not just its iconic opal-faced clock (a century old and valued at more than $10 million), flawless marble staircases (modeled on those in the Paris Opera House) and gleaming chandeliers (fitted with 35,000 custom-designed, low-energy light bulbs) that lend Grand Central a sense of golden age grandeur.
The terminal -- not station, never station -- also has a fascinating history, with stories to rival Manhattan's better known, pointier landmarks.

The story has some very interesting historical anecdotes too.

Memorable moments in Grand Central's 100 years

(http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/travel/grand-central-terminal-100-year-anniversary)http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qtvbv52JN30/TG72Mld1P2I/AAAAAAAAARg/WWXpjlcupUM/s1600/IMG_5249-702777.jpg

http://www.my-new-york.com/web/images/new-york/grand_central_station_3.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Grand_Central_Terminal_clock.jpg/300px-Grand_Central_Terminal_clock.jpg


(http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/travel/grand-central-terminal-100-year-anniversary)

[X-Rated]

I had not realized it was newer than my dad.

[N2RJ]

There's an Apple store in grand central now.

[n2ize]

Back during the 1970's when I was twixt 18 and 20 I used to love to explore Grand Central Terminal. I used to love to see where different stairways, tunnels, and pathways led. I remember getting a beautiful view of the main terminal from up near the ceiling when I discovered the walkways that ran in between the huge windows. I allways had a deep admiration and fascination with Grand Central.

Then there are a lot of oddities. Like the hole in the ceiling that was made in 1957 in order to enable a Redstone missile to be put on display in the main terminal concourse.

A few more oddities here

http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/the-secrets-of-grand-central-terminal-1.1382517

[N2NH]

GCT Virtual Tour (http://www.panoramicearth.com/2790/New_York/Grand_Central_Station)

Virtual Tourist GCT (http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/New_York_State/New_York_City-841252/Things_To_Do-New_York_City-Grand_Central_Terminal-BR-1.html)

GCT Panorama (scroll up to see the famous celestial ceiling) (http://www.360cities.net/image/panorama-grand-central-station-new-york-city-nyc-manhatten#-13.44,12.52,63.2)

Panorama of elevated GCT Street (http://www.streetviewandmaps.com/en/map/us/722634-Grand-Central-Terminal/)

New York Times Special Reprint of a Century Ago. (http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/561384/1913.pdf)

http://i50.tinypic.com/2dtyxxu.jpg

[kb2vxa]

"Well below the main concourse is a room with ancient machinery that was targeted by German saboteurs during World World II."
Targeted but never carried out. That ancient machinery is a bank of rotary converters and electrical controls that powered trains in the terminal. Today it's all solid state in another room.

"In this room, there’s even a red button that could halt train traffic above."
That's the emergency kill switch, there's one on the modern control panel as well.

There's another point of interest on the top level of the terminal building. Formerly the private office and salon of 1920's tycoon, John W. Campbell; The Campbell Apartment has been fully restored to its original splendor and reborn as a chic cocktail lounge that has already been cited in the national media as one of "the best bars in America". The Apartment is open Monday-Saturday from 3pm to 1am, Sunday from 3pm to midnight, and is always available for private parties. Proper attire (no baseball caps, t-shirts, athletic shoes, etc.) is required. In other words they have a Jersey Shore policy; no shirt, no shoes, no service.

[KG4CGC]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/drinks/f23336d8_man-i-feel-old-too-many-candles-in-this-cake1_zps8ebe604d.jpg

[NQ6U]

Grand Central Terminal is fabulous, no argument there. I do have to take issue with the person who wrote that train stations are "desperate places," however. Quite the contrary. Even San Diego's own Santa Fe station, while lacking the immensity and grandeur of GCT, is quite beautiful and welcoming to the traveler.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Union_front.JPG/450px-Union_front.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/SDSanta.JPG/800px-SDSanta.JPG

[N2NH]

Grand Central Terminal is fabulous, no argument there. I do have to take issue with the person who wrote that train stations are "desperate places," however. Quite the contrary. Even San Diego's own Santa Fe station, while lacking the immensity and grandeur of GCT, is quite beautiful and welcoming to the traveler.

