Every Detail of Grand Central Terminal Explained | Architectural Digest

[@XX-gy7ue]

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC ! PLEASE DO - The Chrysler Building , The Empire State Building , The Woolworth Building , The Metropolitan Museum of Art , The Brooklyn Bridge , The Manhattan Bridge , The Williamsburg Bridge , The 59th Street Bridge , Rockefeller Center , Cooper Union , Columbia University , The Cathedral Of Saint John The Divine , in fact do all of New York and Brooklyn , in fact do anything you guys like , this was so smart and pleasurable , thank you ! GREAT VIDEO !

[@kingstoncgoodfellow926]

X X Couldn’t have said it better myself 👍🏽

[@shamirpatel3569]

Yes absolutely great buildings

[@VolcanicOwl]

59th Street bridge is named the Queensboro bridge.

[@andrewcooper7256]

Do General Electric, that building is stunning, the concept of representative art is insane on that structure.

[@shamirpatel3569]

Columbia University.

[@meipandafan]

Huge shoutout to Onassis for preserving Grand Central ❤️. What happened to pen station was a tragedy and I couldn’t imagine NYC without grand central

[@ingriddubbel8468]

Its Penn Station not Pen Station.

[@HobbyOrganist]

I remember when they threatened to build a tower over the top of the building much like the old Pan Am building is over Park Ave. The city also almost demolished the Victorian styled Jefferson Market courthouse on 6th Ave in Greenwich Village, it was closed and vacant and everyone called it "outdated and obsolete" but it was because of Margot Gayle's pushing to save it because of the CLOCK in the tower, that it wasnt demolished and instead made a branch library. The only Art Deco prison in the country behind it was demolished in 1973, I have a few artifacts I saved from the interior.

[@cthomas025]

It was the demolition of Penn that really gave the push needed to form the Landmark Commission. I've read that it would've been either Penn or Grand Central being torn down would've resulted in saving the other basically. As lovely as GC is, I think the city would've been much better off having Penn remain, and not having a sports arena on top of the busiest transit hub in the western hemisphere.

[@carolinejohnson22]

Wow!!!! They knew how to build things in the old days. Beautiful 🙂🇬🇧

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

No, Penn Station should have been destroyed. They need to do the same thing to Grand Central.

[@rr7firefly]

It is mind boggling that it required a massive effort to preserve this beautiful landmark from demolition. You can be absolutely sure that it would have been impossible to replace it once it was bulldozed. Thank you, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for your leadership. Oh, I just remembered that I had my first martini in the Oyster Bar, compliments of my college roommate.

[@calliemendoza8563]

When I came here on my vacation to NYC, I could only think about how I was at the same place as the escaped animals from the Madagascar movie

[@AnnaJiselle]

Exactly where my mind went when i saw this video

[@UzziHD]

What a shame.

[@ginaryanbearfighter7065]

Lol

[@peterhamlinhamlin8908]

Penn Central and Grand Central Stations are both still in New York City....34 & 42n St.

[@janetpattison8474]

LOL!

[@cherylquell]

This is my favorite and most spectacular building in all of NYC.. Thank you, Jackie Onassis

[@javierpacheco8234]

As a native from new york, born and raised here,Grand central station is my favorite train station. I studied history of architecture and if weren't for protests and the landmarks commision, grand central station wouldn't exist today. For me it is one of the most beautiful train stations i ever seen and i cry a little becuase it's still standing beautiful and strong and still serving many people who take the train.

[@Gonzo01]

This was very informative and educational. Please do more like it!

[@TheReturnOfStephan1]

Gorgeous! And to think, NYC was actually going to tear it down...SMDH.

[@RBzee112]

It was actually the railroad company who wanted to hear it down

[@carowells1607]

I'm actually a phosopholipid bilayer I read that somewhere. They said the original foundation for Penn Station is still completely intact, so they can recreate the original station using 3d printing. I don't understand how that could work but it'd be cool if they did rebuild.

