Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904
Issue link: https://metromag.epubxp.com/i/123617
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL sold or leased to help pay for the cost of the project. Tis followed the new concept of "air rights." Serving commuter and long distance rail lines, the terminal encompassed nearly 70 acres, with two levels of underground track. Te terminal building had separate concourses for the various incoming and outgoing trains to help with passenger fow, who reached the diferent levels of the underground terminal using ramps. It was the frst terminal to make use of this element as a mechanism to move people. ARCHITECTURE The landmark building, designed by architect Whitney Warren, is in the French Beaux-Arts style, illustrated best by its classical façade on 42nd Street and the main interior concourse. Distinctive exterior features include the world's largest Tifany clock (14 feet in diameter), which adorns the roof. Te clock is fanked by three sculptures of Roman gods weighing 1,500 tons and spanning 66 feet. Te interior showcases the magnifcent concourse with its 125-foot cathedral-like ceiling, adorned with a mural of the zodiac. Other French artistic references include the staircase that leads up to Vanderbilt Avenue, which is modeled after the grand staircase at the famous Paris Opera. Te terminal's other iconic clock, fashioned with four faces of opalescent glass, sits atop the information booth in the middle of the main concourse. DECLINE AND PRESERVATION Following World War II, Grand Central plunged into decline and was threatened with demolition and plans to replace it with a skyscraper. Although rejected, a subsequent plan to build a tower on top of the terminal was also turned down. Tis led to and a multi-year battle in the courts by the owners spurring public opposition, most notably by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who helped with the efort. "It drew such extraordinary attention to the idea that if you lose Grand Central, how will anything be preserved, everything is threatened," says Laurie Beckelman, former chair of The main concourse features a 125-foot ceiling. The information booth clock has four faces. 50 < mETRO mAGAZINE MAY 2013 The famous Oyster Bar is one of many dining establishments. Metro-North Railroad provides commuter service in the terminal. metro-magazine.com