130-697: The IRT Powerhouse , also known as the Interborough Rapid Transit Company Powerhouse , is a former power station of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), which operated the New York City Subway 's first line . The building fills a block bounded by 58th Street, 59th Street , Eleventh Avenue , and Twelfth Avenue in the Hell's Kitchen and Riverside South neighborhoods of Manhattan . The IRT Powerhouse
260-509: A Starbucks coffee shop, a Rite Aid pharmacy, and an Apple Store . The Oyster Bar, the oldest business in the terminal, sits next to the Dining Concourse and below Vanderbilt Hall. An elegantly restored cocktail lounge, the Campbell , sits just south of the 43rd Street/Vanderbilt Avenue entrance. A mix of commuters and tourists access it from the street or the balcony level. The space
390-470: A caduceus below an inscripted panel that reads: "To all those with head, heart, and hand • Toiled in the construction of this monument to the public service • This is inscribed." Above the panel is a clock framed by a pair of carved cornucopias. In 2014, the foyer was named for Onassis, former First Lady of the United States , who in the 1970s helped ward off the demolition of
520-545: A rail yard and sidings ; of these, 43 tracks are in use for passenger service, while the remaining two dozen are used to store trains. Grand Central Terminal was named by and for the New York Central Railroad , which built the station and its two predecessors on the site. It has "always been more colloquially and affectionately known as Grand Central Station", the name of its immediate predecessor that operated from 1900 to 1910. The name "Grand Central Station"
650-446: A theatre in the round , spectators sit on three sides of the court. A men's smoking room and women's waiting room were formerly located on the west and east sides of Vanderbilt Hall, respectively. In 2016, the men's room was renovated into Agern , an 85-seat Nordic-themed fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurant operated by Noma co-founder Claus Meyer , who also ran the food hall. Both venues permanently closed in 2020 during
780-595: A 2004 book about the history of the New York City Subway , described it as "a classical temple that paid homage to modern industry". Several artists, historians, and architects also praised the building in letters to the LPC. These included architect Robert A. M. Stern , art history professor Barry Bergdoll , historic preservation professor Andrew Dolkart , and artist Chuck Close . Interborough Rapid Transit Company The Interborough Rapid Transit Company ( IRT )
910-629: A Metro-North train before collecting them three weeks later. In 1996, some of the lost-and-found items were displayed at an art exhibition. Grand Central Terminal contains restaurants such as the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant and various fast food outlets surrounding the Dining Concourse. There are also delis, bakeries, a gourmet and fresh food market, and an annex of the New York Transit Museum . The 40-plus retail stores include newsstands and chain stores, including
1040-547: A central control service was activated in 1915 at the 59th Street plant; it managed operations at the 59th and 74th Street power stations, as well as several substations on the IRT network. Following a power failure on the IRT subway in 1917 caused by a lack of coal at the 59th Street plant, the New York Public Service Commission required that the IRT maintain a reserve of coal at the 59th and 74th Street plants. After
1170-560: A city landmark in 1979. Historian John Tauranac was one of two people to speak in favor of designation, but Con Ed opposed designation of the building, except for the facade's Eleventh Avenue elevation. Walker O. Cain , an architect speaking on behalf of Con Ed, testified that it was unclear whether Stanford White's firm was involved with the construction of the other facades. The LPC held another landmark hearing in 1990, in which several preservation groups and Manhattan Community Board 4 supported designation. Con Ed again objected, stating that
1300-599: A contract to refurbish the Biltmore Room into an arrival area for Long Island Rail Road passengers as part of the East Side Access project. As part of the project, the room's booths and stands were replaced by a pair of escalators and an elevator to Grand Central Madison's deep-level concourse, which opened in May 2023. The room's blackboard displayed the arrival and departure times of New York Central trains until 1967, when
1430-517: A final cost of $ 75 million. In spring 2000, construction began on a project to enclose the Northeast and Northwest passages with ceilings and walls. Work on each passage was expected to take 7.5 months, with the entire project wrapping up by summer 2001. As part of the project, the walls of the passages were covered with glazed terrazzo ; the Northeast Passage's walls have blue-green accents while
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#17330849445471560-508: A large glass clerestory . The building opened with five brick smokestacks, designed to echo the smokestacks on the great steamships at the nearby Hudson River piers. These chimneys weighed 1,160 short tons (1,040 long tons; 1,050 t) apiece and rose 162 feet (49 m) above the roofs, or 225 feet (69 m) above the grates in the boiler rooms. The smokestacks were spaced 108 feet (33 m) apart and were lined with thick layers of brick. The chimneys measured 21 feet (6.4 m) across at
1690-460: A mechanical board was installed in the Main Concourse. The Station Master's Office, located near Track 36, has Grand Central's only dedicated waiting room. The space has benches, restrooms, and a floral mixed-media mural on three of its walls. The room's benches were previously located in the former waiting room, now known as Vanderbilt Hall. Since 2008, the area has offered free Wi-Fi. One of
1820-624: A precaution during the COVID-19 pandemic , Grand Central North closed on March 26, 2020. It reopened in September of that year with hours from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. In 2021, its original hours were restored. On November 1, 2021, the entrance to the northeastern corner of Madison Avenue and 47th Street was "closed long-term to accommodate the construction of 270 Park Avenue ". After Grand Central Madison begins full service, Grand Central North will be open from 5:30 a.m. until 2 a.m., seven days
1950-505: A repair and machine shop. The walls of the boiler room were wainscoted on the lower portion and exposed brick on the upper portion. In case of a steam pipe failure in the boiler room, the brick wall would stop the steam from spreading to the generating room. Several traveling cranes were also installed throughout the powerhouse. When built, the IRT Powerhouse was intended to be the largest generating station on earth. John van Vleck designed
2080-461: A single, more efficient boiler that required one-third the amount of coal as the old boilers. In addition, existing switchgear at the plant was replaced. When one of the new circuits was tested at the powerhouse in 1951, it temporarily cut off service to the subway system. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) took over operation of the 59th Street plant from the BOT in 1951. Despite the expansion, by