[@akjdhajkdjhaghjkadh9804]

@@carowells1607they won’t. Maybe they’ll recreate it as a metal box with none of the ornamentation or detail it used to have. Idk why medieval architecture and premodern architecture is infinitely better than what we build today, it’s mind boggling

[@tonitait7254]

This was such a wonderful and detailed video. I travel through Grand Central everyday, to and from the city, but I’ve never stopped to notice all these wonderful details besides the obvious ones. Now traveling through Grand Central will be a different experience for me.

[@hocyee]

THIS IS SO AWESOME! i was just in grand central last week, taking my mom there for a photography session, and i never noticed all these details of Grand Central, which is one of my favorite places to visit in NYC. Every times i walk in there, there's this sense of grandeur, and this video makes me appreciate its beauty so much more!

[@paullewis2413]

Awesome building from a time when architects were true artists and knew exactly what they were doing creating places that were both beautiful and practical. Too bad U.S. billionaires of today lack the vision to back the "Rebuild Penn Station" project which would put right the city's greatest act of civil vandalism in it's history. Great video!

[@johnconway8070]

Until I viewed this video I had no real appreciation of the sheer scale and beauty of Grand Central terminal. Thank you for posting this. It is an absolute delight to watch .

[@tomyoung8523]

Please Please Please make more videos like this It was so disappointing searching the channel for similar content and only finding celebrity house tours.

[@ColtSammons]

Please Make more

[@youngzzaz5407]

Pls🙏

[@mandisaw]

Haven't worked there for 20yrs, but man, this took me back. Whether you're an architecture nerd, a train lover, or just a fan of Old New York, GCT ("the Terminal") just encapsulates the City at its best. It reflects the luxurious excesses of the rich and the daily worker's grind, serving locals and tourists alike - all equal under the splendor of the "stars". Thanks for this 😍

[@rentslave]

50 years ago,I had to go there twice a day-from New Jersey!I was a messenger who hauled a satchel of office materials back and forth as there was no internet in those days.I used to have the first copy of the NY Post in NJ as it was a late morning paper then.

[@googleevil]

this one of the bests videos ever shared on this channel. Keep the moment!

[@chidianuforo3670]

You are literally blowing my mind!!! I've traveled into this building, every day, for 7 years and never knew any (most) of this!

[@brandon5i]

SO beautiful! The ceiling always steals my attention.

[@annbush1826]

The restoration of the ceiling was carried out by a Russian painter who worked lying on her back on a platform on scaffolding. Years of grime needed to be removed in small segments. Marina was a Russian gymnast who defected to the United States while on a tour with the circus. Trained from childhood and less tran 5 feet tall, she lived in Garrison, New York and her studio prospered. She restored my Hudson river painting. At that times, she told m she had left a tiny spot unrestored in Grand Central’s ceiling.

[@garethwilkins1695]

One day God willing i'll walk through there one day and appreciate it in all it's glory

[@tweston315]

I'm so thankful that my wife, our daughter and I got the opportunity to experience this Grand Work of Architecture in April of 2018. We rode a train from Tarrytown, New York into Grand Central Terminal and when we entered the terminal we were simply in awe! The place is majestically beautiful! We saw Vanderbilt Hall and the dedication to Jacqueline Kennedy. We rode one of the elevators that seemed to take us back in time. We also learned that at its peak 130 train tracks terminated at Grand Central. That's mind boggling! The entire city of New York is amazing. We can't wait to return because although we saw many places of interest in our 8 days in the city, there are hundreds of more things we didn't see.

[@gallolocoparisien]

HUMANITY needs more of these videos! Amazing. Thank you for this incredible journey!

[@FrostyfreezeMan]

This was awesome - incredibly interesting! Definitely do more of these style videos for sure ^_^

[@Fernyg323]

Visited NY I’m August and this location is beyond amazing. The buzz, the people, the architecture is epic.

