Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives

by John Belle, Maxinne R. Leighton

This is the story of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, a remarkable and beautiful building whose birth, survival, and restoration reflect the critical role architecture plays in the expansion of our cities.
It begins with the historic struggle to save Grand Central in the wake of the destruction of Penn Station and in the face of economic forces in the real estate industry that were intent on its demise. There follows a chronological history of the previous two stations on the site, the construction of the present building, text and photographs providing a fascinating first-hand account of the $400 million restoration, and the grand and anecdotal stories that involve the great building. 50 color & 100 b/w illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 1999

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the history of New York City's Grand Central Terminal and its renovation. Lots of historic black and white photographs in this coffee table sized book.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first entered the main concourse of Grand Central as a visitor to NY a few years back, it took my breath away! But I had no idea how lucky I was that I was seeing it after it had been restored to its past grandeur.

Only after reading this beautiful book could I fully appreciate how much of that great experience I (we) owe to those who dedicated so much time and effort to bring it back to life. This book is a must read for any who are interested in the richness of Grand Central, and the challenges of such a grand public private project of restoration.

I can't wait to return for longer visit so I can check out all the details in the book that I was oblivious to during that first visit,

... Happy 100th Birthday Grand Central!