2210-451: A tablet with the words interborough rapid transit company , runs above the center of the attic. Between the facade and the sidewalk is a planting bed surrounded by an iron railing; the space originally contained a sunken basement court. The southern elevation on 58th Street and the northern elevation on 59th Street are both nineteen bays wide and differ only slightly from each other in design. The 58th Street facade has basement openings, and
2340-554: A week. The main entrance into the terminal, underneath the Park Avenue Viaduct, opens into the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer. The room is a short passage with a sloped floor and arched shop windows along its side walls. It is adorned with glass and bronze chandeliers, a classical cornice, and a decorative tympanum above the doors leading to Vanderbilt Hall. The tympanum has sculpted bronze garlands and
2470-402: A year, 60% of which were eventually claimed. In 2013, the bureau reported an 80% return rate, among the highest in the world for a transit agency. Some of the more unusual items collected by the bureau include fake teeth, prosthetic body parts, legal documents, diamond pouches, live animals, and a $ 100,000 violin. One story has it that a woman purposely left her unfaithful husband's ashes on
2600-533: Is also noted for its library, event hall, tennis club, control center and offices for the railroad, and sub-basement power station. Grand Central Terminal was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad ; it also served the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and, later, successors to the New York Central. Opened in 1913, the terminal was built on the site of two similarly named predecessor stations,
2730-593: Is also shared with the nearby U.S. Post Office station at 450 Lexington Avenue and, colloquially, with the Grand Central–42nd Street subway station next to the terminal. The station has been named "Grand Central Terminal" since before its completion in 1913; the full title is inscribed on its 42nd Street facade. According to 21st-century sources, it is designated a "terminal" because trains originate and terminate there. The CSX Corporation Railroad Dictionary also considers "terminals" as facilities "for
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#17330849445472860-426: Is an information booth topped with a four-sided brass clock, one of Grand Central's most recognizable icons. The terminal's main departure boards are located at the south end of the space. The boards have been replaced numerous times since their initial installation in 1967. In their design for the station's interior, Reed & Stem created a circulation system that allowed passengers alighting from trains to enter
2990-616: Is entirely elevated except for a short portion approaching its East River tunnel and its terminal at Flushing–Main Street (the whole Manhattan portion of the line is underground). The Flushing Line has had no track connection to the rest of the IRT since 1942, when service on the Second Avenue El was discontinued. It is connected to the BMT and the rest of the system via the BMT Astoria Line on
3120-437: Is just south of Waterline Square . When it opened, the IRT Powerhouse had a frontage of 200 feet (61 m) along Eleventh Avenue and extended 694 feet (212 m) westward, with a temporary brick wall at the western end. The IRT Powerhouse is an elaborately detailed Renaissance Revival building, designed by Stanford White , one of the principal architects of the firm McKim, Mead & White . The interiors were designed by
3250-401: Is lit by Beaux-Arts chandeliers, each with 132 bulbs on four tiers. Vanderbilt Hall was formerly the main waiting room for the terminal, used particularly by intercity travelers. The space featured double-sided oak benches and could seat 700 people. As long-distance passenger service waned, the space became favored by the homeless, who began regularly living there in the 1980s. In 1989, the room
3380-464: Is located on the upper platform level of Grand Central, in the geographical center of the station building. The 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m ) concourse leads directly to most of the terminal's upper-level tracks, although some are accessed from passageways near the concourse. The Main Concourse is usually filled with bustling crowds and is often used as a meeting place. At the center of the concourse
3510-404: Is northwest of the Main Concourse and directly beneath 22 Vanderbilt , the former Biltmore Hotel building. The room was completed in 1915 as a waiting room for intercity trains, which led to its colloquial name of the "Kissing Room", in reference to the greetings that would take place there. As the station's passenger traffic declined in mid-century, the room fell into neglect. In 1982 and 1983,
3640-417: Is one of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions, with 21.6 million visitors in 2018, excluding train and subway passengers. The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place, and is especially featured in films and television. Grand Central Terminal contains a variety of stores and food vendors, including upscale restaurants and bars, a food hall, and a grocery marketplace. The building
3770-475: Is supported by the crane-supporting columns, while the roof over the boiler room is supported by its own set of columns. The original chimneys were supported by platforms of 24-inch (610 mm) I-beams and a system of plate girders 8 feet (240 cm) deep. The foundation was constructed using various methods because of the uneven depth of the underlying bedrock , which ranged from about 12 to 35 feet (3.7 to 10.7 m). Cast-iron bases were used to distribute
3900-642: Is the southern terminus of the Metro-North Railroad 's Harlem , Hudson and New Haven Lines , serving the northern parts of the New York metropolitan area . It also contains a connection to the Long Island Rail Road through the Grand Central Madison station, a 16-acre (65,000 m ) rail terminal underneath the Metro-North station, built from 2007 to 2023. The terminal also connects to
4030-700: The Empire Builder , the San Francisco Zephyr , the Southwest Limited , the Crescent , and the Sunset Limited under Amtrak. Destinations included San Francisco , Los Angeles , Vancouver , New Orleans , Chicago , and Montreal . Another notable former train was New York Central's 20th Century Limited , a luxury service that operated to Chicago's LaSalle Street Station between 1902 and 1967 and
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4160-588: The A Division or IRT Division of the Subway. The first IRT subway ran between City Hall and 145th Street at Broadway , opening on October 27, 1904. It opened following more than twenty years of public debate on the merits of subways versus the existing elevated rail system and on various proposed routes. Founded on May 6, 1902, by August Belmont, Jr. , the IRT's mission was to operate New York City's initial underground rapid transit system after Belmont's and John B. McDonald 's Rapid Transit Construction Company
