Main Concourse

Main Concourse

Building	Grand Central Terminal
Location	89 East 42nd Street Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Coordinates	40°45′10″N 73°58′38″W / 40.75278°N 73.97722°W / 40.75278; -73.97722
Dimensions	275 ft × 120 ft × 125 ft (84 m × 37 m × 38 m)
Area	35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2)
Purpose	Concourse
Operator	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Dedicated	February 2, 1913
Style	Beaux-Arts
Architect	Reed and Stem; Warren and Wetmore

The Main Concourse is the primary concourse of Grand Central Terminal, a railway station in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The space is located at the center of the terminal's station building.

The distinctive architecture and design of the Main Concourse helped earn several landmark designations for the station, including as a National Historic Landmark. The concourse, along with some other interior spaces, has been protected as an interior New York City Landmark since 1980. The room's Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art. The terminal is one of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions,^[1] with 21.6 million visitors in 2018, excluding train and subway passengers.^[2]

The Main Concourse is located on the upper platform level of Grand Central, in the geographical center of the station building. The 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m²) concourse^[3] leads directly to most of the terminal's upper-level tracks, although some are accessed from passageways near the concourse.^[4] The Main Concourse is usually filled with bustling crowds and is often used as a meeting place.^[5]

Opened with the rest of the terminal in 1913, the Main Concourse held numerous events, exhibitions, and other attractions over the next decades. In World War II, its east balcony became a United Service Organizations canteen. In 1944, its ceiling proved to be damaged beyond repair, and was covered over with a false ceiling, replicating the artistry of the original work. In 1967, the first train departure display was installed in the Main Concourse. The display, affectionately known as the Big Board, was replaced with more modern equipment several times (in 1985, 1996, and 2019). In the mid-20th century, the room started to deteriorate, its windows were darkened, advertisements were installed on its walls, and bank kiosks were placed on its floor. In the late 1990s, a restoration project overhauled the terminal, restoring the concourse nearly to its 1913 appearance. The biggest change was the addition of the east staircase, an element planned but never implemented until then. No major changes have been made since the overhaul finished in 1998.