Grand Central Station: the most famous train station in New York Once upon a time, trains arriving at Grand Central continued on into southern Manhattan, and the building itself was just a stop along the route. The scene of the calamity in the tunnel continues to exercise a strange fascination for the morbidly minded. Current work to expand Grand Central by opening it to commuters from Long Island is an exciting first step in launching its second 100 years. ), See More: Images of the Inception and Creation of Grand Central Terminal Improvement. (McCook, Neb.) For much of its history the terminal has served as an important cultural hub for the city of New York. On January 8, 1902, an express train from White Plains missed signals and plowed into the back of a commuter train that was backed up at the tunnel. The greatest horror was wrought in the last car, which was just whipped from the track. By 1994, the building faced demolition. The studios have long since been converted, in part, to a series of private tennis courts. street level, however, visual references to Grand Centrals Beaux-Arts style will create a smooth transition to the century-old landmark above. Indeed, the impetus for Grand Central Terminal arose with a 1902 train crash in the Park Avenue Tunnel, as a commuter train collided with another waiting at the entrance and killed 15 passengers. For decades, New Yorkers had complained about the unhealthy soot and smog coughed up by the steam locomotives crisscrossing the city, but it took a fatal accident to create lasting change. The sun can't shine through like that now because of taller buildings. Omissions? Its tennis clubrecently refurbished first opened in 1965. The terminal must remain an uplifting, glorious public space, but it also must meet the regions evolving transportation needs. googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; On February 15, 1907, the New York Central Railroad Company initiated electrified rail service from Grand Central to the Westchester suburb of White Plains. But within half a century, the picture had changed dramatically, for while the US continued its seemingly inexorable journey to global greatness and unprecedented We'll be publishing one NYC-related object a day throughout September, and you can see everything at gothamist.com/treasures. 10 Surprising Facts About Grand Central Terminal - History It also accelerated the neighborhoods growth, attracting more developmentwhich in turn increased the stations role. After almost ten years of renovation and reengineering, the new Grand Central Terminal opened to the public precisely at midnight on February 2, 1913. The tabloids, new types of sensational newspapers,were filled with graphic descriptions of the dead and wounded as well as harrowing tales of rescue. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Atop the symmetrical main facade is a large clock and sculptures of an American eagle and Roman deities. Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, rising crime and declining budgets took a toll on the building. But following the 1911 death of Charles Reed, who was also Wilguss brother-in-law, Warren and Wetmore secretly negotiated a new contract for the completion of the architectural work on the terminal and all later buildings in the complex. Because I think if there is a great effort, even if its the eleventh hour, then you can succeed and I know thats what we'll do.. TWO SCORE ARE INJURED Engineer Disregards or Fails to See Signals. GCT Celebrates 110 years with The New Yorker. Grand Central Station, formally called Grand Central Terminal, is located at 89 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, USA. The architects brought in Parisian artist Sylvain Salires to craft bronze and stone carvings, including ornamental inscriptions, decorative flourishes, and sculpted oak leaves and acorns (symbols of the Vanderbilt family.) In the first instance of leasing air rights, Wilgus helped offset the enormous cost of Grand Central Terminals construction with new, above-ground structures that ultimately included office towers, hotels, and a post office. Pop artist Andy Warhol once commandeered the old Track 61 for a raucous one-night only party at the height of the Swinging Sixties. And it was another swinger, famed French aerialist Philippe Petit who wowed the crowds with his high-wire act in 1987, when he traversed the main concourse on a tightrope. While freight rail remained vibrant, Atlantas passenger travel was shifting towards cars with the growing William Wilgus, the railroads chief engineer, realized that burying the train tracks underground created an unprecedented