In celebration of Grand Central Terminal’s (GCT) centennial year, MTA Metro-North Railroad, the stewards of the Terminal, team up with The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) — one of the organizations credited with saving the terminal from destruction nearly 40 years ago — for a new docent-guided tour program that highlights the history, architecture and operation of the world’s biggest train terminal.
Tours will be open and available to the general public daily starting Monday, February 11. The 75-minute tour departs daily at 12:30 p.m. from the terminal’s main concourse, and is led by MAS-trained docents.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors, students, children under 10, members of the military, Metro-North riders bearing same-day ticket stubs, and MAS Members.
“We are delighted to launch the Official Guided Metro-North/MAS Grand Central Terminal tour, which complements and builds on the success of our audio headset tour program,” said Howard Permut, president of MTA Metro-North Railroad.
Metro-North Senior Director Randall Fleischer, who led the team in creating the program, says the tour enables the railroad to carry the terminal’s 100th Anniversary forward and “tells the story of Grand Central every day, to everyone who is interested.”
President of MAS Vin Cipolla said, “Like all of our MAS tours, this is about promoting urban literacy among New Yorkers and our many visitors. The Grand Central tour touches on four main areas of the Terminal and its history: the Beaux Arts architecture of the building and its adjoining neighborhood; the preservation and restoration of Grand Central; the role of Grand Central as a major transportation hub; and Grand Central’s crucial place in the life of New York City and how it is poised to remain one of its most important civic assets.”
