After almost ten years of renovation and reengineering, the new Grand Central Terminal opened to the public precisely at midnight on February 2, 1913. More than 150,000 people from all over the city visited the New York's newest landmark on its opening day.
Not just a soaring Beaux-Arts structure, the terminal showcased a sophisticated circulation plan. Commuters could take ramps from train to street, and Park Avenue was elevated to allow vehicles to move around the Terminal building. Special areas out of the main traffic flow were created for passengers to greet the people who had come to meet them ("kissing galleries").
In 1899 The New York Times had called Grand Central "a cruel disgrace." But now, its image had changed dramatically. "The Grand Central Terminal is not only a station," The Times declared, "it is a monument, a civic center, or, if one will, a city. Without exception, it is not only the greatest station in the United States, but the greatest station, of any type, in the world."
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