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Chapter 2  - New York City

Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY

                 

All sites in this chapter
  : Federal Hall National Memorial, New York
  : Brooklyn Bridge, New York
  : Flatiron Building, New York
  : Washington Arch, New York
  : Chrysler Building, New York
  : Morris-Jumel Mansion, New York
  : New York Public Library, New York
  : Grand Central Terminal, New York
  : Ellis Island National Monument, New York
  : Surrogate's Court, New York
  : Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
  : Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn

 

C ommuter trains destined for America's greatest city are aimed at Grand Central Terminal, built 1903-1913 in the heart of Manhattan. As they near their destination, the trains dive into a two-and-a-half-mile tunnel that burrows beneath the glitter and swank of Park Avenue. From 50th Street south, the railroad tracks fan out onto two underground levels that stretch from Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east. Above all this, skyscrapers hide the presence of the vast railroad yard beneath them. This ingenious design that permits two levels of arrivals and is invisible from Manhattan streets was the work of the architectural engineering firm, Reed & Stem, with William J. Wilgus, chief of construction for New York Central Railroad, being the brilliant railroad engineer who worked out the clever plan using ramps instead of stairs and spreading 70 underground railroad tracks far beyond the terminal building's footprint. Above ground, Grand Central Terminal is equally impressive. The terminal building was designed by Warren & Wetmore with the principal architect being Whitney Warren. It is a Beaux-Arts extravaganza with three huge Roman arches on the façade, as if announcing a grand entrance to an ancient walled city. A series of double columns frame the archways. Above the central arch is an elaborately embellished clock that is surrounded by sculptures of three classical figures. The sculptural group was created by Jules-Alexis Coutane and includes Mercury, representing speed, on top; Hercules on the left and Minerva on the right, symbolizing strength and contemplation, all attributes claimed by New York Central Railroad, builders of Grand Central. The barrel-vaulted ceiling in the grand concourse (275 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 125 feet high) is a mural depicting the night sky with its constellations. The electrified stars twinkle 24 hours a day.