[@Arthur-mk2vq]

Yes! Great idea for this video. More NYC

[@zoejimenez3777]

I am at grand central terminal almost everyday and I am still in awe ❤️

[@TheSharmanova]

I could watch this a dozen times and not grow tired of the details. A sensational series, thank you for this.

[@scoreton1]

Well detailed video, with simplicity and clarity. Worked for the railroad for 30 years in design and construction and I've seen the transformation - most dramatic in 1998 to 2000 when the Main concourse ceiling was cleaned and in 91, and 2002, when the main Waiting area was renovated . All is restored to its original build-out because Grand Central is a Landmark Building. well done.

[@tagacale1733]

THE BEST INFO VID ON GRAND CENTRAL. PERIOD.

[@McSneakFreaks]

You did such a great work with that video! I loved watching every minute of it and learning so many new things about this grand architectural milestone!

[@SpeegBJ]

Brilliant interpretation of this New York jewel. You two are exquisite commentators.

[@tjrtt]

I pass through this terminal almost every week and never knew there was so much more to it behind the scenes. Very informative, thank you!

[@MariannaK94]

For people to start to know and appreciate history and beauty that surrounds them , please do more of theses videos.

[@andrewsalmon100]

Terrific video. Thanks. I had lunch at a bar in the basement. Met a nice lady, a designer from Conneticut who was visiting a client . I felt so connected to the NYC experience. Those platforms are enormous.

[@brianhernandez7632]

MAKE MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS!

[@peakseeker71]

Thank you for this very informative narrative on Grand Central Station. Please do more of these!

[@moviesjean23]

COULD YOU PLEASE MAKE MORE CONTENT LIKE THIS* ( Millennials) smh 🤦‍♂️

[@marquamfurniture]

Incredibly well done!!! Camera work and narration are superb. (Horrible to think that this glorious structure was nearly demolished!)

[@elo5193]

I'm a New Yorker and I learned so much. I had to only stop and replay the interesting facts a few hundred times

[@ThreeRunHomer]

The view at night across the front of Grand Central with the Chrysler Building in the background is stunning.

[@obelic71]

One of the most beautifull railwaystations/hubs in the world. Its not only an Iconic Landmark for New York but for the entire world! Nice to see this Grand Dame still performing here duty's even better then what she once was designed for. I hope that i once may meet here in Person!

[@loopylupin1130]

I've been commuting to grand central for almost 6 years and there was so much I didnt know! I no idea the Campbell Apartment was more than what you can see from the main concourse!

[@stevenj2380]

Before MTA restoration and modernizing (+ monetizing) waiting room benches and big big old fashioned washrooms existed. NY is grand in palces, but cruel and harsh in many ways..I am from NYC.

[@geoffrey10040]

Steven Newman, where were the benches and washrooms? What happened to them?

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

This is such an amazing video! Please let this be an ongoing series.

[@Xanderall]

This video is an amazing feat! The very interesting narration is jam-packed with details and facts, and the visuals are engaging and delightful. I felt like I was right there! I really hope you do many more of these marvelous tours again soon!!

[@MosheFeder]

Excellent job, gentleman. Quite similar, in fact to the tours I used to give, although back then it was still possible for me to take visitors across the glass walkways in the windows. I do have two corrections to offer, however. First, it doesn't matter what time of day you visit, you'll never see the sun streaming in through the windows like in those classic photos. Tall buildings now block the light. That's why you never see contemporary photos of that spectacle, only the same few old ones. Second, the terms “commute” and “commuter” do indeed come from the practice of US railroads commuting (i.e., discounting) the fare for daily riders. The NY Central and the New Haven surely did that for trains to and from GCT, but the practice and the terms predate our Grand Central by decades. Two omissions also deserve mention: it would have been great if you could have offered a glimpse of the subterranean power room housing the old rotary converters and you should have mentioned the new deep third level that will bring the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central for the first time.