4290-534: The COVID-19 pandemic . City Winery signed a lease for both the food hall and the Agern space in 2022. The firm opened a wine bar, a quick-service restaurant named City Jams, and a farm-to-table restaurant named Cornelius in these spaces that November. The Biltmore Room, originally known simply as the incoming train room, is a 64-by-80-foot (20 by 24 m) marble hall that serves as an entrance to tracks 39 through 42, and connects to Grand Central Madison. The hall
4420-629: The Hell's Kitchen and Riverside South neighborhoods on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City . It carries the addresses 855–869 Eleventh Avenue, 601–669 West 58th Street, and 600–648 West 59th Street. The building fills the entire block bounded by 59th Street to the north, 58th Street to the south, Eleventh Avenue to the east, and Twelfth Avenue and the Hudson River to the west. The block measures about 200 by 800 feet (61 by 244 m) and
4550-520: The New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street station . The terminal is the third-busiest train station in North America , after New York Penn Station and Toronto Union Station . The distinctive architecture and interior design of Grand Central Terminal's station house have earned it several landmark designations, including as a National Historic Landmark . Its Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art . Grand Central Terminal
4680-490: The New York City steam system . Barges delivered oil to the nearby Pier 98 by barge; the oil was used to power the former IRT Powerhouse. In 1960, Con Ed shut down the old low-pressure boilers and installed modern high-pressure boilers. Interconnections were established between the IRT Powerhouse and other transit and Con Ed plants. The labor force was reduced from 1,200 to less than 700, and topping turbines were installed. In 1962, more high-pressure units were activated to replace
4810-580: The United States Supreme Court . The IRT ceased to function as a privately held company on June 12, 1940, when its properties and operations were acquired by the City of New York. Today, the IRT lines are operated as the A Division of the subway. The remaining lines are underground in Manhattan, except for a short stretch across Harlem at 125th Street and in northern Manhattan. Its many lines in
4940-642: The third rail system that powered the trains. Four 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW) turbo generators were installed in between the row of alternating current generators; three were in service when the plant was completed. Each turbo generator was fed by a 1,250-kilowatt (1,680 hp) alternator. These produced the light for the subway stations, and alongside the AC generators, could produce 100,000 horsepower (75,000 kW). In addition, there were five exciter units, each of which were 250-kilowatt (340 hp) direct current generators providing 250-volt exciting current for
5070-421: The 1998 renovation, which restored the ramps' original appearance with one minor change: the bridge now has a low balustrade, replacing an eight-foot-high solid wall that blocked views between the two levels. The underside of the bridge is covered with Guastavino tiling . The bridge's arches create a whispering gallery in the landing beneath it: a person standing in one corner can hear another speaking softly in
5200-426: The 397 columns in the superstructure. The IRT Powerhouse was similar in layout to larger power plants. The boiler room and the engine and generating room were separated by a brick partition wall. Galleries along the north wall of the generating room supported electrical switches and control board, and galleries along the south wall supported the auxiliary steam piping. The main northern gallery also housed equipment for
5330-593: The 47th and 48th Street entrances were open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., while the two entrances to the Helmsley Building were closed. Five years after they opened, the passageways were used by about 30,000 people on a typical weekday. But they served only about 6,000 people on a typical weekend, so the MTA proposed to close them on weekends to save money as part of the 2005–2008 Financial Plan. Since summer 2006, Grand Central North has been closed on weekends. As
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5460-824: The Bronx in New York City; Westchester , Putnam , and Dutchess counties in New York ; and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut . The MTA's Long Island Rail Road operates commuter trains to the Grand Central Madison station beneath Grand Central, completed in 2023 in the East Side Access project. The project connects the terminal to all of the railroad's branches via its Main Line , linking Grand Central Madison to almost every LIRR station. Partial service to Jamaica began on January 25, 2023. The New York City Subway 's adjacent Grand Central–42nd Street station serves
5590-564: The Bronx are predominantly elevated, with some subway, and some railroad-style right-of-way acquired from the defunct New York, Westchester and Boston Railway , which now constitutes the IRT Dyre Avenue Line . Its Brooklyn lines are underground with a single elevated extension that reaches up to New Lots Avenue , and the other reaching Flatbush Avenue via the underground Nostrand Avenue Line . The Flushing Line , its sole line in Queens ,
5720-464: The Hudson River and filtered, then used to condense the steam from the boilers. The condensing water was discharged into the river after use because the design of jet condensers prevented the steam from being recycled as boiler feedwater. Each of the twelve condensers could handle 10 million U.S. gallons (37,854,000 L; 8,327,000 imp gal) per day. The generators were directly fed by
5850-545: The IRT Powerhouse's facade. According to an IRT history, the directors decided on "an ornate style of treatment" similar to that of other civic projects of the time, while also rendering the building "architecturally attractive". The building's magnificence and ornate details reflect the ideas of the City Beautiful movement . The powerhouse provided power for the original subway line of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). It and served as an aboveground focal point for
5980-566: The IRT added four boilers with underfeed stokers to the 59th Street plant in 1924, no major upgrades were carried out for the following sixteen years. The New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) acquired the IRT in 1940, combining it with the city's two other major subway systems, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation and the Independent Subway System . The IRT's 59th Street power station came under
6110-409: The IRT in 1940. The building continued to supply power to the subway system until 1959, when Consolidated Edison repurposed the building as part of the New York City steam system . The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the powerhouse as a city landmark in 2017, after several decades of attempts to grant landmark status to the building. The IRT Powerhouse is on the border of
6240-554: The IRT installed five 7,500-kilowatt (10,100 hp) vertical turbo-generators made by General Electric , as well as surface condensers for each turbine; this added 15,000 kilowatts (20,000 hp) of generating capacity without having to heat the steam further. The IRT gradually replaced stokers at the powerhouse between 1913 and 1917, making the boilers even more efficient. In 1917, the company installed three 35,000-kilowatt (47,000 hp) horizontal General Electric turbo-generators, and added superheaters to 30 boilers. Additionally,
