Grand Central at its Creation

[John WR]

is the headline of an article in The New York Times today (Sunday, January 20).  If you are interested in reading it here is a link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/nyregion/the-birth-of-grand-central-terminal-100-years-later.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sam Roberts, urban affairs correspondent for the newspaper wrote the article.  It is plum full of interesting facts about the old place--the "shotgun marriage" of the two architectural firms that designed it, the behavior of its "arch rival," the Pennsy, the improvements that would benefit "humanity in general" while also fulfilling  "the primary missionl of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad:  that 'we first see that we benefit ourselves.'"

As chief engineer William J. Wilgus put it, the terminal "could be transformed from a non productive  agency of transportation to a self-contained produced of revenue -- a gold mine, so to speak."

My favorite sentence is by Tom Wolfe:  "Every big city had a railroad station with grand -- to the point of glorious -- classical architecture -- dazzled and intimidated, the great architects of Greece and Rome would have averted their eyes -- featuring every sort of dome, soaring ceiling, king-size column, royal cornice, lordly echo -- thanks to the immense volume of the space -- and the miles of marble, marble, marble -- but the grandest, most glorious of all, by far, was Grand Central Station." sic.  

[schlimm]

It's a fine tribute.  And the Tom Wolfe line rings true.

[John WR]

Thanks Schlimm.  I though Tom Wolfe's comment was a little tongue in cheek.