Hello Everyone:
It is a lovely autumn afternoon and a new week on the blog. A big congratulations to Blogger's hometown Los Angeles Dodgers on winning the National League Championship. The Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games and will face American League champions Boston Red Sox. The last time these two teams faced each other was 1916, the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn and the baseball legend Babe Ruth was still playing for the Red Sox. Should be exciting. You know what else is exciting? New York City's Grand Central Station.
Whether you call it Grand Central Station or Grand Central Terminal, you cannot help but be swept up by the magnificent 1913 Beaux Arts building that was saved in the 1960s from demolition. It is not just a place to catch a train, it has become a cultural icon, a shopping and dining destination for New Yorkers and visitors to the city.
The Muncipal Art Society of New York recently opened a free exhibit (mas.org; Sept. 24, 2018; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018) in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of cities to restrict development in favor of historic preservation citylab.com; Oct. 17, 2018; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018). Former Mayor Ed Koch hailed it as a landmark decision that made absolute sense; "a triumph over the wrecking ball and bulldozers.p...." (Ibid). The successful campaign, led by the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, inspired other cities to celebrate and restore their historic sites. Pretty amazing for a trains station with roots in the Industrial Revolution.
By the early 20th century, New York City evolved into a new cultural and commercial capital, worthy of a grand landmark. The City Beautiful movement promoted architectural greatness and Grand Central satisfied both. The original terminal--Grand Central Depot--was opened in 1871 on 42nd Street,mother southern limit, far enough away from the city's populated center. By end of the 19th century, original Depot had become a relic, unable to keep up with demands of the new century. It lacked the infrastructure needed for electric rail lines, modern convienences and signaling technology. The Depot was intially designed to accommodate three different rail lines--with three separate waiting rooms. The terminal was inefficient and outdated. To put it in proper perspective: In 1871, 42nd Street was nothing but by 1910, it evolved into the vibrant, dynamic heart of a rapidly growing city (grandcentralterminal.com; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018)
In 1903 a design competition was launched by the railroad company. Four firms entered: McKim Mead & White, Samuel Huckel, Jr., Reed & Stem, and Daniel Burham. Reed & Stem won with an innovative design that featured pedestrian ramps and a ramp-like concourse wrapped around the exterior connecting the northern and southern sections of Park Avenue. To make Grand Central grand, Root & Stem hired another firm, Warren & Wetmore who proposed a monumental classical, tripartite façade. A visual feast for one and all, even today (Ibid).
Grand Central Station reached its apex by World War II. In the postwar years, Grand Central's owners sought to redevelop the site to raise revenue. One proposal they considered was a futuristic 80-story tower by I.M. Pei. Eventually the decision was made to place a skyscraper by modernist Marcel Breuer on top of the roof of the main passenger hall (timesmachine.nytimes.com; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018). This horrified the architecturally minded citizens of New York City who joined the Municipal Art Society and its celebrity patron to fight the plan. They were motivated by the 1963 demolition of Pennsylvania Station ( McKim Mead & White 1910) to make way for a rather depressing underground station near the newly built Madison Square Garden. New York City was not too keen on the idea, citing that Grand Central was designated a landmark in 1967 (citylab.com; Oct. 17, 2018). The battle to save Grand Central continued all the way to the Supreme Court, who handed down a landmark ruling still in force today.
Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City (1978, law.cornell.edu; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018) Ithe United States Supreme Court upheld the "the constitutionality of New York's landmark law, effectively not only for that city but for all 50 states and 500 municipalities" (citylab.com; Oct. 17, 2018). The affirmative ruling has great significance in property rights cases to this day. The majority opinion held, "Preserving the building did not,..., constitute a 'taking' of the property,made proving owners of the opportunity to build to such an extent that they should be compensated" (citylab.com; Oct. 17, 2018). The greater good, preserving a city's history, extended to the entire city. This concept has be central in recent arguments challenging regulatory takings to create more affordable housing.
Edward Glaeser's 2010 article, "Preservation Follies" (city-journal.org; Spring 2019; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018), argued "that the growing amount of protected land in historic districts was rendering large tracts unable to accommodate the thousands of people who would like to live in Manhattan by can't afford to. He concluded that preservation turns the city into a preserve of the prosperous. Not too far off the mark description of Manhattan. A 2013 report by the Real Estate Board of New York concurred, calling for a more balanced approach to growth and development (rebny.com; June 2013; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018).
Although Grand Central's rescue may read like a story of good over evil, contemporary preservation is complicated. In the forty years that followed the SCOTUS ruling, a plethora buildings and neighborhoods were given landmark status, saving them from voracious developers and inappropriate change. That is the good part. The bad part is that sometimes the urge to preserve can go too far and extend to unremarkable properties, deemed not preservation-worthy. At its absolute worst, it can serve as a cover for NIMBYism--Not In My BackYard--limiting affordable housing, green construction, jobs, and economic development.
In 1982, Grand Central Station underwent a much needed renovation that was completed in time for its 100th birthday in 2013, turning it into a much visited destination by one and all--becoming the catalyst for new development in the area. New York City allowed the sale of air rights, "under an arrangement known as the transfer of development rights, such that growth could be shifted from protected to more buildable land" ( More recent, the Midtown East rezoning intiative (nylandmarks.org; Aug. 2017; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018) sets the stage for high-rise development in Grand Central's 42nd Street backyard (nypost.com; Oct. 15, 2018; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018).
In this case, the preservation of Grand Central can be viewed as too much of a good thing, according to Shelby D. Green, the co-author with Nicholas A. Robinson of Historic Preservation: Law and Culture (cap-press.com; date accessed 2018). The successful protection and rehabilitation ignited other development--"which in turn casts shadows and otherwise substantially alters the historic character of the neighborhood"(citylab; Oct. 17, 2018).
What all of his points to is a more nuanced approach to preservation, especially as Midcentury Modernism is coming under landmark consideration. For example, had Marcel Breuer's tower actually been built, it would now be vying for designation. Kind of ironic when you think about the fact that once upon a time, traditional preservationists fought tooth and nail against them. Even the Post Modern is coming under the preservation microscope. Philip Johnson's 1984 AT &T building became New York City's youngest land marked building (metropolismag.com; Aug. 3, 2018; date accessed Oct. 22, 2018) after plans to renovate the lobby alarmed preservation fans (citylab; Nov. 1, 2017). Compromise is possible when it comes to finding a balance between growth and preservation but it is not always easy.
Grand Central Station's preservation warriors most definitely earned a victory. The beloved building should have never been considered for demolition in the name of real estate profits. Moving forward awareness, creativity, and nuance should be the way to honor the past and move forward into the future.
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