Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21
OLD GRAND CENTRAL
Famous New York Station
to Be Raced.
MARCH OF PROGRESS
ROOM FOR MAMMOTH STATION
AND YARD.
Separate Apartments for Express and
Suburban Passengers Going
and Coming.
Written for The Star.

Written for The Star.
ON the day. thirty-three years ago when
the original Grand Central station OF the
New York Central railroad was thrown
open to the travelling public, old Commodore
Vanderbilt who had watched over It's con-
struction with a jealous eye, rubbed MS
hands with deep pleasure and gleetully de-
clared to all his friends that the station
would be good for fifty years at least. WIN
in the next few months the work OF razlhg
the recently remodeled original-remodeleo
al a cost of millions-will be underway, and
by the end of next year, in all probability
the first foundation stone of the thirty mil
lion dollar terminal that is to take its place
will be put in position.
The history of what has been the most
famous railroad station in the western hem
isphere, and probably in the world since
the day of It's completion, Is starting
epitone Of the well-nigh unbelievable
growth of this country WltLih the Aass
three decades
Early in his railroad career the founder
OF the Vanderbilt fortune and name got the
idea into his head that some day before ne
died his railroad should have as Its New
York terminal the finest railroad station
In America. At first his plan was misty ana
Indefinite, as most ambitious plans are at
the start; but as he thought over 1t and X
than ever determined 10 give the country
station that would be talked about Tor
long time to come and al the same time
solve the terminal problem OF his railroad
for an even longer period.
The New York terminal station of the
Hudson River railroad was originally To-
Gated near Madison Square. on the site now
occupied by the famous Madison Square
Garden. but the commodore decided to build
his new station farther uptown at i2d
street. Work was begun on it late In the
sixties. and when IL stood completed in the
third year of the ensuing decade II UNI
doubtedly was, as the Commodore had
meant il TO- be. the handsomest and most
practically planned building of lis kind in
the land.
Famous Show Place.
II was heralded in the newspapers every
where. not only for brief period, but for
years For years. also. it was a famous
show place. and every visitor to New York,
whether reaching the city over the Wander
bilt lines or not, made ii point to visit
the Grand Central station and talked about
IL afterward everywhere to his friends and
acquaintance. Indeed, lot of the old
time glory OF the station still hangs about
it) Its fame reached to Europe even. and
both English and continental railroad men
used To cross the Atlantic solely for the
purpose of inspecting its long stretch of
office buildings, its great arch of glass and
iron, its many parallel tracks and other
features that astonished and gave birth to
wonder by reason Of their magnitude. Nat
urally the commodore was intensely de-
lighted by the compliment paid him by the
foreign rairoaders, and he was always
pleased to furnish them with plans of the
station TO take back home.
But Notwithstanding its undisputed strong
advance over anything Of the sort elsewhere
when completed, the original Grand Central
was very far from being a structure that
would attract passing attention, to say the
least were IL TO be built now as a terminal
in any city OF consequence. Its floors were
all of wood. Its trim was of wood ex-
clusiyely. II had no elevators Many of
the conveniences that are now supplied in
railroad stations in cities of the third and
fourth class were lacking. Architecturally,
its chief feature was an elaborate mansard
roof covered with slate. The body of the
building was of red brick, the trimming OF
light stone. 1t was four stories in height.
How marvelously the world of grandeur
and magnificenee has changed since the
first years OF the furore over the old Grand
Central,
Multiplication of Difficulties.
Yet this change has not been a whit more
rapid or wonderful than the constant null
tiplication of the railroads difficulties to
provide adequate terminal facilities.
When the commodore planned the Grand
Central he did % strictly with an eye to