opportunity. The determined cause was clouds of smoke that had blinded the driver. Every afternoon, a red carpet unrolled to greet passengers boarding the magnificent 20th Century Limited to Chicago, the glittering gem of the New York Central Railroad from 1902 to 1967. It also became a place to display, inspire, and create other works of art. Its 70-acre compound had 32 miles of track, which fed into Express Wreck Within New York; At Least 22 Dead During his time in office, President Franklin Roosevelt once utilized a secret rail line, Track 61, which provided an underground connection between Grand Central and the nearby Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The railroad wasnt sure. Most Victims are Women In the late 20th century the station was lavishly restored; this restoration effort brought national attention to the importance of preserving architectural landmarks. American Experience . Grand Central | PBS That was the New York Centrals recommendation in 1954. When Grand Central Depot opened in 1871, 42nd Street was relatively remote, an undeveloped tract north of the citys heart of commerce, Lower Manhattan. The exhibition was also displayed at the Riverfront Library in Yonkers, New York January 11 to March 17, 2014. A riveting account of the event that helped give rise to the modern American militia movement. The area over the tracks could be leased to developersthe first-ever reference to air rights. This innovation helped pay for Grand Central and had a profound impact on the neighborhood, creating new building lots in the midst of a crowded business district. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { The railroads quickly outgrew the Depot, and in 1899 it was demolished and replaced with a far larger building, six stories high, which was named Grand Central Station. The New York Transit Museum, one of the citys leading cultural institutions, is the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history, and one of the premier institutions of its kind in the world. He originally imagined a single building above the terminal that would generate $2.3 million in rent annually, a solution that he described as a remarkable opportunity for the accomplishment of a public good with considerations of private gain in behalf of the corporation involved. The areas eventual development also allowed for the reconnection of Manhattans streets; previously, the surface railroads created a literal division between residential areas to the west and the less palatable factories and slaughterhouses to the east. document.documentElement.className += 'js'; | READ MORE, Angela Serratore is a writer and a contributing editor at SmithsonianMag.com, 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Sargent had died in 1925, and three years later the Grand Central Art Galleries organized an exhibition of his previously unseen sketches and drawings. var googletag = googletag || {}; Residents complained, and in 1854 the city banned soot-belching steam engines below 42nd Street, keeping them far from New Yorks populated heart. All have echoed here. The usual Sunday peace of this town was absent to-day. As passengers rise toward. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). CROP VOLUNTEERS DEAD Many of Victims Scalded by Steam From Locomotive ---Near-By Towns Rush Aid TRAIN CRASH IN WHICH TWENTY-THREE PERSONS WERE KILLED 23 DEAD IN WRECK ON LACKAWANNA", "One Of The Deadliest Accidents In U.S. History Happened Right Here In North Carolina", "Worst Train Collision Frozen in Memory of Witnesses", "Monument, in honor of Michigan, N.D., train crash of 1945, to be dedicated during Michigan Days", "Train-Wreck Inquiry: Test Shows How Disaster Might Have Been Averted", "This Is the 67th Anniversary of the Horrible Naperville Train Crash You've Never Heard Of", "34 Hurt as Zephyr Derails, Crashed Into Suburban Station", "Speeding Train Hits Tractor and Depot; Two Die, 25 Hurt", "Rockville Centre tragedy: At least 30 dead, 80 injured in LIRR train crash in 1950", "On This Day In 1950: The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster", "Our Back Pages: Deadly train crash helped end interurban", "This horrific, deadly train wreck sparked the creation of the MTA", "Conneaut, OH Area Three-Train Collision, Mar 1953 | GenDisasters Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods", "City's Worst Train Crash Left 30 Dead, 130 Hurt", "20 Killed, 7 Injured in New Mexico Train Wreck 'Chief' Runs Headon Into Mail Train All Killed Believed to be Employes of Santa Fe Road", "50 years later, effects of train disaster linger: Meldrim marks grim anniversary with solemn observance", "Rail Car Blast Kills 19 Georgia Bathers", "Bakersfield, CA Streamline Train Hits Oil Tank Truck, Mar 1960 | GenDisasters Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods", "THE CROSSING: School bus-train crash of 1961 should never be forgotten", "Chapter 12: A Fun Outing Goes Horribly Wrong. 