American Experience: Grand Central (1 of 24)

American Experience: Grand Central

NARRATOR: On the morning of January 8, 1902, the air around Grand Central Station was choked with smoke, cinders and noxious fumes.
Hundreds of trains converged at the station-- a deluge of steel and steam far too great for the outdated train yard to handle.
For decades, New Yorkers had complained about the horrid conditions at Grand Central.
But a shocking tragedy that January day would change everything.
Steam locomotives would be banished from the city and the crowded train yard condemned.
A new Grand Central would arise-- a miracle of design and engineering.
PAUL GOLDBERGER: Grand Central is both grand and part of everyday life-- incredibly practical, incredibly functional, and yet overpoweringly exciting at the same time.

Grand Central is so much more than just a train station.
In many ways, it's the heart of New York.
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