6370-423: The IRT set up a laboratory for coal analysis at the unloading dock. Coal was sampled as it left the barge and evaluated according to company specifications. The IRT granted suppliers a bonus for coal of especially good quality, or penalized them for coal of particularly poor quality. The coal laboratory ensured that the plant furnaces received coal most suited to plant conditions, increasing plant efficiency. The IRT
6500-490: The IRT's managing engineers John van Vleck , Lewis B. Stillwell , and S. L. F. Deyo. The machinery and internal layout were designed by IRT engineer John B. McDonald . The structural design is largely attributed to William C. Phelps, who had also been involved in constructing the Manhattan Railway Company 's 74th Street Power Station between 1899 and 1901. The IRT's directors were personally involved in designing
6630-428: The LPC approved a restoration plan for the old powerhouse. Although the IRT Powerhouse no longer produced power, it was part of a network that served 1,500 buildings in Manhattan; the 59th Street steam plant provided about 12 percent of the network's steam capacity as of 2022. Oil deliveries to Pier 58 had declined over the years, and the 59th Street steam plant relied increasingly on a natural-gas pipeline. By 2022,
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#17330849445476760-406: The LPC for several decades, but never approved as city landmarks. During public hearings, Con Ed representatives were again the only opponents to landmark designation. Accordingly, the LPC tabled the designation while it worked with Con Ed to determine how the building could be preserved while remaining in operation. The IRT Powerhouse was designated a city landmark on December 5, 2017. The next month,
6890-414: The Main Concourse and the construction of Grand Central Tower . Vanderbilt Hall is an event space on the south side of the terminal, between the main entrance and the Main Concourse to its north. The rectangular room measures 65 by 205 feet (20 m × 62 m). The north and south walls are divided into five bays, each with large rectangular windows, screened with heavy bronze grills. The room
7020-471: The Main Concourse ceiling. Access to the lower-level tracks is provided by the Dining Concourse, located below the Main Concourse and connected to it by numerous stairs, ramps, and escalators. For decades, it was called the Suburban Concourse because it handled commuter rail trains. Today, it has central seating and lounge areas, surrounded by restaurants and food vendors. The shared public seating in
7150-606: The Main Concourse, then leave through various passages that branch from it. Among these are the north–south 42nd Street Passage and Shuttle Passage, which run south to 42nd Street; and three east–west passageways—the Grand Central Market, the Graybar Passage, and the Lexington Passage—that run about 240 feet (73 m) east to Lexington Avenue by 43rd Street. Several passages run north of the terminal, including
7280-512: The North End Access Project, the work was to be completed in 1997 at a cost of $ 64.5 million, but it was slowed by the incomplete nature of the building's original blueprints and by previously undiscovered groundwater beneath East 45th Street. During construction, MTA Arts & Design mosaics were installed; each work was part of As Above, So Below , by Brooklyn artist Ellen Driscoll . The passageways opened on August 18, 1999, at
7410-606: The Northwest Passage's walls have red ones. The ceilings are 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) high; the cross-passages' ceilings are blue-green, the same color as the Main Concourse, and have recessed lights arranged to resemble the Main Concourse's constellations. The passages were to be heated in winter and ventilated. Originally, Grand Central North had no restrooms or air-conditioning. The entrances to Grand Central North were originally open from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. During weekends and holidays,
7540-524: The RTSCC signed $ 1.5 million worth of contracts with Allis-Chalmers , for the engines, and Babcock & Wilcox , for the boilers. Two weeks later, McDonald decided to purchase a site between 58th Street, Eleventh Avenue, 59th Street, and Twelfth Avenue for $ 900,000. After buying the land for the powerhouse, Belmont, Deyo, McDonald, and van Vleck went to Europe for one month to research and observe railways and power infrastructure there. Subsequently, Stanford White
7670-430: The ashes could be stored before being unloaded later. The steam from each group of six boilers fed a steam main. From there, steam could go to the basement to feed the high-pressure cylinders of the engine, or it could enter a manifold , a system of 12-inch pipes connecting the steam mains of all the boiler groups. When the valves to the manifold were shut, each boiler/engine group could be operated independently, and when
7800-482: The boiler plant of the power house according to a unit plan that divided the plant into six independent functional sections, allowing for high operational flexibility. Each unit contained two rows of six boilers, feeding two steam engines in the generating room. For each unit there were also two condensers , two boiler-feed pumps, two smoke-flue systems with economizers , and two complements of auxiliary apparatus. The twelve boilers were symmetrically arranged around one of
7930-452: The breaking up, making up, forwarding, and servicing of trains" or "where one or more rail yards exist". Grand Central Terminal serves some 67 million passengers a year, more than any other Metro-North station. During morning rush hour , a train arrives at the terminal every 58 seconds. Three of Metro-North's five main lines terminate at Grand Central: Through these lines, the terminal serves Metro-North commuters traveling to and from
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#17330849445478060-518: The building had been heavily modified, and the LPC declined to designate the building. The issue of preservation reemerged in mid-2007 when urban planners Jimmy Finn and Paul Kelterborn founded the Hudson River Powerhouse Group to advocate for landmark status for the IRT Powerhouse. This led the LPC to again reconsider the IRT Powerhouse as a city landmark in 2009. The LPC received hundreds of comments or written designations in support of
8190-581: The center of its distribution area. However, few suitable large sites were available. Three such sites along the East River at 38th, 74th, and 96th Streets were already occupied by power plants. Parsons wanted a site near Midtown Manhattan , nearer the subway's distribution center, and rejected McDonald's suggestions for sites in Lower Manhattan and Long Island City , as well as another suggestion to build smaller powerhouses underground. In mid-September 1901,
