Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives

I finished this book about a week before a long visit to New York City. I decided to explore Grand Central as I never had before. Without going where I wasn't allowed, or crossing a "staff only" barrier, I saw more of the building than I ever had, and once again realized what a masterful achievement it is.

With the Centennial, nice. But designed/written as a brochure for an architectural firm. The history is somewhat a gloss. There are huge gaps - and a lack of information,

Thanks for your prompt delivery of my book. It's exactly what I was looking for.

all about NYC this book is a must have for any serious NYC buff

If you are looking for more architectural documentation there are other books out there that do that. I though the update would be more substantial then they are.

Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives is a wonderful tribute to grand central station. A treat after visiting Grand Central.

This is a wonderful book on a magnificent building. This book has wonderful period photos as well as recent images and the text is highly informative. It's hard to believe that this building was once slated for demolition, thanks to New Yorkers like Jackie O, Grand Central was saved. Everyone who visits New York City should venture into this singular station, it embodies New York and you get a real feel for Gilded Age grandeur. If you have any interest in magnificent buildings or just good books in general then I believe you will not be disappointed.

Since 2000, Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives has been one of my favorite railroad books, combining, as it does, my love of railroad station architecture, urban planning, and New York City.Now, the original volume has been updated by an expanded version that provides a transition to Grand Central Terminal's continuing service to New York City as it enters the 21st Century.What makes Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives is the many facets to the the story. It's not just a story about one of America's most iconic buildings and indoor spaces, it's a story of continuous challenge and innovation played out in one of the country's most politically-charged cities.In many ways, Grand Central Terminal's story is one of technology, (i.e., the mandated transition from steam to electric power).It's also a story of the way technology changed the way cities were planned and built. Electricity permitted the tracks to be put underground, on two separate levels. Depressing the tracks and the trains opened the way for massive real estate development, with hundreds of steel-framed buildings build on pilings between the tracks.Grand Central Terminal is also emblematic of the "golden age of public architecture" and the larger-than-life railroad magnates who created civic monuments to their accomplishments and ambitions. Railroad station architecture created the "corporate brands" of the day, and no expense was spared in creating memorable experiences for travelers.Everything positive that Grand Central Terminal stood for could have been lost during the post World War Two decline of railroad travel and the financial losses that accompanied the transition from freight trains to trucks running on subsidized Interstate highways. By the 1960's, Grand Central Terminal's owners were in survival mode, nearing bankruptcy, cutting corners, and doing everything possible to offset their mounting losses.Various plans were made to demolish Grand Central Terminal and develop the air rights over the terminal.New Yorkers, however, had been scandalized by the recent destruction of the city's equally monumental Penn Station, and a well-publicized (and politicized) battle to preserve and restore Grand Central Terminal took place.And, this is where Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives truly shines. Written by participants in the massive restoration tasks, and extensively photographed, the book details the immense and tedious efforts needed to restore the details of Grand Central's faded glory.What I liked most about this book is that there's just enough balanced detail to tell Grand Central's, without turning the book into a political history or economic text. Selectivity, and plenty of large (8 1/2 bv 11) formats permits Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives to remain an entertaining book for general audiences.Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives does more than document the origins and history of Grand Central Terminal, and the role it's played in New York's prosperity and the lives of its passengers. It also paves the way for tomorrow's headlines as Grand Central Terminal prepares to handle the greatly increased commuter traffic soon to be arriving from, and departing to, Long Island.Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives is a great gift for the railroad lover in your family, or someone who speaks fondly of New York Experience they remember from the past. It's also a case study of the important role architectural restoration can play in keeping America's cities alive in an increasingly homogenized environment

Wanted a book to remind me of my time at Grand Central earlier this year. Although a little dated, I enjoyed it.