March 24, 2008
Killing time in Grand Central's bad old days

Miss gritty New York?
Head to Grand Central Terminal's New York Transit Museum annex, where they've mounted a small exhibit on the history of the Metro-North Railroad.
Wind toward the back of the room and gaze upon the badly damaged, seemingly world-weary clockface from the clock in Grand Central's main concourse. The museum card pulls no punches:Clock Face from Grand Central Terminal
Circa 1913
Self-Winding Clock Comany
New York Transit Museum Collection, Transfer from Metro-North Railroad, Department of Corporate Communications
Crime -- especially vandalism and drug peddling -- became more common in Grand Central as the Terminal physically deteriorated in the 1960s through the 1980s. Even with these cracks and holes -- possibly caused by a bullet -- this clock remained in the Terminal until was renovated in the 1980s. The free exhibition, "A Railroad Reborn: Metro-North at 25" will remain on view at the Transit Museum Annex through July 6.
Earlier: Art by track worker Marvin Franklin at Transit Museum
March 24, 2008 08:17 AM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, History, Midtown, Museums, Sightsology, Transportology
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