Beautiful station Carl. Very airy and light.

I have to agree with you. I rode on New Jersey Transit and on the LIRR within the last year and like Metro-North, most stations were modern and clean with LED schedules that were kept up to date. Most of the stations on the Metro North System are airy, clean and rarely do you see the kind of squalor that is commonplace on the subways of NYC. The one that serves my area overlooks the Hudson River and the mountains across the way to the west. Some pics follow.


Metro-North recently completed significant renovations to the interior and exterior of the building, which was built in 1911 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects of Grand Central Terminal.

But it is also 2 years older than GCT.

http://static.flickr.com/2267/2100248956_35b32d6c85.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/s42n2f.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/mbmhow.jpg

[kb2vxa]

Eh, the LIRR must have cleaned up its act, when I was riding some years ago stations left a lot to be desired and Jamaica was the pits. NJT still leaves much to be desired overall but some stations are great like Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken. It's been restored and well kept, ferry service is back too. I have lots of pictures showing the finer points but these two give a good overview, one literally and on the right is Frank Sinatra Park.

[n2ize]

Eh, the LIRR must have cleaned up its act, when I was riding some years ago stations left a lot to be desired and Jamaica was the pits. NJT still leaves much to be desired overall but some stations are great like Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken. It's been restored and well kept, ferry service is back too. I have lots of pictures showing the finer points but these two give a good overview, one literally and on the right is Frank Sinatra Park.
That's because you don't have the vandalism of the 1970's. During the 70's the thing to do was to break stuff and mess stuff up. It was so prevalent that they stopped bothering to fix anything because no sooner would they fix it someone would break it all over again.

I remember the local station near my home. At night some vandals went into the tunnel with a crowbar or some leveraging tool and literally pried the light fixtures off of the ceiling (they were drilled into concrete) and then they smashed the heck out of them. Eventually they had to put up new fixtures with heavy steel mesh cages around them to prevent the vandals from destroying them. And even that didn't stop the damage entirely.

I once saw an enraged vandal literally pick up a parked car and throw it down the steps.

[N2NH]

Eh, the LIRR must have cleaned up its act, when I was riding some years ago stations left a lot to be desired and Jamaica was the pits. NJT still leaves much to be desired overall but some stations are great like Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken. It's been restored and well kept, ferry service is back too. I have lots of pictures showing the finer points but these two give a good overview, one literally and on the right is Frank Sinatra Park.

Great pictures. I used to work across the Hudson River from there. Interesting place. The West of Hudson MNR trains Terminate there. Or you can Xfer at Secuacus Jct for Penn Station. Haven't tried that yet. It does show that train stations are hardly the nightmares that CNN claims they are. Methinks he hasn't rode a train in a few decades.

[kb2vxa]

"That's because you don't have the vandalism of the 1970's."
True, but the only vandalism I saw was NYCTA subway cars "tagged" so badly I couldn't see the car for the paint or tell where one mess started and the other began with one atop another. That was fixed with new cars that don't take paint, it washes off with water. What I saw was decades of neglect even at Hoboken where the station was falling apart, literally. It was fairly clean but others were filthy and stank of urine.

"Great pictures."
Thanks but credit where credit is due, thanks go to professionals who post on the web where I stole them. Never mind copyright issues, I never made a dime off any of them. Yes, Lackawanna Terminal is an interesting place and has interesting places like Grand Central the public never sees. Before the ferry terminal upstairs was restored I cautiously explored every unlocked door and passageway particularly behind doors marked "authorized personnel only" and unlike today never encountered a railroad bull.

Everything that doesn't go to New York Penn goes to Hoboken and the newly opened Secaucus Junction is just that, if it's Diesel you transfer to electric for New York. Then if you don't take a ferry there's PATH into New York 33rd Street and WTC. Also on the Jersey side there are Newark Penn and Journal Square, Jersey City. Speaking of Jerky City the neighborhood that always perplexed me is Comunipaw. What the heck is a Comuni?

Of course the CNN reporter doesn't know what he's talking about, why to you think it's called...