Grand Central's Fight for Survival | How it Became Manhattan

This is Grand Central Terminal

It sits right here on 42nd Street, right in the middle of Park Avenue

Because of this, traffic flows around it. Grand Central was built at the height of train travel

and played a huge role in moving the central hub of the city northward

to the middle of the island of Manhattan. In this lesson, I'm going to tell you all about Grand Central

and the fight that was won to keep it. The shining star of this train station is visible the moment you walk in

This big, beautiful open space and this impressive painted ceiling with constellations illuminating it

It's breathtaking and worth a visit just for this main room. But when you're here, remember that this station is way more than just this massive room

Grand Central extends almost nine stories beneath me and accommodates dozens and dozens of tracks

making it one of the largest train terminals in the world. In addition to being a train terminal, it's also a subway stop on the New York subway

So often it's referred to as Grand Central Station, but technically it's Grand Central Terminal

The difference being that trains go through a station and end at a terminal

So you'll hear it be called a station, but it's technically a terminal

And if this is confusing to you, just call it Grand Central. This structure was not the first to stand here serving the trains in this area

This entire avenue, Park Avenue, used to be filled just with train lines

And early on, this spot became a train yard. It wasn until the 1890s that the tracks running the length of this entire road were covered up and it was turned into the Park Avenue that we know today Before we get more into Grand Central I want to take a minute and talk about another transit hub Penn Station Today Penn Station is notoriously sucky to travel

through. The ceilings are low, the lights are dim, it's really drabby and it's

really easy to start feeling claustrophobic. But it hasn't always been like this

Look at what it used to be. Penn Station used to be really pretty. Like really

pretty. It was one of the most beautiful buildings in Manhattan. Just look at these

photos. As of 2020 they rebuilt part of it called Moyhan Hall and it's a little

bit better than it used to be but it's still no Grand Central

Today, all the trains here are government operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA

But in the mid-1800s, when people were just beginning to build these train lines

all of them were privately owned and operated. So Grand Central was built as a competitor to Penn Station

with each of the railroad owners competing for more traffic through their transit hub

Around the same time workers were building Grand Central, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company was building train tunnels under the Hudson River

These trains were bringing in passengers from New Jersey and beyond, and they were pulling into this beautiful station on the west side of Manhattan

Pennsylvania Station. Remember that this was at a time when train travel was the way to get around

But that soon changed. Shortly after these two stations were built air travel began to take over Also the freeway system began to expand across the entire United States

That meant that a lot fewer people were using these trains. And eventually, this beautiful edifice was moved underground so that the land, the real

estate, could be used for something else. When the old Penn Station was torn apart, it was considered a massive loss for the history

of the city. But because such a beautiful building was destroyed, that sparked a movement that helped

to prevent other beautiful buildings from meeting that same fate. After the original Penn Station was destroyed, real estate developers put a target on Grand

Central's back because it was only several stories tall and the airspace above it was

growing in value as a skyscraper would be much more profitable to have in this spot

Proposals were made for destroying Grand Central or even building on top of it

Look at what almost could have been. But the city stepped in and said no

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, wife of the former US President, famously helped advocate for

the building's preservation. A case was opened between those trying to tear down Grand Central and those trying to

preserve it. And this case was eventually taken all the way to the Supreme Court

They ruled in favor of preserving Grand Central. So you and I get to go and enjoy it today

Thank goodness. And the reason there was so much pushback against destroying the building is because

because it's such a visible New York landmark. Hundreds of thousands of people pass through this every day

and not just commuting. People come here specifically to see Grand Central

During World War II, the city painted the windows black so that it would be less viewable from the sky

and less of a target to potential bombers Also during the space race of the 1960s the US government placed a massive rocket in this central hall to get people excited to go to space CBS used to have broadcasting offices in here

making it really common for them to display big national events in here. For example, when John

Glenn orbited the moon in 1962, it was broadcast right here. There's actually still a hole you can

see in the ceiling from where they mounted the rocket. People love this building. As you walk

through this vast structure, make sure to look up in the main concourse at the turquoise ceiling

with constellations painted on it with these gold lines that represent the sun's path in the sky

throughout the seasons. In the center of the concourse, make sure to get a good look at this

brass clock right above the info desk. This iconic clock is said to be worth as much as 20 million

dollars. It's featured in many popular movies like this 1990s movie, The Fisher King, where the clock

turns into a disco ball. Head to the lower floor to this hallway

with the tile ceiling, and you'll notice that sound waves travel differently down here

This is called the whispering gallery because the curvature creates an acoustic oddity

that allows you to whisper and be heard from super far away, even with the bustle of the city

There's even a museum in here where you can see miniature trains and models of the city

Grand Central also has a food court on the lower level if you want to grab lunch

Overall, it's worth taking an hour or two to wander around this beautiful structure

and take it all in. And to consider that this was very close to being destroyed

But luckily for us, it wasn't. In the next lesson, we're gonna head

just a couple blocks north to one of the most recognizable parks in the world, Central Park