The Great Staircase

Grand Central Terminal is a bustling shrine to New York’s illustrious past, with a grand marble staircase, a four-faced brass clock on top of the information booth, a vast celestial ceiling mural and elevated passageways leading to spectacular views of the main concourse. This photo of Grand Central’s interior, taken on April 24, 1990, was published with the Times article, “Metro-North Plans $400 Million Grand Central Renewal.”

The 1990 article reported, “Grand Central Terminal, a premier landmark in New York City, would undergo sweeping changes to restore its majestic interior and transform the vaulted terminal into a major center for retail, civic and cultural activities under a plan introduced yesterday by the Metro-North Commuter Railroad. Although the plan is intended to preserve the architectural and structural integrity of the 87-year-old terminal, Metro-North officials said the proposed changes would also exploit the building’s commercial potential.

” Grand Central will be more than just a place to catch a train,” the president of Metro-North, Peter E. Stangl, said. ” It will be a place to have a banquet or reception, to catch a movie, to go shopping or for dinner and to see local talent on stage. It will become a destination in its own right.”

When the terminal opened in 1913, 150,000 people walked through the doors for the inauguration. Today, more than 750,000 people pass through the terminal daily and 1 million during the holidays.