8320-511: The concourse was designed resembling Pullman traincars . These areas are frequented by the homeless, and as a result, in the mid-2010s the MTA created two areas with private seating for dining customers. The terminal's late-1990s renovation added stands and restaurants to the concourse, and installed escalators to link it to the main concourse level. The MTA also spent $ 2.2 million to install two circular terrazzo designs by David Rockwell and Beyer Blinder Belle , each 45 feet in diameter, over
8450-472: The concourse's original terrazzo floor. Since 2015, part of the Dining Concourse has been closed for the construction of stairways and escalators to the new LIRR terminal being built as part of East Side Access . A small square-framed clock is installed in the ceiling near Tracks 108 and 109. It was manufactured at an unknown time by the Self Winding Clock Company , which made several others in
8580-399: The day; for instance, high-grade coal could be distributed to all boilers during peak hours and low-grade coal could be used at other times. After the coal was used in the boilers, the ashes dropped into hoppers beneath the boilers. Locomotives pulled the ash hoppers back beneath Twelfth Avenue to conveyors, which sorted the ashes either to the pier for unloading into barges, or to bunkers where
8710-423: The diagonally opposite corner. Grand Central North is a network of four tunnels that allow people to walk between the station building (which sits between 42nd and 44th Street) and exits at 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th Street. The 1,000-foot (300 m) Northwest Passage and 1,200-foot (370 m) Northeast Passage run parallel to the tracks on the upper level, while two shorter cross-passages run perpendicular to
8840-419: The entrance. The theater's interior had simple pine walls spaced out to eliminate echos, along with an inglenook , a fireplace, and an illuminated clock for the convenience of travelers. The walls of the lobby, dubbed the "appointment lounge", were covered with world maps; the ceiling had an astronomical mural painted by Sarg. The New York Times reported a cost of $ 125,000 for the theater's construction, which
8970-504: The equipment are operational, others are in need of restoration or are used simply as static displays. Other NYC Subway companies: Also: Grand Central Terminal Metro-North Railroad terminal Grand Central Terminal ( GCT ; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central ) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan , New York City . Grand Central
9100-407: The expected load for each column. The columns that support the cranes used in the operating house are supported by cantilevers. The floors themselves were made of concrete arches, reinforced with expanded metals, with the floor slabs being a minimum of 24 inches (610 mm) thick. The floor construction was to withstand test loads of 200 pounds per square foot (980 kg/m) on all flat portions of
9230-559: The first and third stories and a course above the fourth story. The facade was capped by a cornice, which was later removed. The overall design of the facade is based on the Boston Public Library , but with over-scaled design elements. The most elaborately designed section of the building's facade is the eastern elevation facing Eleventh Avenue, which consists of eight bays. The six center bays project slightly and are flanked by brick and terracotta pilasters . Within these six bays,
9360-414: The first of which dated to 1871. Grand Central Terminal served intercity trains until 1991, when Amtrak began routing its trains through nearby Penn Station . Grand Central covers 48 acres (19 ha) and has 44 platforms , more than any other railroad station in the world. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower. In total, there are 67 tracks, including
9490-399: The first subway line. The completed powerhouse was one of White's last designs, as he was murdered in 1906. The westernmost of the six boiler/engine combinations was not operational at the time of opening, but was activated by late 1904 or 1905. The remainder of the block, west of the powerhouse, was underused and contained a storehouse that operated separately. Soon after the powerhouse opened,
9620-406: The floor is terrazzo . The ceiling is composed of seven groin vaults , each of which has an ornamental bronze chandelier. The first two vaults, as viewed from leaving Grand Central, are painted with cumulus clouds , while the third contains a 1927 mural by Edward Trumbull depicting American transportation. The middle passageway houses Grand Central Market, a cluster of food shops. The site
9750-453: The following routes: These MTA Regional Bus Operations buses stop near Grand Central: The terminal and its predecessors were designed for intercity service, which operated from the first station building's completion in 1871 until Amtrak ceased operations in the terminal in 1991. Through transfers, passengers could connect to all major lines in the United States, including the Canadian ,
9880-422: The generators through the switchboards for distribution to any of eight substations throughout Manhattan and the Bronx . The high tension switches were on the main gallery along the northern wall of the operating plant, and due to their size, were operated in oil so that the circuit could be more easily broken. The substations converted the alternating current to 600 volts of direct current , thereby feeding
10010-524: The hall held the Great Northern Food Hall, an upscale Nordic-themed food court with five pavilions. The food hall was the first long-term tenant of the space; the terminal's landmark status prevents permanent installations. Since 1999, Vanderbilt Hall has hosted the annual Tournament of Champions squash championship. Each January, tournament officials construct a free-standing glass-enclosed 21-by-32-foot (6.4 by 9.8 m) squash court. Like
10140-411: The landmark designation, but declined to grant the structure landmark status yet again, because of opposition from Con Ed. The powerhouse's last original powerhouse was removed that year, prompting concern from preservationists. The issue was revived in late 2015, the LPC prioritized the powerhouse for designation as a city landmark. This was part of a review of landmark listings that had been calendared by
10270-462: The lines of the former Manhattan elevateds have since been dismantled. In 1913, as a result of massive expansion in the city, the IRT signed the Dual Contracts with Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) in order to expand the subway. The agreement also locked the subway fare at 5 cents for forty-nine years. The IRT unsuccessfully attempted to raise the fare to seven cents in 1929, in a case that went to
10400-410: The low-pressure boilers. This was followed in 1966 by the installation of two boilers and a turbo-generator, as well as the replacement of the western four chimneys with a single 500-foot (150 m) tall smokestack. By 1968, the 59th Street plant was exclusively using oil and gas for fuel consumption. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) first considered making the IRT Powerhouse
10530-447: The mid-1950s, the old equipment was regularly creating large amounts of pollution. Some of the equipment had never been replaced since the building opened, with a 1954 report describing the plant as "an engineering museum piece". The NYCTA estimated that upgrades to its three transit powerhouses, including the 59th Street plant, would cost $ 200 million. There were calls for the NYCTA to sell off