392 and ICG Train No. You live on Long Island, which is east of Manhattan. Decades of grime covered the once-beautiful ceiling, and passengers shared waiting rooms with a swelling number of homeless men and women. Entrepreneurs have always sold real estate. Is Amtrak's Reputation Riding on Its Response to the Wreck of Train 1888", "Amtrak Train Derailed Going 106 M.P.H. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Grand-Central-Station, Engineering and Technology History Wiki - Grand Central Terminal, Official Site of the Grand Central Terminal, New York City, New York, United States, Columbia University - Grand Central Terminal, New York City, New York, United States. That loss galvanized a broad-based movement to save Grand Central from a similar fate. Twenty-Six People Are Known to Have Been Killed Outright and Many Are Injured FatallyAn Express Train Ran Into an Open SwitchMost of the Dead Are Italians", "The Lake Shore Wreck at Shadyside Crossing, 1909", "The McCook tribune. For the past 18 years, From mid-November to mid-February, the New York Transit Museums Grand Central Gallery has hosted a miniature version of New York City and a delightful electric railroad. Grand Central helps keep it moving. The sides, floor and roof were ripped from this car. Grand Central Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Early in the evening those within the station and on the outside platform near the tracks heard the rumble of many vehicles driving to the rear of the station. Were these innovations enough to make Grand Central truly grand? LOCOMOTIVE BURIED IN CAR Firemen Cut Their Way Into the Wreck and Climb Over the Hot Boiler to the Aid of the Wounded -- Heroic Acts of Rescuers and Rescued -- Survivors and Others Tell Thrilling Stories of Their Experiences", "Dynamite Wrecks Town: Nine Persons Escape Death or Injury in Jackson (Utah) Explosion", "Then All Was Still: The Woodville Train Wreck of 1906", "One of the Most Disastrous Train Wrecks in the History of the Southern Pacific Railroad Fourteen Coaches Were Derailed Near Colton. Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud moments, until there is nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children, wondered Onassis in a 1975 letter to then-Mayor Abraham Beame, an attempt to galvanize the mayor into challenging the new Grand Central plan? 1 / 11. Sign up for all the latest insider info on events, news and deals from Grand Central! The concourse of Grand Central Terminal during the early 20th century. Central Wreck; Eighteen Dead Tear it down. grand central station crash 1925what Among the notable productions to call Grand Central home was CBS See it Now, which included host Edward R. Murrows critical reports on Senator Joseph McCarthys controversial anticommunist hearings. On January 8, 1902, a commuter train traveling from suburban Westchester County crashed into another train waiting in the stations entrance tunnel, killing 15 passengers. The station not only looked like no other, it functioned like no other, merging elegance with efficiency. The Park Avenue Crash, 1902. 1914 Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad/Kansas City Southern Railway collision. The former First Lady was there to illuminate the plight of the Beaux Arts railway station that once dazzled New Yorkers and was, upon its opening in 1913, considered one of the citys greatest wonders. At Woodlawn, in the Bronx, as the train rounded a curve, it flew off the tracks. Cornelius Vanderbilt built the first: Grand Central Depot opened in 1871 and served as a hub for several rail lines. Advancements in technology and the city's population growth led to its reconstruction in 1899 as the six-story Grand Central Station. The firms joined together as the Associated Architects of Grand Central. // cutting the mustard Grand Central Terminal How to find an architect? Indignation Meeting Called in New Rochelle Some believe the ceilings designer accidentally transposed the original source, while othersincluding the Vanderbilts themselvesclaimed that it was a purposeful depiction of Gods unique vantage point of the stars. The struggle to save and restore Grand Central preserved an icon of New Yorks past. The New York Times devoted a special section to the terminal on its completion, lauding it as a monument, a civic center, or, if one will, a city.. And while the