Happy 100th Birthday Grand Central Station
February 2, 2013 1:10 PM - YouTube
If you have ever taken a train into New York City chances are your first impression was one of amazement as you walked the incredible Grand Central Station. One of the “Big Apple’s” most impressive and historic buildings the it celebrated its 100th birthday on Friday with, according to the AP/YahooNews, a host of celebrities and festive ceremonies. Believe it or not it was almost torn down in the 1970′s but for the efforts of one of America’s most famous names.
Grand Central was in danger of being demolished in the 1970s to make way for a new office tower. It was saved by preservationists including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The fight for Grand Central went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1978 that saving Grand Central under the city’s Landmarks Preservation Act did not constitute a “taking” but was a reasonable use of regulatory power. The decision was the first time the court ruled on a preservation issue and paved the way for saving other historic structures.
via NYC’s landmark Grand Central Terminal turns 100 – Yahoo! News.
It is almost always a shame and usually a mistake to minimize history and the saving of this building once again proves beyond a doubt that “old” can and often does have more value than “new”.
Leave a Comment