Grand Central Terminal

1900-1917CivicManhattan

Park Avenue International Partners, E 42nd St, New York, NY, United States

ARCHITECTS
Reed & Stem, Warren & Wetmore

BUILT 1913

RESTORED BY Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners

RESTORED 1998

INTERIOR DESIGNATED 1980

DESIGNATED AREAS
Main concourse level interior consisting of:
● The 42nd Street entrance passageway leading to the waiting room
● The waiting room up to and including the ceiling
● The ramp connecting the waiting room and the main concourse
● The Main concourse up to and including the ceiling and including the surrounding balconies
● The staircase leading to the Vanderbilt Avenue entrance
● The area connecting the main concourse and the incoming station concourse
● The incoming station concourse
● The Graybar passageway
● The ramp leading from the main concourse to Vanderbilt Avenue
● The ramp parallel to the Vanderbilt Avenue ramp and leading to the subway
● The ramp which intersects the two above ramps and leads to the lower concourse level
● The ramp at the eastern end of the main concourse leading to 42nd Street
● The ramps running parallel to the above ramp and leading to the lower concourse level
● The lower concourse level interior consisting of the Oyster Bar Restaurant (excluding the saloon)
● The ramp leading from the Oyster Bar Restaurant to the lower concourse
● The area of the lower concourse beneath the main concourse
● The fixtures and interior components of these spaces, including but not limited to, wall and ceiling surfaces, floor surfaces, doors, windows, lighting fixtures, murals, sculptures, panels, railings, grilles, sign boards, and signs

GrandCentral

Excerpt from Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report:

“The Commission further finds that, among its important qualities, that the Interior of Grand Central Terminal is one of the finest examples of railroad station interior design in the world, that it is a truly impressive, richly detailed, and grandly scaled example of the Beaux-Arts style, that its planning is a paradigm of coherence and clarity, allowing for exceptional ease of circulation and maximum passenger comfort, that the use of ramps was an innovative concept, that the Main Concourse constitutes one of “the classic interior spaces in America”, that the interior was designed by two notable American architectural firms working in association, that the beauty of style and plan of the interior were predicated upon pioneering engineering and urban planning concepts, that the interior continues to serve the city’s transportation needs effectively, that it is also a vital civic center, and that it is a treasured symbol of Manhattan, cherished not only by New Yorkers but by visitors from all over the world.”

Photography courtesy Alex Proimos, Flickr