station has provided a backdrop to countless books, movies and television shows, few people realize that during the early days of television, dozens of programs were filmed and broadcast out of studios located above the famed Oyster Bar. Another innovation was the extensive use of ramps, rather than stairs, throughout the station. Advertising Notice At its opening, more than 4,000 bare bulbs gleamed from every chandelier and lighting fixture in the building. In the lower terminal, steel and glass will create a sleek, modern feel. The concourse, with its 125-foot (43-metre) ceiling vault painted with constellations, was one of the largest enclosed spaces of its time. Another irregularity may be even harder to pinpoint to modern eyes. Grand Central Terminal New York is famed as the city that never sleeps. The Vanderbilts were also immensely proud of Grand Centrals status as one of the worlds first all-electric buildings. Midtown used to be uptown. P. Hall & Son/The New York Historical Society/Getty Images, Jeff Summers/Flickr Creative Commons/CC BY-NC 2.0, Walter Sanders/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images, Misha Erwitt/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images, 8 Secret Features of Grand Central Terminal, https://www.history.com/news/grand-central-terminal-facts.  CBS News staff at CBS Studio 41, Grand Central Terminal studios, 1956. Its impossible to keep up with everything happening in New York City arts and culture, but here are some recommendations for events you shouldnt miss during the week ahead. But I dont think that's true, said the New York resident and native. Railroad Men Testify About Tunnel Disaster They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. document.documentElement.className += 'js'; Fifteen persons were killed and two score severely injured as a result of a rear-end collision in the Park Avenue railroad tunnel, at Fifty-sixth Street, yesterday morning at 8:20 o'clock. 100 Years After New Yorks Deadliest Subway Crash As soon as could be, the men who maintained presence of mind opened the doors of the other cars and enabled the passengers to alight. Sensing the shift in the political winds, the Vanderbilt family announced plans to construct a new, state-of-the-art station that would utilize electricity, not steam. Grand Central Depot, the original railway terminus on the site of Grand Central Station, 1872.  Excavation for Grand Central Terminal in 1908. It was the worst train accident in New York City history. The Park Avenue tunnel, built to remove trains from Manhattan's surface and boost public safety, was itself dangerous: dark, smoky, with poor visibility. The following evening, the Brewster Local left Grand Central on that same track. on Sharp Curve; at Least 7 Killed", "Amtrak Train Derailment Near Philadelphia Leaves 2 Dead, 35 Injured", "2 Workers Die as Amtrak Train Strikes Backhoe Causing Fireball", "Amtrak fires rail worker over Chester train derailment", "Hoboken Train Crash Kills 1 and Injures Over 100", "Hoboken train crash: one dead and more than 100 injured in New Jersey", "Hoboken Train Crash Survivors Seek Tens of Millions in Damages From NN Transit", "Multiple Deaths in Amtrak Train Derailment in Washington", "Amtrak train crash: several dead after derailment in Washington state", "L.I.R.R. For preservationists, the story of Grand Central is one of triumph, and the challenges of holding onto historic structures in ever-changing cities ultimately havent changed much. This stricken city, although still in the shadow of grief, has to-day recovered somewhat from the paralyzing shock of the railway tunnel disaster in New York, and is awakening to a sense of intense indignation. Many of the women at the sight of the ambulances moaned and some of them turned away their heads. In 1982, Metro-North took over the terminalnow primarily a commuter huband launched a four-year, $12 million repair program that stopped further deterioration but didnt erase decades of decay. Cookie Policy After World War II, waning long-distance rail travel sparked questions about the stations future. Before Leaving Tracks in San Bernardino; Man Pulled Alive from Rubble", "Philadelphia Subway Crash Kills 3; 150 Are Hurt", "(Picture ) SEPTA derailment kills at least two, injures 93", "Case Study Number Ten: Union Square Station, New York City - August 28, 1991", "Catastrophe Under Union Square; Crash on the Lexington IRT: Motorman's Run to Disaster", "50,000 Flee Toxic Vapors Released as Train Derails", "50,000 Flee Derailed Train's Toxic Vapor in Minnesota and Wisconsin", https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/06/30/Benzene-spill-forces-evacuation-of-some-80000/2171709876800/, "20 