Grand Central Tower

Not to be confused with Hyatt Grand Central New York.
Grand Central Tower
Map
Alternative names175 Park Avenue
General information
StatusNever built
LocationAtop Grand Central Terminal, Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
Height950 feet (290 meters)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Marcel Breuer

Grand Central Tower (also known as 175 Park Avenue) was a scrapped proposal by Penn Central to have a skyscraper built on top of Grand Central Terminal in 1968. It was designed by Marcel Breuer and would have been 950 feet (290 m) tall. The plan itself drew major opposition from the public and architects, especially from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as it would have resulted in the destruction of the terminal. The plan was scrapped after it was settled in a court case in 1978, which meant Penn Central could not build the tower.

Previous proposals to replace Grand Central

By the 1950s, passenger volumes at Grand Central Terminal had declined dramatically from the early 20th century, and there were proposals to demolish and replace the station.[1][2] The New York Central Railroad was losing money, partially on paying taxes on the building's air rights. New York Central wanted to sell the property or its air rights to allow the construction of a skyscraper above or on the terminal's site.[3] Meanwhile, traffic around Grand Central Terminal worsened in the late 1950s.[4]

Two competing plans for the replacement of Grand Central Terminal were proposed in 1954.[5][6] One such design, by I. M. Pei, was suggested by New York Central's chairman Robert R. Young along with developer William Zeckendorf. The proposal called for an 80-story, 5-million-square-foot (460,000 m2) tower that would have succeeded the Empire State Building as the world's tallest building.[6][7][8] In March 1955, Zeckendorf was named the partner for any new development in the vicinity of Grand Central.[9][10] Zeckendorf and Pei modified the blueprints for their 80-story tower to 108 stories but never publicly announced the revised plans.[9] Unpublished drawings indicate that Pei's second design was supposed to be a hyperboloid-shaped tower.[11][12] For various reasons, the hyperboloid tower never progressed past the planning stage. The building had faced extensive criticism from both professionals and the general public; the railroads faced significant financial shortfalls; and the economy as a whole had started to decline, leaving Zeckendorf unable to finance the project.[4]

In 1958, a modified proposal for a 50-story tower, originally known as Grand Central City, was approved.[13][14] It became known as the Pan Am Building when it was completed in 1963.[15][16] The structure was built on the site of the former Grand Central Terminal Baggage Building, which was demolished to make way for its construction.[17][18]

Although the Pan Am Building's completion averted the terminal's imminent destruction, New York Central continued to decline, and in 1968 it merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to form the Penn Central Railroad.[19] The Pennsylvania Railroad had started demolishing Penn Station's original station building in 1963,[20] and over the following years, it was replaced with the current Pennsylvania Station, above which was built Madison Square Garden.[21] The demolition of Penn Station directly resulted in the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which made Grand Central Terminal a designated city landmark in August 1967.[22]

Penn Central's 175 Park Avenue

Marcel Breuer proposals included variations keeping the 1913 facade and demolishing it.

In February 1968, six months after Grand Central Terminal was landmarked, plans were announced for a tower over the terminal, to be designed by Marcel Breuer.[23] With a proposed height of 950 feet (290 m), the tower would have stood 150 feet (46 m) taller than the Pan Am Building, and its footprint would have measured 309 by 152 feet (94 by 46 m), the same size as the Main Concourse. The tower would have spared the Main Concourse, using the existing building's support structure and four huge trusses to cantilever over the concourse, but the southern third of the terminal would have been destroyed to make way for elevator lobbies and a taxi drop-off area.[24] The Pershing Square Viaduct would also be partially demolished to make way for a modern freeway.

Cutaway drawing of the tower proposal to minimize impact on the terminal building

The plans drew huge opposition from the public and from architects.[25] The most prominent criticisms came from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who stated:

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.[22][26]

— Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

In response to criticism, Penn Central modified the proposal in June 1969, decreasing the footprint of the proposed building and relocating it closer to the Pan Am Building.[27] However, because of Grand Central's landmark status, the Landmarks Preservation Commission prohibited Penn Central from executing either of Breuer's two blueprints.[28][29] The railroad sued the city, alleging a taking,[30][31] and in January 1975, a judge for the New York Supreme Court invalidated the New York City landmark designation.[32] Major personalities and the public held rallies to prevent the demolition of the terminal,[33] and the New York Supreme Court's decision was overturned by an appeals court that December.[34] The railroad's lawsuit against the city, Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1978. In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city, holding that New York City's Landmarks Preservation Act did not constitute a "taking" of Penn Central's property under the Fifth Amendment.[29][35][36] That final ruling prevented Penn Central from constructing the proposed tower.[37]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Langmead, Donald (2009). Icons of American Architecture: From the Alamo to the World Trade Center. Greenwood Icons. Greenwood Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-313-34207-3. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  2. ^ Clausen 2005, pp. 3–4.
  3. ^ Ohama, Mayu (April 23, 2014). "Preservation Planning for Early Modern Architecture: Comparing the New York Grand Central Terminal and Tokyo Station". ScholarlyCommons. Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019 – via University of Pennsylvania.
  4. ^ a b Clausen 2005, p. 47.
  5. ^ Clausen 2005, pp. 3–4.
  6. ^ a b "Is Grand Central 'Outmoded'? Owners Consider Replacement Schemes" (PDF). Architectural Record. Vol. 116, no. 5. November 1954. pp. 20–25. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Stetson, Damon (September 8, 1954). "World's Loftiest Tower May Rise On Site of Grand Central Terminal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Sugrue, Francis (September 8, 1954). "N.Y. Central Plans Top Skyscraper: 1,600-Footer At Grand Central". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ProQuest 1318408878.
  9. ^ a b Clausen 2005, pp. 44–45.
  10. ^ Porter, Russell (March 2, 1955). "Grand Central Area Open for Rebuilding" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  11. ^ Clausen 2005, pp. 46–47.
  12. ^ Belle, John; Leighton, Maxinne Rhea (2000). Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives. Norton. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-393-04765-3.
  13. ^ "Plan 50-Story Building Next to Grand Central". New York Herald Tribune. May 8, 1958. p. 1. ProQuest 1325125370.
  14. ^ Fowler, Glenn (May 8, 1958). "Grand Central 'City' Is Planned; 50-Story Skyscraper Slated by 1961 for Rear of Terminal" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "Pan Am Building Dedicated in N.Y.: World's Largest". The Christian Science Monitor. March 8, 1963. p. 2. ProQuest 510414868.
  16. ^ "Pan Am Building Dedicated in N.Y.; 100 Million Structure, 59 Stories Tall, City's Biggest Other Speakers at Event". The New York Times. March 8, 1963. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  17. ^ Lee, Henry (October 16, 1960). "Grand Old Central Sprouts a Skyscraper". New York Daily News. pp. 52, 53.
  18. ^ "Wrecking Starts at Grand Central; Office Building Being Razed for Skyscraper – Baggage Installation Advanced". The New York Times. June 28, 1960. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  19. ^ "Court Here Lets Railroads Consolidate Tomorrow". The New York Times. 1968. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  20. ^ Tolchin, Martin (October 29, 1963). "Demolition Starts At Penn Station; Architects Picket; Penn Station Demolition Begun; 6 Architects Call Act a 'Shame'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  21. ^ King, Seth S. (December 27, 1966). "Penn Station Begins to Emerge From Confusion of Rebuilding; Vaulted Splendor Bows to Functionalism and Speed Geared to Travel Shops to Be Remodeled". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Langmead 2009, p. 177.
  23. ^ Fowler, Glenn (February 24, 1968). "Breuer To Design Terminal Tower; Engaged by Briton for a 2d Project Over Grand Central". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  24. ^ Fowler, Glenn (June 20, 1968). "Grand Central Tower Will Top Pan Am Building; 55-Story Tower on Top of Grand Central Will Rise 150 Feet Higher Than Adjacent Pan Am Building". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  25. ^ Fowler, Glenn (June 21, 1968). "Breuer's Plan Fails to Mollify Tower Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  26. ^ Grand Central Station: The History of New York City's Famous Railroad Terminal. Charles River Editors. 2013. ISBN 978-1-5084-3504-4.
  27. ^ Shipler, David K. (June 27, 1969). "Grand Central Building Plan Revised". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  28. ^ Shipler, David K. (August 27, 1969). "Landmarks Panel Bars Office Tower Over Grand Central; Landmarks Panel Bars Tower on Grand Central". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  29. ^ a b Langmead 2009, p. 179.
  30. ^ Serratore, Angela (June 26, 2018). "The Preservation Battle of Grand Central". Smithsonian. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  31. ^ Jon Weinstein (January 29, 2013). "Grand Central Terminal At 100: Legal Battle Nearly Led To Station's Demolition". NY1. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
  32. ^ Goldberger, Paul (January 22, 1975). "City's Naming of Grand Central As a Landmark Voided by Court". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  33. ^ "Rally Held for Grand Central to Be a Landmark Again". The New York Times. April 16, 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  34. ^ "Landmark Supported". The New York Times. December 17, 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  35. ^ Penn Central Transp. Co. v. New York City, 438 U.S. 104, 135 (U.S. 1978).
  36. ^ Weaver, Warren Jr. (June 27, 1978). "Ban on Grand Central Office Tower Is Upheld by Supreme Court 6 to 3". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  37. ^ Schlichting 2001, p. 205.

Bibliography

40°45′9.5″N 73°58′38.5″W / 40.752639°N 73.977361°W / 40.752639; -73.977361