[@josephonwhidbey]

I went through there many times. Now that I live on Whidbey Island Washington, it's nice to go back VIA KZbin.

[@vanessajordan6446]

I love this :) I commuted through grand central for a couple of years and it never ceased to amaze me. It’s easy to get caught in the hustle and bustle of this station especially during rush hour, but it’s truly fantastic and I feel so lucky to have been able to use this terminal everyday.

[@stephengood6993]

Watched this on a lark, but what a sweet video - the two narrators work really well together and it is really well filmed and mapped out. Great work.

[@julioarmendariz8102]

Such a beautiful place. I was there on May 28 !! Can’t wait to come back

[@avagrego3195]

Thank you for this informative video. I've never been and must make a visit now that you have pointed out how beautiful it is.

[@larrybrennan1463]

Good overview, but a couple of quibbles: While Vanderbilt's decision to move his railroad's terminal station uptown to 42nd Street did promote the growth of the area, the name "Grand Central" was ridiculed at the time because it was hardly centrally located in 1871. The original terminus was downtown on 27th Street. The current building, opened 42 years later, is the third on the site, and the Commodore was long dead by then. The first was called Grand Central Depot when it opened in 1871, and was actually three separate stations in a single building. It was altered and remodeled several times, but in 1899, it was greatly expanded and renovated and re-named Grand Central Station. The tracks south to 27th Street were removed. But the renovation was a stopgap at best, and when it was decided to electrify the railroad, as ordered by the city, a totally new station was built in phases over the next ten years, opening in its current appearance in 1913. It took so long because trains continued to operate while the old station was demolished and the new one built. It was then named Grand Central Terminal. The second quibble is the picture shown with the statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt, which was moved from the former downtown station. The photograph shown with the statue is of the original Grand Central Depot, and not the older station on 27th Street. The way the text reads would cause someone to think that were a picture of the downtown station, which it is not. Minor points, and maybe not too important, but I noticed them, and anyone who knows the history off the building would spot them, too

[@pugs909]

Fantastic video and terminal - it is a secular cathedral and grand entrance to New York. Surely millions of people remember the time they first entered Grand Central terminal, its scale is awe inspiring, and it’s details are beautiful, and at its core, it’s a functional artery of transportation and commerce. I live 5 blocks from Grand Central and I love it!

[@kethsharakhlok1976]

Excellent touring clip, especially for watching it at 5:30 AM on 1st week of DST this year. I won't mind having a long layover train connections at this historical building to see its exterior/interior detailed architectural design. ✌️🕊️

[@ianwilliam3560]

One of my absolute favorite spaces in all of NYC! Thank you so much for this walkthrough!

[@thebookwasbetter3650]

Lived in NYC in the early 2000s. When anyone came to visit me, I always took them for a drink at the Campbell Apartment. Such a neat place. And so many people walk by it and don't even know what it is. I had my last legal cigar there before the smoking ban went into effect. You could still smoke there after the city ban because Grand Central is administered by the state and the NY State ban went into effect a few months after the city ban.

[@zupwolf2001]

This is so satisfying to listen to.

[@hunter371]

My commute takes me to the abysmal Penn Station, but I will go out of my way to head to Grand Central from time to time, simply for its beauty. What an impressive video, great detail and presentation of information, both verbally and visually.

[@galactyx1]

Fascinating. Guys who know their stuff & explain it in an interesting way.

[@patpatt4085]

FABULOUS!!! So great to see it again, I'm in sunny California and used to travel to NY but don't get there so often now. I love the shops as well. The food market is the best!!! Thank you for such a great video.

[@pesky-media]

I visited this space over 20 years ago & had no idea of its magnitude....thank you for the info

[@bodybuilderslave7125]

ThankYou for showing where CBS was located. I have ALWAYS wondered where exactly it was located.

[@IarctusI]

very well done presentation. i enjoyed watching so much

[@CD318]

A wonderful video production--thank you!

