who built grand central station in new york

Calls now came to completely cover the cut and turn it into a tunnel. Any initial public satisfaction with this solution was short lived, however. The “cut” alleviated some of the noise, allowed the trains to run faster, and increased safety. The “cut” down Park Avenue and the causeways over the tracks Causeways were erected to allow street traffic to cross over the tracks. In response to growing public objections, New York Central excavated a deep open cut up Park Avenue with four tracks running along its bottom. Sharing this thoroughfare not only limited the railway’s speed, and hence efficiency, it also increased the danger for pedestrian and street traffic. Running all hours of the day, the coal burning steam locomotives belched out soot as they thundered up and down Park Avenue. North of 42nd street, the rapidly expanding density of rail traffic brought increasing noise and pollution. Though placed in the middle of nowhere in1869, by the end of the century the Depot’s operations ran up against the northward expansion of Manhattan’s population. Closer to the Depot, the tracks multiplied out into a vast yard of switching and shunting lines to accommodate the traffic coming and going from the Depot’s numerous platforms. The Depot was fed by tracks from the North running along Park Avenue, (formerly 4th Avenue). On the site, Vanderbilt erected the Central Station Depot an imposing steel and glass train shed. In 1869, he had bought a huge parcel of land between what are now 42nd and 47th streets, on the south and north, and Madison Avenue to 4th Avenue on the west and east. Then by 1870, with his purchase of the Harlem River Railroad, Vanderbilt had a complete monopoly of all passenger and freight rail traffic into and out Manhattan. Two years later, after acquiring the Hudson River Railroad, he merged it with the New York Central. In 1867, he gained control of the New York Central Railroad. Manhattan’s island geography only compounded the challenge of efficiently moving people and goods.Ĭornelius Vanderbilt, who had already made a fortune in shipping, saw great opportunities for rail service into and out of Manhattan. This prodigious growth put enormous demands on the city’s transportation infrastructure. By the end of the century, New York City had become the world’s largest port. By 1880, New York City had emerged as the nation’s leading center of commerce and manufacturing. New York City grew at a breathtaking pace during the second half of the 19th century. Steam Railways in Manhattan: Growing Demand and Objections These advances in electrical technology then opened the door to the revolution in architecture and urban planning that Grand Central Station represented. Wilgus’s vision, however, was a giant leap in electric-powered transport that demanded considerable innovation from a number of people and companies in the electrical field. Electric street cars had been in service in different parts of the world, including parts of New York City, since 1888. Wilgus’s brilliant vision to design, from the ground up, an inner city railway hub based on electrical power. From these circumstances, boldness and imagination produced the wonder called Grand Central Station. A tragic accident unleashed an outcry to ban passenger steam rail from the Manhattan landscape. New York City's rapid growth placed enormous strains on the rail transport system serving Manhattan. Geography set rather rigid boundaries on the growth of rail transport in late 19th century Manhattan. It reminds you of the greatness of human ambition.” Necessity, daring and genius made Grand Central possible. Paul Goldberger, a leading American architecture critic, proclaimed “ is sublime. Superlatives for this rail station abound.

4 The Electrical Technology for Grand Central StationĪ landmark in architecture, urban planning, and rail transport, New York’s Grand Central Station celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.2 Steam Railways in Manhattan: Growing Demand and Objections.

Who built grand central station in new york