Terminal City (Manhattan)

The railroad owner, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, wished to increase capacity of the station's train shed and rail yards, and so it devised a plan to bury the tracks and platforms and create two levels to its new train shed, more than doubling the station's capacity.

[2][3] Grand Central's construction thus produced several blocks of prime real estate in Manhattan, stretching from 42nd to 51st Streets between Madison and Lexington Avenues.

[4] One early proposed name for this area was "Pershing Square", a name that was ultimately applied to the southern side of Grand Central Terminal.

[9] In conjunction with this project, the segment of Park Avenue above Grand Central's rail yards received a landscaped median and was widened to 140 feet (43 m).

With its hotels, office buildings, apartments and underground streets it not only is a wonderful railroad terminal, but also a great civic centre.

The consistency of the architectural styles, as well as the vast funding provided by investment bankers, contributed to Terminal City's success.

[21] Development slowed drastically during the Great Depression,[13] and part of Terminal City was gradually demolished or reconstructed with steel-and-glass designs after World War II.

[25][26] The partnership has also funded some restoration projects around the terminal, including installation of lamps to illuminate its facade and purchase of a streetlamp that used to stand on the Park Avenue Viaduct.