[@jayski9410]

In my youth (1960's & 70's), I used to spend a lot of time in this terminal. I can't believe how clean and bright it is now. As I watched this, I couldn't help remembering what used to be... Like the window shade type signs that the conductors would pull down to label the entrances to the tracks. Or the big Bulova clock that used to be in the archway between Vanderbilt hall and the main concourse. Thanks for the memories from an old New Yorker living way out in Los Angeles these days.

[@lauralaladarling3775]

Wow! Thank you. Magnicent building, fascinating history of travel, still going strong, intriguing restaurants and remarkable spaces. Thank goodness it was saved from demolition!! Xxx

[@jenn976]

Thanks for this. My maternal grandfather was a young guy on the crew who installed the lights on the ceiling (constellation) on the original GCS.

[@vladimirad]

This was my favourite place on my trip to NY. I wish I could have spent more time there and next time I go I will definitely try that echo trick.

[@More_Row]

Very well put together, I was in NYC a few years ago , this place is hard to forget.

[@grantorino2325]

Cornelius Vanderbilt was a visionary! Not only did he fund this opulent terminal, but he demanded that all the rail lines, running north from there, have at least 4 tracks each! As a result, commuting to Grand Central is a pleasure. Whereas commuting to Penn Station from Long Island is a total heartache! The MAIN LINE running through the island STILL only has 2 tracks (despite decades of assurances that they would build a 3rd one), and owing to Penn not being a terminal, it's a nightmare to move trains in and out of there!

[@chucksuter6551]

i love this, please make it a series. would love to hear about other stations like penn station Baltimore and just other landed historic buildings.

[@sifisodlamini5560]

Wow.... such a superb feat of architecture. Thank you so much for sharing, i'm watching all the way from the city of Durban, South Africa.

[@freedomlover7783]

Wonderful tour. I am so pleased that this beau arts was not torn down. There are so many facets to this jewel which I was ignorant of until I viewed this marvelous video. Thank-you to Mr. Robins.

[@Ursaminor31]

The oyster bar is fabulous. I had a tour of east coast oysters there and the atmosphere was so cool and old time.

[@corgismclean]

Rafael Gustavino and his style of using tiles for a vault were Spanish. That's the only thing I would add to this wonderful description of Gran Central Terminal.

[@HTtwentyten]

I can't believe they intended to destroy this building. An utter irreverence and disdain for history is building again in our culture, and we need step up again to defend the richness of our species' heritage.

[@closerlookback]

Shame Penn Station didn't survive. Was a beauty, too.

[@6ixConfessions]

Grand Central is simply stunning, a real gem in NYC's landscape that should be treasured & I love how the beauty ends abruptly when you walk through the gates; pomp & ceremony out the front & nothing but business down below. It would've been nice if we'd seen what it was like to walk between those enormous windows that overlooked the main concourse though. Very interesting, thank you for such a detailed look at an American icon.

[@hejiranyc]

OMG, I had no idea there were walkways that traversed those grand windows! I'm going to have to make a pitstop in Grand Central today to see for myself!

[@melty4204]

My brother's an engineer at Metro North and thanks to him I've actually gotten to walk through the windows. It's very cool and a little scary. The walkway is made up of glass panes set in a steel frame. each pane spans the with of the walkway but is relatively narrow, maybe a foot or so wide. They are reassuringly thick but I still found myself subconsciously walking on the steel frame instead. The whole walkway is actually floating between the windows. There are bars on each side that seem at first like handrails but are actually the crankshafts that are used for opening the windows. The glass panes have wear on them that makes them almost look like transparent sandstone. The employees think nothing of walking through them. It's actually required to get to the break room. In fact, the only reason we went through it was to get to the employee bathrooms.

[@6ixConfessions]

@@melty4204 Thanks for sharing. I imagine it's something that you will never forget.

[@vickenator]

One of my all-time favorite places on earth. I have been there at least a dozen times but still manage to get turned around in some of the passages.

