One of the landmarks of New York City, Grand Central Terminal (more commonly known as Grand Central Station), missed being the first rail terminal in New York city by 80 years. It was not even the first one to claim the “Grand Central” title – a jumble of independent and disconnected rail lines crisscrossed the eastern seaboard, each claiming to be central to something. The station that became Grand Central was originally built by shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt to consolidate several of his routes. But a narrow tunnel combined with an engineers’ vision obscured by steam pouring out of the the train engines caused a massive accident that killed over 100 people in the early 1900s. At that point, New York Central Railroad decided to electrify their system, which required a thorough expansion of the station on 42nd street.

On this day, February 2nd, in 1913, the Grand Central Railroad opened to grand fanfare. More than 150,000 turned out that Sunday, starting on 12:01 AM, to walk through and board the trains at the new terminal.

Parts of Grand Central were renovated for more modern travelers — which was likely the only thing that saved the station in the 1950s, when owners of the site wanted to tear it down and build a tower in its place. The station was declared by the city a historic landmark, and indeed features several unique architectural secrets. In the center of the station stands a square with vaulted columns on all four corners: two people can stand facing any two of the columns and carry on a conversation in normal tones; their voices carry up the columns, over the square ceiling. The spot is said to be a popular place for marriage proposals, particularly on Valentine’s day.