years later, benzene spill still stings in Duluth-Superior memories", "U.S. Regulatory Requirements for Positive Train Control Systems", "Dozens Are Killed in Wreck of Train in Alabama Bayou", https://web.archive.org/web/20020627181454/http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib001/NTSB.010%7C, "Fatal Fox River Grove bus-train tragedy still painful, 20 years later", "CRASH ON NEW JERSEY TRANSIT: THE OVERVIEW;3 Killed as Trains Collide in New Jersey", "Colorblind Engineer Caused Deadly Train Collision Diabetic Hid Eye Disease; It Was Hard To Tell Red From Yellow", "Tuesday Marks 20 Years Since Fatal Amtrak, MARC Collision in Silver Spring", "DEATH ON THE RAILS: THE OVERVIEW; 13 Are Killed as Amtrak Train Collides With Truck in Illinois", "Death Toll Rises to 14 in Amtrak Accident", "Case Study: The 2002 Minot, North Dakota, Train Derailment Cosmology Episode", "Minot train derailment kills one, injures dozens", "Ten years ago: Chlorine gas from train crash kills 3 near San Antonio", "In 2004 Fatal Train Crash in Texas, Crew Was Probably Asleep, Report Says", "Cloud Rising From Train Wreck, Then Death and a Ghost Town", https://www.wlbt.com/story/3586562/4th-body-found-in-train-crash-rubble/, "Girl, 9, to get $4.1 million settlement for 2005 Metra crash", "Trolley operator dies after collision in Newton", "Train Operator Dies After Boston Accident", "A Proactive Risk Analysis Framework to Enhance Safety and Reliability in Railroad Operations: Assessment of the Positive Safety Culture Traits", "Ceremonies Mark 10th Anniversary of Deadly Chatsworth Train Crash: The collision remains the deadliest crash in Metrolink history, and one of the deadliest rail disasters in U.S. history", "Before Fatal Midland Train Crash, a Litany of Errors", "Train slams into float at Texas vets parade; 4 dead", "4 Killed in Texas Train Crash Were Military Veterans", "U.S. News | National News Latest Headlines, Videos, Photos ABC News", "Railroad Accident Report RAR-13-02: Head-On Collision of Two Union Pacific Railroad Freight Trains Near Goodwell, Oklahoma", "Four dead and 63 injured in New York passenger train derailment", "Four dead, 63 injured after NYC-bound Metro-North passenger train derails in Bronx", "Woman Who Drove on Tracks at Fault in Fatal Metro-North Crash, Investigators Find", "NTSB Blames Driver for Fatal Metro-north Valhalla Crash; Husband Lashes Out", "Metro-North Commuter Train Hits SUV in New York City Suburb of Valhalla", "Metrolink Train Headed to Los Angeles Crashes Into Truck, Injuring Dozens", "California train crash: officials 'very concerned' about pickup truck", "Case Study 2: Fatal Derailment. Our History Morgan Stanley In 1990, Metro-North announced ambitious plans to restore the stations structural, architectural, and decorative glory. Three towers represented the three participating railroads. A number of employees of the railroad company was summoned by the district Attorney to appear before him. To take an in-depth dive, we suggest visiting the Grand By Design history site full of stories, photographs, and videos. Forty years ago, preservationistsincluding a former First Ladyfought to maintain the integrity of New York Citys historic railway station, "If we dont care about our past we cant have very much hope for our future, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis intoned at a press conference held at Grand Central Terminals famous Oyster Bar in 1975. The In an instant 20 people were killed and 150 injured. Peter E. Stangl, Metro-Norths first president and later Chairman of the MTA, led these efforts. In coming decades, the challenge will be ensuring that Grand Central serves New Yorks future. Reed and Stem's proposal won, but the president of New York Central permitted another firm, Warren and Wetmore, to submit plans because of the principals connections with some of the companys directorsincluding William Vanderbilt, who ultimately insisted on their involvement. The two chosen firms collaborated as Associated Architects. It was a stormy partnership, but the final design combined the best ideas of both. An army of wives and sisters and parents of those who were injured in the wreck are by this time in New York, scattered about the various hospitals, watching by the bedside of their loved ones, so that to-day the telegraph gave way in importance to baggage master, whose duty it was to receive the dead At a meeting of the Taxpayers' Alliance of the Borough of the Bronx, held on Wednesday evening, resolutions were unanimously adopted expressing indignation that the accident in the Park Avenue tunnel should have been possible, and calling upon the officials of the State and city to see to it that those responsible for the disaster be punished and that the railroad company be compelled to take steps to improve their terminal facilities. The wreckage stretched for over a mile. The force of the engines' impact had telescoped the rear car on to the car ahead. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Red Caps inside the terminal carried your luggage, dining cars aboard the train served sumptuous meals, and the long distance trains departing from Grand Centrals upper level took passengers across the country in comfort and style. Eight miles of new underground track will link Grand Central to the LIRR facilities in Harold Interlocking in Queens via the existing 63rd Street tunnel. Railroads brought people, profitsand pollution. One of the surprises to the management is the[number] of people who do not use trains but still pass in and out of the terminal.. While trains arriving in Manhattan at the time continued on to southern Manhattan, that buildings successor became the final stop for all rail linesnot a station, but a terminal. WebPark Avenue Tunnel Crash, 1902 By the turn of the twentieth century, hundreds of steam locomotives arrived at Grand Central Station daily, at a rate of one every 45 seconds. ' Most of the death, injury, and damage was wrought by the engine of the White Plains train, which plunged into the rear car of the motionless train and was driven through to the middle of the car, smashing the seats and furnishings and splitting the sides as it moved forward. Intended by developers to dwarf the nearby Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal cost nearly $160,000,000 (more than $4 billion today) to construct and was a front-page story in the local papers for weeks leading up to opening day. The neighborhood is among the most densely packed in the world, with streets, skyscrapers, people, and traffic above ground and a labyrinth of cables, sewers, steam pipes, and of course train tracks below. It is a destination. The building of Grand Central was the largest construction project in New Yorks history up to that time. Design competitions for major projects were commonplace in the early 1900s, and the railroad launched one in 1903. Station To arrive at Grand Central, you can take the 4, 5, Indeed, the impetus for Grand Central Terminal arose with a 1902 train crash in the Park Avenue Tunnel, as a commuter train collided with another waiting at the The Grand Central Terminal we know today, unveiled in 1913, reflected the neighborhoods growth. Many of the bodies picked up along the highway of death were so badly ground up and so completely divested of clothing that it is likely to be a long time before they are identified. The four passenger cars were piled in a single pile of tangled wreckage with almost every crevice filled with a human body. Dead and injured passengers spilled from the cars were strewn all the way from Two Hundred and First street, on under the Woodlawn road bridge at Two Hundred and Fourth street, and then to Two Hundred and Seventh street, where the train finally came to a stop. People pass through Grand Central heading to workbut also come here to play. Grand Central Depot opened in 1871. After almost ten years of renovation and reengineering, the new Grand Central Terminal opened to the public precisely at midnight on February 2, 1913. In its early years, people flocked to the building to take in a movie at its theater, dine at its restaurants and cafes or learn about the history of railroads at an on-site museum. WebGrand Central Station Metro-North delays persist after heat-related signal problem Thursday's high temperatures cut power to a signal location in the Bronx earlier in the day. Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. How to find an architect? But what about the ping of tennis balls? Grand Central satisfied both desires, invigorating midtown Manhattan, transforming regional transportation, and shaping the city we know today. 1950-1969; ERA THREE. Grand Central Terminal Supporters rallied around Grand Central. 1955 Spring City School bus-train collision, 1979 Southwest Limited (predecessor to the, This page was last edited on 16 April 2023, at 22:22. 1990-2007; ERA FIVE. Grand Centrals design also transformed Manhattan real estates practices. The muffled thud of boxing gloves? The disregarding of block signals by the engineer of a train was responsible for a collision in the New York Central tunnel today and resulted in the death of fifteen persons and the serious injury of sixteen others, at least two of whom are not expected to survive.