New York City’s Grand Central Terminal: Still Awe-Inspiring

In this installment of “Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit the Big Apple’s magnificent train station.

The commuter rail station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York serves travelers north and south of New York City. The base of the facade is made of Stony Creek granite and the upper sections are made of Indiana limestone. Courtesy of Grand Central Terminal

One of New York City’s architectural apexes is, and has been since 1913, its Grand Central Terminal. More than 150,000 entered the aptly named “grand” structure on opening day to gaze upon its expansive spaces and French neoclassical details. Untold millions more have entered and exited its doors since.

The architectural firm of Reed and Stem won a design competition to oversee plans for Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The firm of Warren and Wetmore, which proposed a monumental façade of three triumphal arches to solidify the structure’s grandness, collaborated on the important project. Architects incorporated glass and steel throughout Grand Central Terminal, which covers 48 acres and has 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station in the world. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.