Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Grand Central Terminal: A Building That Refuses to Be Just a Train Station

Grand Central was nearly demolished in the 1960s. Penn Station was torn down in 1963 to build Madison Square Garden, and the same fate was planned for Grand Central. Jackie Kennedy led the preservation effort; the building was designated a landmark in 1967 and the Supreme Court upheld the designation in 1978. The city had to fight to keep it. That context is useful when standing in the Main Concourse, because the building is as good as people say and the alternative was a parking garage.

The Main Concourse

The ceiling is the thing: 75 feet high, painted cerulean blue with the Mediterranean constellations traced in gold leaf. The twelve signs of the zodiac are shown in their winter night positions as seen from Earth, meaning they appear reversed from how you’d expect (a deliberate design choice, apparently). The natural light comes from the three 75-foot arched windows on the south facade and the clerestory windows that were obscured for decades before a 1990s restoration. On certain winter mornings, a shaft of light crosses the concourse floor in a way that stopped commuters cold in 1954 and still does occasionally.

Go at rush hour: 7:30-9:30am or 5-7pm. The spectacle of 750,000 daily commuters moving through an ornate Beaux-Arts space while sunlight cuts through cigarette smoke (well, diffused NYC air now) is as specifically New York an experience as exists.

The Whispering Gallery

In the lower-level Dining Concourse, stand at one diagonal corner of the tiled archway outside the Oyster Bar restaurant and whisper into the wall. Someone standing diagonally across from you at the opposite corner will hear you clearly. The tiled Guastavino arches create an acoustic effect that works reliably and seems implausible to the uninitiated.

Where to Eat

The Oyster Bar in the lower level is not cheap but it is legitimate: in operation since 1913, it serves 25-30 oyster varieties on any given day, a pan roast that is pure cream and shellfish, and a stew version that is only slightly less rich. Expect to pay $45-75 per person for a proper lunch.

The Grand Central Market on the main level has a Shake Shack, a Magnolia Bakery, and several prepared food counters. The Cafe Grumpy coffee stand is excellent. For a proper sit-down with a view of the Main Concourse from above, the Campbell Bar on the west mezzanine was the private office of 1920s financier John Campbell, who built a two-storey fireplace and wood paneling in a train station as though this was normal. Cocktails run $18-24 and the room is one of the better-preserved interiors in Manhattan.

Architecture Details Worth Finding

The Grand Staircase at the south end, modelled on the Paris Opera House double staircase, was added during the 1990s renovation. The original 1913 building didn’t have it; it was added after studying passenger flow. The opal clock above the central information booth is a frequently cited meeting point. Four faces, not three, despite looking like three from most angles.

Getting There and Transport

The 4, 5, 6, 7, and S subway lines all stop at Grand Central-42nd Street. Metro-North commuter rail serves the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines from here. The shuttle train to Times Square runs approximately every 5 minutes and costs a standard subway fare ($2.90).

Guided architectural tours run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:30pm from the Vanderbilt Hall entrance; free, donations welcome, run by the Grand Central Partnership.