10660-585: The north–south 45th Street Passage, which leads to 45th Street and Madison Avenue, and the network of tunnels in Grand Central North, which lead to exits at every street from 45th to 48th Street. Each of the east–west passageways runs through a different building. The northernmost is the Graybar Passage, built on the first floor of the Graybar Building in 1926. Its walls and seven large transverse arches are made of coursed ashlar travertine , and
10790-674: The outermost bays, where the windows are paired. There are portals on the easternmost bay of both facades, which were originally used by New York Central Railroad freight trains running along Eleventh Avenue; the rail line was later relocated into the West Side Line . Several openings at the base contain roll-down metal gates. The building is supported by a skeletal steel superstructure that weighs about 12,000 short tons (11,000 long tons; 11,000 t). The floors and coal bunkers generally consist of I-beams , as well as plate girders similar to those used on plate girder bridges . The strength of
10920-408: The plants. In May 1959, Con Ed bought the three plants at auction, being the only bidder at that auction. This enabled the NYCTA to purchase additional subway cars with the $ 9.26 million that would have been used to maintain the plants. Soon after buying the transit power plants, Con Ed launched a modernization program for them. The 59th Street plant was soon completely overhauled, becoming a plant for
11050-611: The plants. Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. proposed in November 1956 that Consolidated Edison , also known as Con Ed, make an offer to buy the three plants, although the offer met resistance from the Transport Workers Union of America . The NYCTA urged Wagner to reject the $ 90 million offer in February 1957, citing that, among other things, the low sale price might force the NYCTA to raise the transit system's fare. Another recommendation
11180-500: The platforms via 37 stairs, six elevators, and five escalators. The tunnels' street-level entrances, each enclosed by a freestanding glass structure, sit at the northeast corner of East 47th Street and Madison Avenue (Northwest Passage), the northeast corner of East 48th Street and Park Avenue (Northeast Passage), in the two pedestrian walkways underneath the Helmsley Building between 45th and 46th streets, and (since 2012) on
11310-399: The powerhouse could generate more than 100,000 horsepower (75,000 kW). The land was acquired in late 1901, and the structure was constructed from 1902 to 1905. Several changes were made to the facility throughout the early and mid-20th century, and an annex to the west was completed in 1950. The New York City Board of Transportation took over operation of the powerhouse when it acquired
11440-613: The purview of the BOT. By then, the obsolete boilers at the 59th Street plant were causing trains to run at slower speeds due to decreased output. The board decided to enlarge the plant westward to Twelfth Avenue in October 1946. A $ 655,000 construction contract was granted to the Harris Structural Steel Company in January 1948. The annex, completed in 1950, expanded the capacity of the plant by 62,500 kilowatts (83,800 hp), with
11570-480: The retail areas of the Graybar Passage, currently occupied by wine-and-liquor store Central Cellars, was formerly the Grand Central Theatre or Terminal Newsreel Theatre. Opened in 1937 with 25-cent admission, the theater showed short films, cartoons, and newsreels from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Designed by Tony Sarg , it had 242 stadium-style seats and a standing-room section with armchairs. A small bar sat near
11700-609: The revolving fields. Three were driven by direct-connection to induction motors, the others by 400-horsepower marine-type steam engines. Planning for the city's first subway line dates to the Rapid Transit Act, authorized by the New York State Legislature in 1894. The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons , chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission. A plan
11830-406: The risks caused by escaping steam. The boiler room ceiling was 35 feet (11 m) high, providing space for ventilation. The powerhouse used 1,000 short tons (890 long tons; 910 t) of coal each day, generating 132,000 horsepower (98,000 kW). Coal was received from a 700-foot-long (210 m) pier on Twelfth Avenue and brought via conveyor belt to the southwest corner of the basement. Coal
11960-406: The roof, 500 pounds per square foot (2,400 kg/m) in the engine house, and 300 pounds per square foot (1,500 kg/m) in the boiler house. In the engine house, a secondary floor surface of slate slabs on brick partitions is placed atop the concrete arches. The engine room's main operating floor is on a mezzanine 8 feet (2.4 m) above the boiler house's floor. The roof over the operating house
12090-576: The roofline and 15 feet (4.6 m) across at their tops. A sixth smokestack, similar to the others was added shortly after the powerhouse was completed. All of these original smokestacks have been demolished. A seventh smokestack, built in 1967, remains on the building's roof. The facade of the powerhouse is self-supporting and independent of the interior. The base of the powerhouse is clad with Milford granite along its northern, southern, and eastern elevations . The upper stories are clad with brick and terracotta and are divided vertically into bays . On
12220-516: The room was damaged during the construction that converted the Biltmore Hotel into the Bank of America Plaza. In 1985, Giorgio Cavaglieri was hired to restore the room, which at the time had cracked marble and makeshift lighting. During that era, a series of lockers was still located within the Biltmore Room. Later, the room held a newsstand, flower stand, and shoe shine booths. In 2015, the MTA awarded
12350-422: The second and third stories of each bay (except for the outermost bays on each side), there are double-height round-arched window openings topped by decorative archivolts and scrolled keystones . These arched window openings largely contain latticed window frames. In the outermost bays, there are two rectangular windows on either of the second and third stories. There are ornamented horizontal friezes running above
12480-425: The six chimneys. Five of the boiler/engine units were identical; the sixth had a steam turbine plant, installed to power the generator for lighting the subway tunnels. City mains provided the boiler feedwater . The arrangement of the boilers on a single level, and placement of the economizers above the boilers, saved space. The layout permitted a higher, well-lit boiler room, which helped reduce temperature extremes and
12610-456: The south side of 47th Street between Park and Lexington avenues. Pedestrians can also take an elevator to the 47th Street passage from the north side of East 47th Street, between Madison and Vanderbilt avenues; this entrance adjoined the former 270 Park Avenue . Proposals for these tunnels had been discussed since at least the 1970s. The MTA approved preliminary plans in 1983, gave final approval in 1991, and began construction in 1994. Dubbed
