“Gotham Restored: The Preservation of Monumental New York” by James Rudnick is a culmination of the history and photographic accounts of the restoration of four important New York City landmarks–the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York Public Library, and Grand Central Terminal. After the significant events of the Civil War and World War I, New York underwent a turning point in which it attempted to rebuild itself into an architecturally distinguished city. Grand Central Terminal, in particular, had started out as a meager depot and train shed but eventually served not only as a hub for transportation but also as a prime meeting spot. In 1967, Grand Central Terminal was appointed a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. However, the landmark soon ran into trouble as a proposal to tear down the building’s facade came into play. Years later, in 1988, Beyer Blinder Belle conducted a public-private partnership that led to the restoration of Grand Central Terminal.
Following the historic overview of the terminal, photographer James Rudnick documents the restoration of Grand Central Terminal from 1984 to 1998. In my site reports, I plan on using this resource to compare the architectural designs and details before and after the restoration. It will also be interesting to visually learn about the restoration process of such a monumental structure that took several years to complete.
