Grand Central Terminal by Kurt C. Schlichting, Ph.D.

Grand Central Terminal by Kurt C. Schlichting, Ph.D.

Grand Central Terminal, recently published by The Johns Hopkins University Press, is the story of a city and the colorful personalities, bitter conflicts and Herculean feats of engineering that lie behind its construction.

The book is written by Kurt C. Schlichting, Ph.D., professor of sociology and anthropology at Fairfield University, who as a graduate student at New York University in the mid-1970s, frequently passed through a deteriorating Grand Central. His fascination with this structure, which at its peak was the gateway to the continent, was rewarded with a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 1998.

"Critics of technological history say what's missing is human agency," Dr. Schlichting notes. He made the focus of his book the impact of technology on society, the societal change taking place in New York City at the turn of the century, and the human drama associated with the creation of Grand Central. He brings the book through Grand Central's near demise and the public outcry that saved it 30 years ago, to the meticulous restoration that has restored it to its original splendor.

The result is this thoroughly researched and well-illustrated work that was selected by Johns Hopkins for the cover of its spring catalogue.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Schlichting, please call Nancy Habetz, director of media relations, Fairfield University, (203) 254-4000, ext. 2647.

Posted On: 04-15-2001 09:04 AM

Volume: 33 Number: 186