12740-668: The steam engines. As built, there were nine alternating current generators of the flywheel type, each of which had a capacity of 5,000 kilowatts (6,700 hp), making 75 rotations per minute. Stillwell and the electrical engineers chose the 5,000 kW generator because it was large but could still be directly connected to the engine shaft using only two bearings. Larger units required more bearings and were more vulnerable to breakdown, while smaller units could not adjust to sudden load changes necessitated by changes in service during peak hours. The generators produced 3-phase, 25-cycle, 11,000 volt alternating current. Current traveled from
12870-422: The steam network received 3 percent of its power from oil and 97 percent from natural gas. Upon the subway's opening, one engineer said that the design was reminiscent of a public library or art museum. Critical praise continued through later years. In the 1990s, one writer for The New York Times characterized the IRT Powerhouse as a "thoroughly classical colossus of a building". Clifton Hood, author of
13000-457: The steelwork necessitated that the building use girders that would normally be used on bridges. The American Bridge Company manufactured the steel used in the superstructure. The floor girders are 3 inches (76 mm) below the floor surface, and connecting beams are placed 1.5 to 2 inches (38 to 51 mm) beneath the girders. The floor beams rest on "seats" that are riveted to the webs of the girders. The column girders vary in dimension based on
13130-406: The subway. The RTSCC, pursuant to its contract with the city, was required to construct and operate a power house for the subway. The power house was to be powered by steam. It needed easy access to transportation lines for coal delivery, as well as a nearby supply of water for boilers and steam condensing, which made a riverside location optimal. Additionally, the power plant was supposed to be near
13260-409: The system, akin to Grand Central Terminal or St Pancras railway station . As constructed, the IRT Powerhouse was separated transversely into two sections, both running along the west–east length of the building. The boiler room was on the south, facing 58th Street, while the operating plant with the engines and generators were on the north, facing 59th Street. The section allocated to the boiler room
13390-427: The terminal. The clock hung inside the gate at Track 19 until 2011, when it was moved so it would not be blocked by lights added during upper-level platform improvements. Metro-North's lost-and-found bureau sits near Track 100 at the far east end of the Dining Concourse. Incoming items are sorted according to function and date: for instance, there are separate bins for hats, gloves, belts, and ties. The sorting system
13520-659: The three, the Lexington Passage, was originally known as the Commodore Passage after the Commodore Hotel , which it ran through. When the hotel was renamed the Grand Hyatt, the passage was likewise renamed. The passage acquired its current name during the terminal's renovation in the 1990s. The Shuttle Passage, on the west side of the terminal, connects the Main Concourse to Grand Central's subway station. The terminal
13650-564: The tops of the arched openings contain transom panels made of glass. There are palmettes placed at regular intervals along the pilasters. The pilasters correspond exactly to the original chimneys. The northernmost bay, the furthest right along the Eleventh Avenue facade, contains the original main entrance, a rectangular doorway with a classically designed frame. The fourth-story attic contains pairs of rectangular windows in each bay, surrounded by ornamented window frames. A parapet, containing
13780-469: The tops of the arched openings contain transom panels made of buff brick. On the 59th Street facade, there are no basement openings, and the arched openings are topped by transom panels with glazed glass. On both facades, each bay is separated by pairs of rusticated brick pilasters, which contain simple bands placed at regular intervals. The fourth-story attic contains triplets of rectangular windows in each bay, surrounded by ornamented window frames, except in
13910-408: The tracks. The 47th Street cross-passage runs between the upper and lower tracks, 30 feet (9.1 m) below street level; it provides access to upper-level tracks. The 45th Street cross-passage runs under the lower tracks, 50 feet (15 m) below street level. Converted from a corridor built to transport luggage and mail, it provides access to lower-level tracks. The cross-passages are connected to
14040-710: The upper level of the Queensboro Plaza station. Source: Trunk lines include: Branch lines include: There were three Brooklyn lines built by the IRT: The only line in Queens is the Flushing Line ( 7 <7> trains), under 50th Avenue, and over Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue . (of the East and Harlem Rivers, from south to north) Several pieces of pre-unification IRT equipment have been preserved in various museums. While some of
14170-412: The valves were open, the 12-inch pipes distributed steam from all the boilers evenly to the engines in the generating room. The engines themselves were 12,000-horsepower (8,900 kW) reciprocating engines , each pair of which consisted of a high pressure and a low pressure cylinder. Inside the generating room, two barometric jet condensers served each steam engine. The condensing water was taken from
14300-420: The weight carried by the superstructure columns. Where the bedrock was near the bottoms of the cast-iron bases, a pad of concrete 12 inches (300 mm) thick was poured under the bases. Some of the cast-iron bases rest on concrete foundation piers topped by granite. Massive granite bases were also poured into the foundation underneath where each of the twelve engines would be placed. The foundation also supports
14430-402: Was 83 feet (25 m) wide, while that allocated to the operating plant was 117 feet (36 m) wide. The westernmost section of the block is occupied by an annex completed in 1951. The roof above the IRT Powerhouse is 125 feet (38 m) above its basement. The roof consists of several smaller pitched gables set back from the street. The roof was initially clad with terracotta and contained
14560-465: Was also initially intended to be 586 feet (179 m) long, but the IRT's signing of Contract 2 that year necessitated that the powerhouse be lengthened to 694 feet. Plans were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings in May 1902, with Deyo as the architect of record. Work proceeded quickly despite several strikes during the course of construction. By the end of 1903, the subway
14690-484: Was among the most famous trains of its time. From 1971 to 1991, all Amtrak trains using the intrastate Empire Corridor to Niagara Falls terminated at Grand Central; interstate Northeast Corridor trains used Penn Station. Notable Amtrak services at Grand Central included the Lake Shore , Empire Service , Adirondack , Niagara Rainbow , Maple Leaf , and Empire State Express . Grand Central Terminal
