Grand Central Terminal, the bustling hub of midtown Manhattan, is an architectural masterpiece, as well as a monument to the history of American transportation. In 1978, a Supreme Court decision prevented the building's destruction, but Grand Central still needed saving from decades of decay. Under the direction of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Grand Central has undergone a $197 million restoration. The project has uncovered the structure's architectural beauty and added dozens of shops and restaurants to serve the more than 500,000 visitors who pass through Grand Central's doors each day.

The "Sky Ceiling," which towers above the main concourse and depicts the constellations of the nighttime sky, has been vacuumed and cleaned with soap and water to reveal its original aquamarine color. Most of the ceiling's stars shine with the help of shimmering paint and each was touched up by hand with gold leaf. Sixty of the ceiling's stars are actually illuminated. Workers replaced the forty-watt bulbs that used to make these stars shine with fiber-optic lights.

A staircase to the East Balcony has been constructed out of the same marble used for the existing West Staircase. The East Staircase was a part of the original design by Whitney Warren, but was never built.

Dropped ceilings and window obstructions have been removed, allowing natural light to flood through the terminal, as the original architects intended.

A new entrance on Lexington Avenue and 43rd Street has been added. The entrance will be an impressive thirty-six feet tall and will be adorned by an iron eagle with a thirteen-foot wingspan that was displayed in the first Grand Central Depot from 1898 to 1910.

For the first time in the landmark's history, a climate-control system has been installed that will provide travelers with an air-conditioned respite from New York's hot summers.

To the relief of commuters, the lower level of the terminal will now include, in addition to a stationmaster's office and a lost-and-found, one of midtown Manhattan's few public restrooms.

The renovation will expand retail space in the terminal by sixty-five percent. The new tenants, who will include Banana Republic, J. Peterman, Starbucks, and Michael Jordan's The Steakhouse, will do business in what many hope will become one of New York's busiest shopping areas.