Government
The Surprising Role Jackie Kennedy Onassis Played in Saving Grand Central
A reminder of how celebrities can do good for cities.
This month, Grand Central Terminal celebrates its 100th year. On this anniversary, it's worth remembering that the landmark was almost destroyed by an office tower redevelopment project in 1975 when an unlikely savior – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – stepped up to the microphone to save the Beaux-Arts building.
Onassis was outraged in early 1975 when Grand Central’s landmark designation had been voided by the court, clearing the way for the railroad to build over the station with a Marcel Breuer design that looked like a shoebox lid standing on its side.