Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Engineering, and Architecture in New York City - Hardcover

Schlichting, Kurt C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801865107 ISBN 13: 9780801865107

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001

Synopsis

More than a history of a train station―the story of a city and an age, as reflected in a building aptly described as a secular cathedral.

Winner of the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Award in Architecture from the Association of American Publishers

Grand Central Terminal, one of New York City's preeminent buildings, stands as a magnificent Beaux-Arts monument to America's Railway Age, and it remains a vital part of city life today. Completed in 1913 after ten years of construction, the terminal became the city's most important transportation hub, linking long-distance and commuter trains to New York's network of subways, elevated trains, and streetcars. Its soaring Grand Concourse still offers passengers a majestic gateway to the wonders beyond 42nd Street.

In Grand Central Terminal, Kurt C. Schlichting traces the history of this spectacular building, detailing the colorful personalities, bitter conflicts, and Herculean feats of engineering that lie behind its construction. Schlichting begins with Cornelius Vanderbilt―"The Commodore"―whose railroad empire demanded an appropriately palatial passenger terminal in the heart of New York City. Completed in 1871, the first Grand Central was the largest rail facility in the world and yet―cramped and overburdened―soon proved thoroughly inadequate for the needs of this rapidly expanding city. William Wilgus, chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad, conceived of a new Grand Central Terminal, one that would fully meet the needs of the New York Central line. Grand Central became a monument to the creativity and daring of a remarkable age.

The terminal's construction proved to be a massive undertaking. Before construction could begin, more than 3 million cubic yards of rock and earth had to be removed and some 200 buildings demolished. Manhattan's exorbitant real estate prices necessitated a vast, two-story underground train yard, which in turn required a new, smoke-free electrified rail system. The project consumed nearly 30,000 tons of steel, three times more than that in the Eiffel Tower, and two power plants were built. The terminal building alone cost $43 million in 1913, the equivalent of nearly $750 million today.

Some of these costs were offset by an ambitious redevelopment project on property above the New York Central's underground tracks. Schlichting writes about the economic and cultural impact of the terminal on midtown Manhattan, from building of the Biltmore and Waldorf-Astoria Hotels to the transformation of Park Avenue. Schlichting concludes with an account of the New York Central's decline; the public outcry that prevented Grand Central's new owner, Penn Central, from following through with its 1969 plan to demolish or drastically alter the terminal; the rise of Metro-North Railroad; and the meticulous 1990s restoration project that returned Grand Central Terminal to its original splendor. More than a history of a train station, this book is the story of a city and an age as reflected in a building aptly described as a secular cathedral.

About this title

About the Author

Kurt C. Schlichting is a professor of sociology and the E. Gerald Corrigan '63 Chair in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Fairfield University. His book Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Engineering, and Architecture in New York City, also published by Johns Hopkins, won the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Award in Architecture from the Association of American Publishers.

From the Back Cover

Winner, Professional/Scholarly Publishing Award in Architecture, Association of American Publishers

Grand Central Terminal, one of New York City's preeminent buildings, stands as a magnificent Beaux-Arts monument to America's Railway Age, and it remains a vital part of city life today. Completed in 1913 after ten years of construction, the terminal became the city's most important transportation hub, linking long-distance and commuter trains to New York's network of subways, elevated trains, and streetcars.

In Grand Central Terminal, Kurt C. Schlichting traces the history of this spectacular building, detailing the colorful personalities, bitter conflicts, and Herculean feats of engineering behind its construction. Completed in 1871, the first Grand Central was the largest rail facility in the world and yet―cramped and overburdened―soon proved thoroughly inadequate for the needs of this rapidly expanding city. William Wilgus, chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad, conceived a new Grand Central Terminal, one that would fully meet the needs of the New York Central line. Schlichting concludes with an account of the public outcry that prevented the proposed demolition of the terminal in 1969 and the meticulous 1990s restoration project that returned Grand Central Terminal to its original splendor.

