Photo Copyright © Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide to Geography

Black & White Illustrations Photo from Arttoday.com

"As a bullet train seeks its target, shining rails in every part of our great country are aimed at Grand Central Station, heart of the nation's greatest city. Drawn by the magnetic force of the fantastic metropolis, day and night great trains rush toward the Hudson River, sweep down its eastern bank for 140 miles. flash briefly by the long red row of tenement houses south of 125th Street, dive with a roar into the 2 1/2 mile tunnel which burrows beneath the glitter and swank of Park Avenue and then... Grand Central Station! Crossroads of a million lives! Gigantic stage on which are played a thousand dramas daily."

--Opening from "Grand Central Station," broadcast over the NBC Radio Blue Network, 1937

The grand, Beaux Arts building once known as "Grand Central Station" is actually a terminal, because it is the end of the line for trains. The $43 million dollar building fell into disrepair in the latter part of the 20th century, but there was a great public outcry to preserve the historic landmark. The blue ceiling with its 2,500 twinkling stars has been restored, and the marble is being cleaned and repaired. An enormous restoration project is making the terminal more accessible with north end access and new stores and restaurants.

More about Beaux Arts Architecture

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