Grand Central Terminal Walking Tour

On February 1, 1913, Grand Central Terminal opened its doors to an admiring public. On February 1, 2013, the beautifully restored Terminal—rescued from destruction by a seminal 1978 Supreme Court decision—celebrated its Centennial, accompanied by exhibitions, events, and the new book, Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark. The Terminal’s creation combined engineering bravado (sinking two train yards below ground), technological wizardry (electrifying the trains to eliminate steam and enable their underground functioning), and real-estate savvy (replacing the original street-level train yard with 16 blocks of prime midtown Manhattan real-estate, whose development paid for it all) with innovative planning (interior ramps and looping tracks) and Paris-inspired Beaux-Arts design. This walking tour will bring the Terminal to life—its remarkable history, stunning architecture, and central role in creating midtown Manhattan.

Anthony W. Robins is a writer, historian, lecturer and guide, and former Director of Survey at New York’s Landmarks Commission. He is the author of half a dozen books on New York City architecture, including the award-winning New York Art Deco: A Guide to Gotham’s Jazz Age Architecture (SUNY Press). A founding member of the Art Deco Society of New York, Robins currently serves as its Vice President. He has led countless visitors on tours of New York City’s history and architecture, taught at NYU and Columbia University, and lectures for museums, universities, and private groups around the world.