Photo: American Banknote Company of New York · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Station · New York, United States
Grand Central Terminal
- Dated
- Dated 1903–13
- Declared purpose
- Railway terminal
- Today
- Survives, still a working station
- Architect of record
- Charles A. Reed, architect (reed & stem, with warren & wetmore): about 45 when credited (1903, born 1858). Build time on record: about 10 years (1903–13).; Whitney Warren, architect (warren & wetmore): about 39 when credited (1903, born 1864). Build time on record: about 10 years (1903–13).All architects of record →
Hidden history
Found, Not Built
A Beaux-Arts temple of travel with a painted sky ceiling, built while trains kept running underneath. What the photos show is a stone front with a clock and sculpture group that looks timeless.
Replacing the depot
The 1871 Grand Central Depot and its annex were taken down to build the terminal.
Built around the trains
The record says the work was done in stages with trains still moving. Researchers ask how the deep track levels were dug so fast.
Saved in 1978
It nearly went the way of Penn Station, which was demolished in 1963.
Questions worth asking
- Why does Penn Station fall while Grand Central is saved?
- How deep do the lower levels go, and what was found digging them?
Possible original uses
- A great hall or exchange
- A ceremonial city gate
What the photos show
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Surrounding Buildings
Old buildings nearby in New York. Compare the stone, the domes and the dates.
Lost Buildings
Neighbours that were torn down or burned. Tap one for its photos.
Further viewing
Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.
