Grand Central Centennial 2013 100th Anniversary

Tentative plans have been outlined (from SubChat). Highlights will include exhibtion and gala in February 2013, among 25 events. A "parade of trains" will be featured, as well as commorative U.S. Postal Service GCT stamp. Previews of the 2013 events and the unveiling of the GCT Centennial logo will be later in 2012.

A Centenntial Committee is being established, with former MTA Chairman Stangl and Caroline Kennedy as Chairpersons.

Subchat? Never heard of it

I went out and found a few links:

http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/artic ... 688384.php

A train collision in the Park Avenue Tunnel in 1902 that killed 17 people spurred William J. Wilgus, the railroad's chief engineer, to create the concept for Grand Central Terminal, a two level underground rail station that would operate electric trains out of public sight.

Read more: http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/artic ... z1kP1MKkwi

http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/? ... 0705-MNR32

Marjorie Anders

212-878-7440

Grand Central Terminal Centennial Exhibition Needs Contributions:In just 18 months, MTA Metro-North Railroad and the New York Transit Museum will celebrate the centennial of the opening of Grand Central Terminal with an exhibit about this landmark building.

Artifacts are being sought for the exhibit from rail buffs, collectors, historians, retired railroad employees and their survivors. The exhibit will inhabit the 12,000-square-foot former Main Waiting Room, now known as Vanderbilt Hall.

"The Transit Museum recognizes that many artifacts once were railroad property, but by saving railroad property as memorabilia, many private collectors are actually stewards of history," said Gabrielle Shubert, director of the New York Transit Museum. "We are hoping collectors will loan or donate their treasures to the Transit Museum so that we can share the history of this great building with all New Yorkers."

Shubert noted that objects and memorabilia loaned to the Museum will be cared for and documented to professional museum standards and gratefully attributed to their owners.

The exhibit will open on February 1, 2013, 100 years after the Terminal officially opened. The month-long exhibit will be free to the public.

The museum and the railroad are seeking donations for this exhibit and for its permanent collection. Loans also will be considered.

The Terminal's centennial creates a unique opportunity for railfans and history buffs to share their treasured items from defunct, predecessor railroads without any questions about ownership.

MTA Metro-North Railroad, the current operator of Grand Central Terminal, was established Jan. 1, 1983 from the bankrupt remnants of the passenger division of Conrail, which was itself an amalgam of Penn Central, the New York Central Railroad and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and so on back to the 1800s.

Large-scale objects, three-dimensional artifacts, such as uniforms, caps, badges, ashtrays, coat hooks, clocks, baggage carts and "gate curtains" with old train names are especially needed.

Still photos and moving images also are being sought as is ephemera such as tickets, timetables, menus and matchbooks from Terminal tenants. Flyers and advertisements for events held in the Terminal, such as galas, political events, USO entertainers, exhibits, movies, etc. also are welcome.

Basically anything that says "Grand Central" will be considered or any New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail or Metro-North memorabilia that is directly related to Grand Central. The Museum is NOT looking for general railroad memorabilia. Items must be specific to Grand Central or the above mentioned railroad companies.

Potential donors should send a digital photo and a brief description of the object, including the dimensions, current location, along with the provenance to the extent it is known, to Transit Museum Archivist Carey Stumm at [email protected].

Museum curators will review and respond to all offerings of donations and loans. Items for loan will be returned according to a standard contract and donors will be acknowledged in the exhibit.

"We hope that this request for artifacts will encourage private collectors from across the nation to share their treasures with the world during our centennial celebration," said Metro-North President Howard Permut. "The railroad and all who love Grand Central would be most appreciative."

i hope they involve some on the CT groups

One year and counting! February 1, 2013...

kitn1mcc wrote:i hope they involve some on the CT groups

I hope some of the Connecticut groups get involved. Metro-North is not going to seek out groups, they are asking for interested parties to contact *them*.

On second thought, I don't see much involvement from Connecticut as the New Haven was only a tenant in New York Central's facility... The main focus would be on the New York Central and the terminal they built, I would imagine.

-otto-

More info on MNCR 2/2/12 press release.

Probably CT's involvement can be from the Quarry that supplied the stone... for the terminal

In Italy ?????

Well, I knew I read something about Grand Central and Branford (Stony Creek) but here it is:

http://www.branford-ct.gov/History/Ston ... arries.htm


I was close......

NH did have a big part $$$$ in the New GCT per the book by Schlichting (NYC board and NYNHH board-Rockefeller, Mellen>>>>)

it says granite for post office at Grand Central Station, its at corner of Lex and 46 but has nothing to do with Grand Central Terminal ?

DutchRailnut wrote:In Italy ?????

Well, Connecticut is the second-most heavily Italian state in the union...

In all seriousness, though: I thought the marble was from Tennessee, not Italy.

I recall a National Geographic documentary that in 1995, as part of the renovation for adding the west balcony staircase, the engineers decided to use the same quarry used by the New York Central in 1910. They, sure enough, located it in either Tennesee or Indiana (the Empire State Building uses Indiana limestone).

Granite did come from Stony Creek.


http://foundationsofamerica.com/index.p ... &Itemid=57

CT has always had great rocks

A life-size cutout of Cary Grant would be great for this event - North by Northwest is my favorite movie and made good use of GCT in the beginning of the movie.