Grand Central to me has always been a place I loved to come to eat, and I don’t want my options to change, especially if I will have to pay more to eat. It was in 1998 that Grand Central Terminal took on its current character and has been known for its grandness, main concourse as well as a destination for shopping and dining. However, it is currently undergoing changes where the historical eateries are being replaced. The Terminal’s landlord, Metropolitan Transit Authority, says that the food options must be freshened up after 15 years. Nancy Marshall, The MTA’s director of retail leasing at Grand Central told the Post, “You have to stay Fresh. We are like the old lady now.” As a result of this, 15 of the leases where the eateries are located have either expired or will expire. Some of the eateries have already been told that they must close, while others have proposed an offer to MTA and are waiting to find out if they will have to leave once their lease is up or if they can work out a new deal. This will be the biggest restaurant turnover at Grand Central Terminal In the Western half of Vanderbilt Hall that is usually used as seasonal space for different things during different times of the year is going to now have a Nordic food hall and brasserie. Claus Mayer will be the one opening the food hall and was the highest bidder on this space out of 15 groups that put in proposals for the usage of this space and other areas in the terminal.
Another reason that the eateries in Grand Central Terminal are leaving is due to their monthly rent being raised. Juniors, established in Brooklyn, used to have a space on the upper concourse but that was closed on January 6th of this year. Junior’s is now only open in the lower concourse, but that too will soon to be gone as well. Junior’s is more famous for its bakery, specifically for its cheesecake but is also a well-known deli where you can also sit and eat. Junior’s on the lower-level space is being replaced by ‘Witchcraft,’ a sandwich chain, owned by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio and the already gone Junior’s on the upper-level space is being replaced by Juice Press. Two Boots Pizza, which is a New York City-based chain pizza restaurant, is getting kicked out as well. Replacing Two Boots will be Prova Pizzabar that is owned by celebrity restaurateur Donatella Arpaia.
Two Boots Pizza and Junior’s aren’t the only ones who are to be kicked out. The Campbell Apartment, which is a cocktail lounge on the upper level and Cipriani Dolci, that is a restaurant and bar currently located on the East side balcony are eagerly waiting to hear from the MTA on whether they can stay or if they will have to leave. Resulting from all these changes and raises in rent, the people who come to Grand Central Terminal’s eateries are going to be paying more to eat their than people do now in order to support these new restaurants. Sources have said that, “So far, new tenants are paying, on average, 46 percent more in rent than the previous occupants.” Due to these raises in rent, some businesses don’t feel it is worth it and had no argument when asked to leave. Grande Harvest Wines is one of those businesses that will be replaced by another wine store, Central Cellars in the Graybar Pass, who is willing to pay those high rent prices.
As I said previously, some restaurants in Grand Central Terminal have submitted new proposals in an attempt to continue to call Grand Central Terminal home. Unfortunately, these are the only measures that are being taken to preserve these restaurants that have been in Grand Central Terminal for 15 years. I know that if I had any power, on any board or in the government of New York City, I would take action to preserve all of these restaurants, not just the few who may be capable of coming to a new deal with the MTA.
Another change underway at Grand Central Terminal is the East Side Access Project. This project’s goal is to connect the east side station, Grand Central Terminal to the Long Island Railroad. The Metro-North railroad line and the Long Island Railroad line operate from separate stations, Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station respectively and there is very little connectivity between them. Metro-North’s end up on the east side of Manhattan, while the Long Island Railroad riders end up on the west side of Manhattan. Therefore, the plan is to link them together with hope for the Metro-North riders to be able to get on train to Long Island within Grand Central Terminal, as well as for Long Island Railroad riders who use the Main and Port Washington lines the choice to end up on the east side of Manhattan instead of the west. People who commute from Long Island to the east side of Manhattan every day will then not have to use the subway. This would also open up an easier public transportation option to get to JFK airport from the east side. As a result of this eight-year project, there will be a connection built between the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. This new terminal will be added below Grand Central with eight new tracks, in addition to 22,000 more square feet of new retail space. This project has been in place since the mid 2000’s but there have been many delays and more money that has been spent on the amount of time this project has been taking. Now, the project is projected to be finished until 2021.
There are complaints about this East Side Access Project by some New Yorkers who are upset by the irritations. Residents complain about loud metallic banging on weekdays and even most Saturdays, and occasionally at all hours of the night. The only response is from the MTA spokesman who said that the company is actively monitoring the noise. Also, instead of using “impact hammers,” they will not use vibrating hammers to reduce the noise but this project will get done and the noise level will be contained and monitored to the best of their ability.
The main complaints about the East Side Access Project have been about how long it is taking to get done, the noise level and how much more money is being spent on this project than originally planned. I would expect some New Yorkers to be skeptical about how this will impact their commute with the addition to more people in Grand Central Terminal, but maybe it is too soon for this problem to be discussed and will be discussed once this project is complete and has a possible negative impact on Grand Central Terminal.
A generation from now, I see Grand Central Terminal to be undergoing the same changes it is going now. There could easily be changes in restaurants to keep up with what is preferred by the public at that time. Also, there could be another projected that is very similar to the East Side Access project in order to make the lives of commuters from different areas more efficient. I infer that there could possibly be a project put in place to connect New Jersey Transit to Grand Central Terminal or even a bus terminal added to the terminal as another option for a bus hub instead of Port Authority. Although there are Preservationists who are actively working to preserve as much of the original architecture and structure of the terminal, that doesn’t mean there won’t continue to be underground changes or any additions to the terminal.
Personally, I will be a Preservationist in principle on any more changes to Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central Terminal already handles four times the amount of commuter traffic than John F. Kennedy Airport deals with on a daily basis. More commuter traffic could be detrimental to the Terminal and continue to exploit the history of the terminal. I believe in preserving what is left of the original Grand Central Terminal. The original structure should never be ruined just to necessarily make a it more efficient for commuters when the subway has made many commuters lives already more efficient by connecting railroad lines. This is an iconic historical structure that needs to be preserved forever with only necessary maintenance construction.