![]() ![]() The idea for a new, electrified terminal was conceived by the New York Central Railroad’s chief engineer William Wilgus while two of Cornelius Vanderbilt’s grandsons, Cornelius Vanderbilt II and William Kassam Vanderbilt, sat at the helm of the New York Central railroad. The original Depot was built in 1871 during Commodore’s lifetime, but proved insufficient by the 20th century, when the locomotive age was ending and electric trains were looming on the horizon. To house the gateway to the city, he built the Grand Central Depot-a predecessor to the present day Grand Central Terminal. He went on to combine a multitude of local railroads into a vast transportation network connecting New York to the rest of the country. In mid-19th century-when Cornelius Vanderbilt was about 60 years old-he shifted his attention from the ships to the railroads. A relief in the Whispering Gallery A relief above a train gate Vanderbilt’s operation eventually grew to dominate the nation, earning him the nickname of “Commodore.” The initial $100 investment yielded a million-fold return-by the time of his death, his fortune had reached $100 million. The spectacular Grand Central Terminal owes its presence to Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of America’s first great tycoons and the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family, prominent during the Gilded Age.Ĭornelius Vanderbilt started his business when he launched a ferryboat service from Staten Island to Manhattan using a $100 loan from his mother.
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