[@CyclingM1867]

What a wonderful place! I can imagine people coming from other places who weren't used to cities feeling truly awed and overwhelmed by this Terminal. It's on my must see in New York if I ever visit this massive metropolis.

[@Marchant2]

What a gorgeous building. I've been through there many times and never stopped to appreciate what an architectural marvel it is, though I always knew that it was.

[@dubs31]

Extremely fascinating! Thank you, AD. And thanks, Misters Robins & Roberts, for the informative tour through one of the great NYC icons.

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Amazing!! Lots of info I never knew about Grand Central! As a civil engineer in 1983, working for a firm that was designing repairs to the structure of Park Av around the terminal, I got to explore this amazing building. Walking the entire upper roadway to and thru the "building of many names" at the north end a bunch of times was an interesting and remarkable thrill of a walk!!! Back then, the lower level Info Booth never seemed to be staffed and what made it even eerier, was that me and my co-worker were usually the only 2 people on the entire lower level!!! And, those glass floors between the windows on the west side of GCT freaked us out the 1st time we encountered them. We crawled across, just so our hands would be closer to anyplace to grab on to in case the glass floor broke. Thanks again for the new info!!!

[@evelynramos8111]

Thank you for this great representation.

[@angelabird4794]

I went to New York 6 years ago, me and my sister went here and it was amazing, we had a pizza down stairs and was shocked with the size of it. I had my picture taken with a cop in the enrtance you went in xx love New York xx

[@karamuenster]

This is amazing!! Like a guided tour for free 🤩🤙🏻🤙🏻 Thank You guys 😁

An excellent video of an American architectural gem! Thank you for uploading!

[@JutikingLPs]

Awesome video! I like that style of explaining everything I'd love to see more of this!

[@BeepasGarage]

This is an incredible video. I almost feel like I am there.

[@zclindy]

I've lived in NYC for most of my life and never knew about the "Apartment"/lounge! What a beautiful area.

[@midwesternexplorer9339]

Been really enjoying these videos. Never been to New york but would like to visit someday.

[@AlainSTO]

This is awesome. Like in the classic sense of being in awe. I walk through here a ton and never noticed these details.

[@annaleah7890]

One of the best contents in KZbin I’d dare say. Great job!

[@reverandzombre3755]

this is so great. Thank you.

[@vincentmichaelquinn925]

Wonderful! Thanks so much for this great tour of this great temple of transport!

[@thehairypersian7284]

IS THERE EVEN ANY POINT IN ME SAYING HOW AMAZING THIS VIDEO WAS?? OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE ELSE DOES TOO! SO REFRESHING TO SEE SOMETHING OF WORTH ON KZbin! WELL DONE GUYS!!

[@Feistywench59]

Commuted through this beautiful terminal for years, thank you for all the interesting facts I have never heard before

[@Sebastian-eg5iu]

Remarkable. Extremely well thought out video. Thank you so much.

[@tb7077]

I actually got to go into GCS when it was closed for renovations back in the early 80’s. I had a second cousin my mom and I visited. He worked for the city and grew up there. He knew it like the back of his hand. Saw were they used part of it for Lex Luther’s lair in tge movie Superman. Beautiful place! Great memories.

[@rubberdc]

Thank you so much for videoing this enormous beautiful building. I learnt more from this than I did when i visited NY.

[@now-boarding2853]

This series is so phenomenal. Thank you @Architecturaldigest for this content! Please continue feeding our brains and inspiring our curiosity. Cheers!

[@ilanalani]

Fantastic video. Enjoyed pouring over all these details and anecdotes of such a famous building. Thank you!

[@bennethmamon7793]

I hope more videos can be added to this playlist. Im sure there a lot more interesting places.

[@DaleKnudsen]

Everytime I rewatch this I learn more. More of these please!

[@crp5591]

Brilliant video, Thank you!!