More than a history of a train station, this book is the story of a city and an age as reflected in a building aptly described as a secular cathedral.

"Grand Central Terminal is celebrated for its Beaux-Arts style, but Kurt C. Schlichting looks behind the facade to see the hidden engineering marvels . . . [His] book will deepen anyone's appreciation for New York's most magnificent interior space."―New York Times Book Review

"Schlichting writes with deep understanding of Grand Central's engineering feats and artistic qualities."―Wilson Quarterly

"Schlichting's history of New York's Grand Central Terminal gathers many actors and events into a clearly written and amply illustrated narrative of American commercial initiative."―Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians

From the Inside Flap

Winner, Professional/Scholarly Publishing Award in Architecture, Association of American Publishers

Grand Central Terminal, one of New York City's preeminent buildings, stands as a magnificent Beaux-Arts monument to America's Railway Age, and it remains a vital part of city life today. Completed in 1913 after ten years of construction, the terminal became the city's most important transportation hub, linking long-distance and commuter trains to New York's network of subways, elevated trains, and streetcars.

In Grand Central Terminal, Kurt C. Schlichting traces the history of this spectacular building, detailing the colorful personalities, bitter conflicts, and Herculean feats of engineering behind its construction. Completed in 1871, the first Grand Central was the largest rail facility in the world and yet--cramped and overburdened--soon proved thoroughly inadequate for the needs of this rapidly expanding city. William Wilgus, chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad, conceived a new Grand Central Terminal, one that would fully meet the needs of the New York Central line. Schlichting concludes with an account of the public outcry that prevented the proposed demolition of the terminal in 1969 and the meticulous 1990s restoration project that returned Grand Central Terminal to its original splendor.

More than a history of a train station, this book is the story of a city and an age as reflected in a building aptly described as a secular cathedral.

Grand Central Terminal is celebrated for its Beaux-Arts style, but Kurt C. Schlichting looks behind the facade to see the hidden engineering marvels . . . [His] book will deepen anyone's appreciation for New York's most magnificent interior space.--New York Times Book Review

Schlichting writes with deep understanding of Grand Central's engineering feats and artistic qualities.--Wilson Quarterly

Schlichting's history of New York's Grand Central Terminal gathers many actors and events into a clearly written and amply illustrated narrative of American commercial initiative.--Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians

--Herbert H. Harwood, Jr., author of Royal Blue Line and Impossible Challenge: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Maryland "The Michigan Railfan"

Reviews

Grand Central Terminal, a shrine to beaux arts exuberance and railway age optimism, remains one of the most dramatic symbols of New York City. In Grand Central Terminal: Railroads, Engineering and Architecture in New York City, Kurt C. Schlichting tells its story, from its arduous 10-year construction (more than three million cubic yards of rock and earth had to be moved) and final completion in 1913, to its late 20th-century decline and 1990s restoration. Drawing on extensive archival research, Schlichting is an attentive observer of the personalities, engineering, politics and scandals surrounding his subject. Though the quantity of detail might be daunting to some nonhistorians, this volume should appeal to urban history fans and those with an avid interest in New York City and its icons.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Drawing heavily from the papers of William J. Wilgus (chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad and the genius behind plans for the smoke-free electrified rail system) and other primary-source material, the author combines railroading, structural engineering, architecture, and business history into a very readable text. Schlichting (sociology, Fairfield Univ.) covers a period that begins with Cornelius Vanderbilt's railroad empire and the first Grand Central Terminal in 1871 and concludes with the 1998 renovation of the existing magnificent Beaux Arts structure of 1913. More technical and less visual than John Belle and Maxinne R. Leighton's Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives (LJ 12/99), it provides a more in-depth treatment of design and architecture. Libraries can choose which treatment will best suit their potential readers. Jay Schafer, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801865107
• ISBN 13: 9780801865107
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 243