| 
Millions of visitors enter the Grand Central Terminal each year to admire its architecture, dine, or shop. |
Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal has transported travelers for over a century. Shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt bought 49 acres of land in hopes of constructing a train station that would service New Yorkers. In October 1871, Vanderbilt hired architect John B. Snook to build the formerly named Grand Central Depot. The train station successfully built and operated steam locomotives.
In 1904, two architectural firms, Reed and Stem, and Warren and Wetmore, were chosen to construct a new train station that would replace steam locomotives with electric railways. Nearly 10 years later, Grand Central Depot re-opened as Grand Central Terminal. Roughly 150,000 New Yorkers visited Grand Central on opening day.
Presently, there are an array of shops, restaurants and lounges throughout the terminal. It is the sixth most visited tourist attraction in the world. Roughly 125,000 people travel on the railways daily. Millions of visitors enter the terminal each year to admire its architecture, dine, or shop. There are 67 tracks and 44 platforms in the station, which makes it the largest train station in the world.
Grand Central’s north balcony, the Vanderbilt Hall, is often rented for parties, lunches, fashion shows and weddings. The room is made of pink marble and features five gold chandeliers. The view from the balcony is Grand Central’s ceiling, which depicts an astronomical mural.
New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission declared Grand Central Terminal a landmark in 1967. In 1976, the terminal was dubbed a National Landmark by the National Register of Historic Places.
BACK
|
