![]() Jackie Craven "As a bullet train seeks its target, shining rails in every part of our great country are aimed at Grand Central Station, heart of the nation's greatest city. The Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1980 stated that "The terminal, the viaduct, and many of the surrounding buildings in the Grand Central zone comprise a carefully related scheme that is the finest example of Beaux-Arts civic planning in New York." ![]() Completed in 1919 between 40th and 42nd Streets, the bridge allows city traffic to proceed through, on the terrace balcony, unimpeded by terminal congestion. Traveling north on Park Avenue, the Pershing Square Viaduct (itself a historic landmark) allows Park Avenue traffic to gain access to the terrace. One of the more remarkable features of the 1913 building is its elevated terrace-a city thoroughfare was built into the architecture. The lavish Beaux Arts design featured arches, elaborate sculptures, and a large raised terrace that became a city street. Whitney Warren ( Warren & Wetmore of New York), educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and a cousin of rail executive William VanderbiltĬonstruction began in 1903 and the new terminal officially opened on February 2, 1913.Reed ( Reed & Stem of Minnesota), the brother-in-law of rail executive William Wilgus, and ![]() The architects chosen to design the Grand Central Terminal were: William Wilgus became Chief Engineer for the new, electrified Grand Central Terminal and the surrounding Terminal City. But, how to pay for it? An integral part of Wilgus' plan was to sell the air rights for developers to build over New York's underground electric transit system. For over a decade London had been running a deep-level electric railway, so Wilgus knew it worked and was safe. William John Wilgus (1865-1949), a civil engineer working for the railroad, recommended an electric transit system. In 1903 legislation prohibited steam-powered trains altogether-steam locomotives became banned in Manhattan, south of the Harlem River. A devastating rail accident in a Park Avenue tunnel on January 8, 1902, stirred a public outcry. In spite of ventilation systems, subterranean areas became smoke- and steam-filled tombs. Elevated bridges allowed increasing road traffic to proceed uninterrupted. Like the London Underground railway, New York often isolated the messy steam engines by running rails underground or just below grade level. Museum of the City of New York/Getty Images
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