Grand Central New York
Scores of tourists visit Grand Central on a daily basis, some people to shop, others to dine, but most to travel. Beyond being a pulsating artery of New York City, the transit center is also a spectacular piece of architecture with undeniable beauty and an incredible history.
Opened in 1913, the station was designed by the architecture studios Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore in the Beauxs-Art style and has become one of the most famous monuments in the city.
Like most New York landmarks, Grand Central has fallen out of favor over the last century and, unsurprisingly, has several fascinating stories. From a massive blunder in the sky ceiling to a foiled Nazi plan to blow the station to pieces, to the terminal’s surprising connection to Donald Trump, here we’ll tell you the biggest secrets of Grand Central Terminal.
The Grand Central that you see now is not the original building. In fact, the terminal as it exists today is actually the third iteration of the structure. The original station was known as the “Grand Central Depot” and was built in 1871. It served the region’s three main lines, but the city’s rapid population growth forced its demolition in 1900.
Soon after, a six-story structure replaced the depot and it was renamed “Grand Central Station.” However, the design of Grand Central Station was flawed, as the interior was not prepared to withstand the exhaust fumes of steam trains.
Conductors were often blinded by the smoke ahead and unable to see the tracks, several fatal accidents occurred. Following the death of 15 passengers in a collision, the station was torn down in 1905 and rebuilt as Grand Central Terminal.
Surprisingly, all of these problems were not discovered until well after the station’s opening, and when it was brought to the attention of the Vanderbilt family (the builders of the station) they claimed that the placement was intentional and that the zodiac was intended to be viewed from a heavenly perspective, rather than an earthly one.
But as the New York magazine 6sqft recalls, although divine vision was not uncommon in medieval art, “there is also confusion about its accuracy (in Grand Central), since Taurus and Gemini are reversed in their relationship with Orion, which means that They were painted from a heavenly vision and Orion was painted from an earthly vision.
One of the most incredible secrets of Grand Central Terminal is the secret pathway hidden in its depths. Originally built to transport freight, it was later converted into a private railway used to shuttle the rich and famous guests in and out of the famous Waldorf Astoria hotel.
But the most famous patron of this clandestine railroad was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had become a paraplegic (after contracting polio at age 39) and did not want the country to know it.
Just as the city’s businesses come and go, along Track 17 there was a popular spot to watch short films. The cinema opened its doors in 1937 with 242 seats and showed short films, newsreels, documentaries and cartoons, with durations chosen specifically for travellers.
The theater thrived for decades, but it was closed and destroyed in 1967. Shops replaced the theatre, but luckily photos of the impressive set-up still remain.
Most of us are too young to remember a time when smoking in public spaces was totally acceptable. A vestige of this nicotinic past is a small dark spot on the ceiling of Main Concourse, next to Cancer the crab.
In 1998, the city cleaned the roof as part of the Grand Central restoration project. Although most would assume that the thick brown and gray layers were soot and train exhaust, it was discovered that the dirt was actually 70% nicotine and tar.
Just outside the Grand Central Oyster Bar in the lower lobby are four arches linked by a curved ceiling that together create the ‘Whispering Gallery’.
How it works: If one person stands in one corner and another at the opposite end and speaks at a normal volume, the other person will be able to hear everything that is said perfectly. And that despite the fact that there are about 15 meters of distance between them. It is not clear if the resulting acoustic effect was intentional in the design or if it happened by chance.
Above the information booth, in the center of the terminal, is a clock with four dials made from a single piece of precious opal. In total, Sotheby’s and Christie’s estimate the set is worth between $10 million and $20 million.
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