Press

MAKING MIDTOWN INTO MID TOWN

September 18, 2017

Midtown used to be uptown. When Grand Central Depot opened in 1871, 42nd Street was relatively remote, an undeveloped tract north of the city’s heart of commerce, Lower Manhattan. By 1900 the city had expanded to reach this neighborhood, and the station couldn’t handle the growing crush of travelers. The Grand Central Terminal we know today, unveiled in 1913, reflected the neighborhood’s growth. It also accelerated the neighborhood’s growth, attracting more development…which in turn increased the station’s role.