Grand Central; Gateway to a Million Lives
James Rudnick (Restoration Photography) and Peter New York. W. W. Norton & Company, 2000. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. The format is approximately 8,375 inches by 10.75 inches. vii, [3], 230 pages. Appendix. Bibliography. Index. DJ has some dings at the front. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations (some in color). The architect John Belle was a founding partner of Beyer Blinder Belle, an architectural firm which has spearheaded some of New York City and Washington, D.C.’s largest restoration and conservation projects. Belle received a diploma from Portsmouth School of Architecture and obtained his AA Diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1955. Belle moved to the United States in 1959, and worked with the modernist architects Josep Lluís Sert and Victor Gruen. In 1968, Belle struck out on his own, along with founding partners John Beyer and Richard L. Blinder, to form the architectural firm Beyer Blinder Belle. The founders embraced a historically sensitive, preservation-oriented approach. Throughout the course of his endeavors, Belle worked on some of the most famous preservation projects in New York City, including the historically sensitive renovations of Ellis Island and the Grand Central Terminal. Belle authored a book about his work on Grand Central Terminal, titled Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives. Maxinne Leighton is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton and a certificate program from Oxford University/Yale University, Maxinne has a Masters Degree from the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at New York University. Grand Central is an historical and contemporary book that combines social and cultural history within the architecture of public space. This is the story of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, a remarkable and beautiful building whose birth, survival, and restoration reflect the critical role architecture plays in the expansion of our cities. It begins with the historic struggle to save Grand Central in the wake of the destruction of Penn Station and in the face of economic forces in the real estate industry that were intent on its demise. There follows a chronological history of the previous two stations on the site, the construction of the present building, text and photographs providing a fascinating firsthand account of the $400 million restoration, and the grand and anecdotal stories that involve the great building. 50 color & 100 b/w illustrations. The story of Grand Central is a true American tale, featuring selfless heroes and self-serving villains, visionary designers and rapacious developers—plus a triumphal ending. A professor of sociology at Fairfield University, Kurt C. Schlichting writes with deep understanding of Grand Central’s engineering feats and artistic qualities. Though John Belle was the principal architect in Grand Central’s recent restoration, and Maxinne Leighton is an associate partner in Belle’s firm, the two have produced a careful appreciation of the terminal’s architectural history rather than a self promoting puff piece. The publication of two books on the same subject within a year often leads to questions of which is better. In this case, we have eloquent companions rather than rivals: Schlichting’s book largely considers the engineering and construction of Grand Central, while Belle and Leighton’s considers the great terminal’s cultural importance, as well as its preservation and restoration. Grand Central as we know it first existed in the mind of a self-taught engineer from Buffalo, William J. Wilgus. By the turn of the century, the once imposing and elegant Grand Central Depot that Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt had built on the site in 1871 seemed seedy and dangerous. The New York Times condemned it as "a cruel disgrace to the metropolis." But development around the depot prohibited horizontal expansion. Wilgus, chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad, proposed a solution in 1902: Use the same land and build a new terminal vertically. The opening of Grand Central marked the high point of passenger rail travel and the high point of civic responsibility on the part of America’s railroads. In 1968, Marcel Breuer designed a 55-story skyscraper resembling a massive tombstone that would be cantilevered over Grand Central. When New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission used its authority to reject these proposals, Breuer accused it of thwarting the "natural growth of the city. A group of citizens, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and an older and wiser Philip Johnson, created a Committee to Save Grand Central. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the landmark status of Grand Central. It was a victory for preservationists across the nation. By the end of the century, the great terminal had been restored to its former grandeur. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Architecture, Grand Central, Railroad Station, Conservation, Restoration, Terminal, Building, Structure, Exterior Design, Interior Design, Railway, Transportation, Passengers, Beaux Arts, Commuters, Landmark, Main Concourse, Charles Reed, Whitney Wet
ISBN: 0393047652
[Book #87274]
Price: $75.00