With nearly a million commuters making their way through Grand Central Terminal everyday, it is interesting to make note of the fact that most of the Beaux Arts building that was built in 1913 remains to be off limits to the public. Just recently, Bloomberg shared an inside look into some of this iconic landmark’s spaces, secrets and wonders that have not been publicized before.
Ski Slopes Used to Be Inside the Building
Believe it or not, the third, fourth, and fifth floors within Grand Central actually contained ski slopes made of nylon (which was an interesting creation from a Hungarian entrepreneur). The entrepreneur believed it was worth giving New Yorkers a trip to a ski resort without the long drive to upstate NY or Jersey.
“Campbell Apartment”
The famous bar that closed last summer was actually never an apartment (it was named after a famous tenant). John Campbell was big in the NYC music scene and would often conduct events, parties and other such gatherings here for his clients. The new bar opening in this space on May 1st will be an interesting drink spot crafted by Scott Gerber’s Gerber Group. Do check it out come the spring!
Focus On the Ceiling Paintings
The location of where the movie theater used to be in the Graybar passageway has art and ceiling paintings that are unfinished projects from the 20’s. While many of these projects started during this timeframe, after the Great Depression hit funds were reallocated from arch decoration to more dire, essential needs. Interestingly enough, the arches remain unpainted til this day.
Romantic Sentiments in the Main Concourse
Originally the ceiling in the main concourse displayed rich shades of green and gold, but years of water damage led to artists repainting the ceiling sometime in the 1940’s. In some of the figures on the ceiling, artists wrote little love letters consisting of new births and marriages that occurred during the renovation.
Melissa Ko is the Managing Member of Covepoint Capital Advisors, LLC and serves as the Chief Investment Officer of its flagship, the Covepoint Emerging Markets Macro Fund. Please visit https://about.me/melissako, https://melissakoblog.wordpress.com/, http://melissakocovepoint.tumblr.com/, and http://www.slideshare.net/MelissaKo1 to learn more!