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Grand Central How a train station transformed America By Sam Roberts
Grand Central How a train station transformed America
By Sam Roberts
Hardbound with dustjacket
303 pages
Copyright 2013 FIRST EDITION
CONTENTS
Foreword by Pete HamillIX
PROLOGUE: THE ACCIDENTAL TERMINAL 3
RAILS VS. RIVERS23
THE COMMODORE35
THE DEPOT49
THE STATION59
THE ENGINEER69
TERMINAL CITY97
ALL ABOARD113
GATEWAY TO A CONTINENT127
SAVING GRAND CENTRAL159
THE RESTORATION189
THE CHARACTERS209
COMMUTATION227
SECRETS OF GRAND CENTRAL233
HOW IT WORKS257
SINCE 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY269
EPILOGUE: THE SECOND CENTURY283
Acknowledgments290
Art Credits291
A Note on Sources292
Bibliography293
Index297
About the Author303
On February 2, 1913, the doors to Grand Central Terminal officially opened to the public. Although the station was launched with great fanfare, no one at that time could have anticipated the long-lasting impact this unique landmark would have as one of the world's key cultural destinations.
In this lavishly illustrated volume, Sam Roberts, the New York Times' urban affairs correspondent, makes a compelling case that Grand Central not only transformed New York City-shifting its center of gravity to Midtown-but also would go on to revolutionize urban as well as suburban development everywhere. Today, the gorgeous, richly decorated station is an iconic Manhattan mainstay-the site of endless comings and goings of both daily commuters and starry-eyed tourists from all over the world.
And of course, the enduring mystery and myth of Grand Central are legendary-from the secret passageways, to the stunning error in the constellations on the magnificently painted ceiling, to the station's reclusive owner, to the countless famed Hollywood movies that have been shot in the terminal. Sam Roberts lovingly provides all the rich history, amazing anecdotes, and inside stories in this marvelous book.
About the author
Roberts reveals the secrets of the terminal that serves 750,000 people daily: how modern time began there, the station's role in the civil rights movement, why there's a hole in the celestial ceiling, what goes on underground in the city's deepest basement, the crucial mission the terminal fulfilled on 9/11, and its covert role in presidential getaways. In short, even if you thought you knew everything there was to know about Grand Central, you're in for plenty of surprises.
As Grand Central begins its second century, it is on the verge of fulfilling a goal originally envisioned when it was first built: the terminal will soon handle 100 million passengers a year.
And more than ever before, Grand Central continues to be the heartbeat of New York City.
The author of seven nonfiction books and the editor of an eighth, Sam Roberts has covered New York for the New York Daily News LL and the New York Times
for forty-five years. He lives in the city with his family.
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