14820-466: Was attributed to construction of an elevator between the theater and the suburban concourse as well as air conditioning and apparatuses for people hard of hearing. The theater stopped showing newsreels by 1968 but continued operating until around 1979, when it was gutted for retail space. A renovation in the early 2000s removed a false ceiling, revealing the theater's projection window and its astronomical mural, which proved similar in colors and style to
14950-514: Was averted through negotiations. The Real Estate Record and Guide reported in April 1904 that, despite a bricklayers' strike, over four hundred workers were employed in constructing the powerhouse, and most of the building had been completed except for the western end. The same journal two months later described the project as "the largest [...] in the city actually under construction". The IRT's 59th Street powerhouse opened on October 27, 1904, along with
15080-609: Was awarded the rights to build the railway line in 1900, outbidding Andrew Onderdonk . The Manhattan Railway Company was the operator of four elevated railways in Manhattan with an extension into the Bronx . On April 1, 1903, over a year before its first subway line opened, the IRT acquired the Manhattan Railway Company by lease, gaining a monopoly on rapid transit in Manhattan. The IRT coordinated some services between what became its subway and elevated divisions, but all
15210-464: Was boarded up in preparation for its restoration in 1991. During the process, a temporary waiting room was established on an upper level of the terminal. Around 1998, the renovated hall was renamed in honor of the Vanderbilt family , which built and owned the station. It is used for the annual Christmas Market, as well as for special exhibitions and private events. From 2016 to 2020, the west half of
15340-415: Was computerized in the 1990s. Lost items are kept for up to 90 days before being donated or auctioned off. As early as 1920, the bureau received between 15,000 and 18,000 items a year. By 2002, the bureau was collecting "3,000 coats and jackets; 2,500 cellphones; 2,000 sets of keys; 1,500 wallets, purses and ID's [ sic ]; and 1,100 umbrellas" a year. By 2007, it was collecting 20,000 items
15470-477: Was designed and built with two main levels for passengers: an upper for intercity trains and a lower for commuter trains. This configuration, devised by New York Central vice president William J. Wilgus , separated intercity and commuter-rail passengers, smoothing the flow of people in and through the station. The original plan for Grand Central's interior was designed by Reed and Stem , with some work by Whitney Warren of Warren and Wetmore . The Main Concourse
15600-464: Was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Stanford White , an architect working with the firm McKim, Mead & White , and was intended to serve as an aboveground focal point for the IRT. The facade is made of granite, brick, and terracotta, incorporating extensive ornamentation. The interiors were designed by engineers John van Vleck, Lewis B. Stillwell , and S. L. F. Deyo. At its peak,
15730-499: Was employed as the powerhouse's architect. White had drawn up plans for the plant's elevations by February 1902. An early plan, likely by an RTSCC engineer, called for an imposing Romanesque design; the only things it had in common with White's plan were the roof and clerestory. The powerhouse was originally supposed to be made entirely of concrete, but the IRT decided to use brick in March 1902 after bricklayers threatened to strike . The plant
15860-423: Was formally adopted in 1897. The Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company (RTSCC), organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr. , signed Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900, in which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line. Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate
15990-439: Was growing quickly during the first decades of the 20th century and, by 1907, the plant's capacity needed to be increased. Accordingly, additional stokers were installed to increase each boiler's capacity by fifty percent, and eighteen boilers received additional equipment. Further work was done in preparation for a wide-ranging expansion of the IRT system under the Dual Contracts , which were signed in 1913. Between 1909 and 1910,
16120-489: Was made to Wagner in April 1958, in which Con Ed would buy the plants for $ 123 million, and the NYCTA dropped its opposition upon receiving assurances that the fare would be preserved. Con Ed made another offer in February 1959 in which it would pay about $ 126 million for the plants; the deal was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate the next month. An unnamed group of investors also expressed interest in buying
16250-576: Was nearly completed, but the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners said that the labor strikes were holding up the system's opening. Because of the delays, the IRT initially contemplated drawing power from the Metropolitan Street Railway 's 96th Street powerhouse. When the subcontractors installing the 59th Street plant's electrical and mechanical equipment hired nonunion workers, the labor unions threatened another strike in January 1904, which
16380-445: Was originally a segment of 43rd Street which became the terminal's first service dock in 1913. In 1975, a Greenwich Savings Bank branch was built in the space, which was converted into the marketplace in 1998, and involved installing a new limestone façade on the building. The building's second story, whose balcony overlooks the market and 43rd Street, was to house a restaurant, but is instead used for storage. The southernmost of
16510-686: Was originally configured with two parallel passages, later simplified into one wide passageway. Ramps include the Vanderbilt Avenue ramp and the Oyster Bar ramps. The Vanderbilt Avenue or Kitty Kelly ramp leads from the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street down into the Shuttle Passage. Most of the space above the ramp was built upon in the 20th century, becoming the Kitty Kelly women's shoe store, and later operating as Federal Express. The ramp
16640-546: Was returned to its original two-story volume during the terminal's 1998 restoration. The Oyster Bar ramps lead down from the Main Concourse to the Oyster Bar and Dining Concourse. They span a total of 302 ft (92 m) from east to west under an 84 ft (26 m) ceiling. A pedestrian bridge passes over the ramps, connecting Vanderbilt Hall and the Main Concourse. In 1927, the ramps were partially covered over by expanded main-floor ticket offices; these were removed in
16770-416: Was stored in one of seven coal bunkers above the boilers, with each bunker being separated by a chimney. A set of vertical conveyors, each operating faster than the next, would lift the coal to the bunkers, distributing the coal evenly among each bunker. From the bunkers, the coal could be delivered via a conveyor system to any of the boilers. This allowed multiple grades of coal to be used at different times of
16900-421: Was the private operator of New York City 's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City . The IRT was purchased by the city on June 12, 1940, along with the younger BMT and IND systems, to form the modern New York City Subway . The former IRT lines (the numbered routes in the current subway system) are now
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