Secrets of New York City's Grand Central Terminal

Think you know the famed station well? These 11 tidbits may surprise you.

Fact checked by Sarah Cahalan

Not only is Grand Central Terminal one of the world's most beautiful train stations, it's also one of New York's most fascinating landmarks. Host to more than 750,000 people who pass through it daily, the station is a crossroads for locals, commuters, and tourists from all over the world.

Originally built in the 1870s by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, it was meant to symbolize wealth and power at a time when railroads were making travel easier and more comfortable than ever before. After making a fortune on steamships, Vanderbilt turned his sights to the railroad and had what was originally known as Grand Central Depot built to help streamline rail traffic in and out of the city. The beautiful, Beaux-Arts station we know today was built in 1913 as a replacement for the original depot, using sumptuous materials like Tennessee and Botticino marble, brass, opal, and Guastavino tile. Though the famous landmark may seem well-trod by now, these 11 secrets might surprise you.

1. There’s a Bar Hidden Inside

Everyone knows about the Oyster Bar, but did you know there's also a sumptuous lounge inside the terminal? Enter the station from Vanderbilt Avenue and make your way to the balcony level. There you'll find a gorgeous bar where nattily attired waitstaff serve Jazz Age-inspired cocktails and themed concoctions like Prosecco-spiked Grand Central Spritz.

It's called The Campbell. The sophisticated space was originally the office of tycoon John W. Campbell, but it fell into disrepair following his death in 1957. In 2007, it was restored to its former glory, complete with ornate rugs, porcelain vases, a massive stone fireplace, leaded glass windows, and plush sofas. It's hands-down one of the best hidden bars in New York.

2. There Are Two Valuable Clocks

Outside, on the station's fa?ade, is the world's largest Tiffany clock, spanning 14 feet in diameter. Made of brass and stained glass, it is surrounded by a 1,500-ton statue depicting the Roman gods Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva designed by French artist Jules-Félix Coutan.

Then, inside the main hall, the four-sided ball clock that sits atop the information kiosk is worth an estimated $20 million. Its four faces are made of opal set in brass with a brass acorn on top — the Vanderbilt family's symbol.

3. Oak Tree and Acorn Motifs Are Everywhere

The Vanderbilt family motto: "Great oaks from little acorns grow." Cornelius Vanderbilt's heirs wanted everyone to know they had financed the magnificent 1913 station, so they had French artist Sylvain Saliéres create decorative flourishes of bronze and stone laden with oak leaf and acorn motifs. You can spot them on ornamental carvings in Vanderbilt Hall, on the arches reaching up to the ceiling in the main concourse, and on the giant bronze chandeliers positioned throughout the station.

4. The Whispering Gallery's Origins Are Unknown

In the passageway near the Oyster Bar stands an acoustic marvel known as the Whispering Gallery. Two people standing at opposite corners of the vaulted archway can communicate, their voices reverberating like a game of telephone that no one else can hear. The remarkable vaulted ceiling is made of Guastavino tiled arches, like the Oyster Bar, but no one knows whether this fascinating acoustic effect was intentional.

5. The Constellation Ceiling Is Backwards

In the main concourse, the ceiling was originally meant to be a skylight, but when time and money started to run out, artist Paul Helleu came in to design the fantastical mural instead. A Columbia University astronomer confirmed the artist's design for accuracy, but it turns out the painters put the plans on the floor while they worked, which resulted in the constellations being painted backwards.

6. There Are Tennis Courts Inside the Station

It's a little known fact that the Vanderbilt Tennis Club is on the fourth floor and open to the public. Anyone willing to pay rates of $200 to $300 per hour (depending on the day) can reserve time on the courts and in the fitness center. Racquet rentals are also available.

7. The Windows Have Hidden Walkways

Though this secret is kept tightly under wraps, the giant windows visible from the main concourse have hidden walkways that offer bird's-eye views of the station. They exist so employees who work in the offices above the terminal can navigate it without fighting through the crowds down below. Because public access is highly discouraged, the walkways can be accessed only with a key pass.

8. It Has a Secret Entrance to the Waldorf

A two-story train shed concealed under the station contains 33 miles of tracks — more than twice as long as the island of Manhattan. VIPs who want to avoid the public gaze have used a top-secret track, known as Track 61, to get around. It connects to an elevator that goes directly into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. One such VIP, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is believed to have used it to hide his polio from the public. Track 61 is allegedly still kept available for American presidents when they're in town, just in case they need to make an emergency exit from the hotel.

9. There's a Top-Secret Room That Isn't on the Blueprints

It wasn't until the 1980s that officials acknowledged the existence of a top-secret room known as M42, though its exact location remains a well-guarded secret to this day. The 22,000-square-foot chamber 10 stories below the main concourse doesn't appear on any blueprints or maps of the station, and at one time, anyone who attempted to go down there risked being shot by guards. It contains a series of rotary converters once responsible for controlling the electricity that powered the trains connecting the East Coast. If compromised, as the Nazis allegedly hoped to do during WWII, the entire railroad system would be crippled.

10. The Station Narrowly Escaped Demolition

By the middle of the last century, cars and planes had supplanted trains as the mode of transportation in vogue. Accordingly, the Penn Central railroad line that controlled Grand Central wanted to tear it down. Skyscrapers were proposed to take its place, but luckily those plans never came to be. After the original, gorgeous Penn Station was demolished in 1963, preservationists fought to save Grand Central from meeting the same fate. Most notably, Jackie Onassis and legendary architect Philip Johnson banded together to form the Committee to Save Grand Central Station and succeeded.

11. Construction Continued Into the 21st Century

Most of the Grand Central we know today took shape in 1913, but the most recent construction on the site came well within the 21st century. The East Side Access Project, completed in February 2023, expanded the station (at a cost of some $11 billion) to include a new terminal that allows the Long Island Railroad to stop at Grand Central — making life a lot easier for east side-bound commuters who previously had to go through Penn Station. This whole new LIRR station, built underneath Park Avenue, provides connections to the seven subway lines that run through Grand Central and includes 40 miles of fresh tracks laid.

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