![]() ![]() With little space to spread out, the station dug down. Grand Central needed additional tracks…and efficient ways for passengers to reach those tracks. More and more people were riding more and more trains. And it overcame the daunting challenge of building a vast, durable, efficient train station-much of it buried deep underground-in the bustling center of the nation’s busiest city. It pioneered new approaches to organizing space. Grand Central didn’t just do things better than other train terminals. It compels to silence.”īehind the majestic design and décor of Grand Central Terminal is a triumph of engineering and ingenuity. “Here is a space like the nave of an Old World cathedral. “‘Fortunately there are no seats in the concourse,’ remarked one of the railway officials …, ‘or I would fear that some passengers might miss their trains while contemplating this starry picture.’” Jules Coutan, who designed the station’s decorations from Paris, The New York Times, March 31, 1912 I fear that the sight of some of your architecture would distress me.” In fact, I should wish rather to avoid it. From what I have learned pictorially of the characteristics of your country, especially with reference to the standards of art, I do not think that it would interest me. “The wonders of architecture and of luxurious embellishment will of themselves identify this building and its approaches as one of the phenomenal modern structures of the world.”Ĭoutan, asked if he would now visit the United States: “I have no such desire. By 1910, it was the vibrant heart of a dynamic, ambitious, and swiftly growing New York City. In 1870, 42nd Street was still a relative backwater. On top of that, the old station no longer reflected its surroundings. And having been designed for three independent railroad companies-with three separate waiting rooms-the terminal was badly outdated, crowded, and inefficient. The building lacked modern conveniences and signaling technology, as well as the infrastructure for electric rail lines. Its 30-year-old rail tunnels couldn’t handle the steadily increasing traffic. Though splendid in its day, the original Grand Central Depot of 1871 had become a 19th century relic struggling to meet the demands of a 20th century city. The station not only looked like no other, it functioned like no other, merging elegance with efficiency. Behind its lofty arches and elegant marble is a marvel of practical design and innovative engineering. Yet Grand Central Terminal was more than just a pretty façade. They were eager to proclaim their magnificence with a splendid monument-a fitting gateway to the nation’s exuberant financial, commercial, and cultural capital. Quotes Thomas Wolfe in "You Can't Go Home Again": "Few buildings are vast enough to hold the sound of time.New York City and its railroads weren’t shy. The terminal has always also been an office building-the offices are hidden away upstairs, there are nearl 90 shops in and around the concourse. Talks to Captain Dorothy Schulz, 33, who is in charge of a force of 27 railroad policemen that patrol for 24 hours a day. architect, contributed the detail that makes Grand Central such a sophisticated structure. A French artist did the mural of the zodiac. Reed, an architect from Minnesota, designed the passenger-station part of the terminal, with its ramps that more passengers by gravity(a first in the use of ramps throughout a building) and its imposing main concourse. The effect was to make Park Avenue possible. Wilgus came up with the idea of sinking the tracks below ground level and invented the idea of air rights. Wilgus, chief civil engineer of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, were accepted in 1903. Tells about the history of the terminal: Cornelius Vanderbilt built the original Grand Central, which consisted of a network of street-level tracks. One of the volunteer guides is John Tauranac, author of "Essential New York," and principal architect of the city's new subway map. There has been a sudden escalation in the number of people who take the Municipal Art Society's free weekly hour-long lunchtime walking tours.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |