Many scenes in my novel Lilac Girls take place in Grand Central Terminal–one of my favorite places in the world. In researching it for the novel I found out some wonderful facts…do you know them all?
1. How many people visited Grand Central on opening day?
Over 150,000 people visited Grand Central when it officially opened at 12:01 am on Sunday, February 2, 1913.
2. What song was forbidden in Grand Central in 1941?
Beginning in 1928, organist Mary Lee Read (above) performed organ recitals in Grand Central. Following the invasion of Pearl Harbor, Ms. Read attempted to raise the spirits of the commuting crowds by playing The Star Spangled Banner. This brought the main concourse to a standstill. The stationmaster then asked Ms. Read to avoid this patriotic song since it caused passengers to miss trains and she became known as the only organist in New York forbidden to play the United States national anthem.
3. What did musician Waylon Jennings put in a Grand Central storage locker in 1959?
After Buddy Holly died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, his bassist and future country singer Waylon Jennings placed Buddy’s guitar and amplifier into a Grand Central locker and mailed the keys to Buddy’s wife Maria Elena.
4. What’s so special about the ramps in Grand Central?
Grand Central was designed so that all levels, floors, and platforms within Grand Central can be accessed by lifts or ramps. It was called the first stairless station, important for train passengers with large trunks. According to the New York Tribune, December 1912: “There is a whole story in the ramps, how the terminal engineers, not satisfied with the theoretical calculations, built experimental ramps at various slopes and studied thereon the gait and gasping limit of lean men with heavy suitcases, fat men without other burden than their flesh, women with babies, school children with books, and all other types of travellers. Upon the data thus obtained, they were able to construct ramps truly scientific and seductively sloped.”
5. What was the biggest ad ever placed in Grand Central?
December 14, 1941 the station unveiled a massive U.S. government mural above the mezzanine level in the main concourse, which encouraged Americans to buy savings bonds and stamps in support of the war.
6. Why did Nazi spies come to Grand Central during WWII?
In a secret underground chamber in Grand Central Terminal rotary converters transformed 11,000 volts of alternating current to direct current to power all the trains, the heart of the northeastern United States rail network. When the US decided to join the Allies in WWII, Hitler sent German Nazi spies to destroy this underground control center. They were discovered and arrested, so the US was not delayed from joining the war.
7. What is the tallest piece of military equipment ever displayed in Grand Central?
The PGM-11 Redstone, an American ballistic missile, was showcased in the terminal in 1957.
8. Who said, about Grand Central:
“Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud monuments, until there will be nothing left of all her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past, but for short term gain they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. Maybe… this is the time to take a stand, to reverse the tide, so that we won’t all end up in a uniform world of steel and glass boxes.”
Jacqueline Onassis flicks a switch to throw a spotlight on Grand Central Terminal in New York, July 12, 1976. (AP Photo)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who fought for Landmark status for the terminal.
9. Where was the original eagle from Grand Central Depot, missing for years, finally discovered?
In 1965, new owners of a house in Bronxville, New York discovered the eagle that once perched atop the former Grand Central Depot. The couple contacted the Metro-North Railroad and asked if it might be used for the restoration and it now raises its 13 foot wingspan over Grand Central once again.
10. What movies were shot in Grand Central?
Turner Classic Movies Cary Grant, center, glancing at Alfred Hitchcock, between lights, during filming of a scene in Grand Central Terminal for “North by Northwest” (1959), from the exhibition “Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies.”
North By Northwest, Going Hollywood, The Fischer King, Superman, Midnight Run, The Cotton Club to name a few.
11. What is hidden in the Grand Central information booth?
A secret staircase that allows employees to access the lower level.
12. What is special about this Grand Central clock?
This Grand Central clock, which over looks 42nd Street, is the largest Tiffany clock in the world.
13. What was going on in the attic of Grand Central for more than 20 years?
For more than 20 years, the attic of the east wing contained an art school and gallery space called the Grand Central School of Art, which was founded in 1922 by the painters Edmund Greacen, Walter Leighton Clark and John Singer Sargent. The school had more than 400 students its first year, including Charles Addams, Norman Rockwell and Stanley Kaye, prolific inker of Superman stories in the 1940’s and soon grew to 900, making it one of the largest art schools in the city.
Hope you did well. If you have any other questions to add to the quiz send them in!
