Discipline : Interior Design
Categories :
Accommodation, Restaurant & Bar / Restaurant > 1,600 sq.ft. (> 500 sq. m.)
: Gold certification
Historic Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal provides a spectacular setting for dining and shopping. A Beaux-Arts masterpiece on the south side of the terminal, between the main entrance and the Main Concourse to its north, the rectangular room measures 65 by 205 feet. The north and south walls are divided into five bays, each with large rectangular windows, screened with heavy bronze grills. The room is lit by five chandeliers, each with 132 bulbs on four tiers. Vanderbilt Hall was formerly the main waiting room for the terminal, particularly for intercity travelers. The space featured double-sided oak benches and could seat 700 people. Around 1998, the renovated hall was renamed in honor of the Vanderbilts, which built and owned the station.
Rockwell Group has transformed the hall into the Grand Brasserie, a New York City meeting place with effortless Parisian flair. We combined the timeless and historic elegance of the landmark terminal with the buzz of a classic French brasserie. Our design team borrowed the Art Deco and Beaux-Art language of the terminal, using decorative screens, clusters of seating, mirrors, and plantings to create inviting, intimate dining zones within the grand space. Because of the terminal’s landmark status, Rockwell Group ensured that the restaurant’s infrastructure was freestanding and modular, covering historic elements and never attaching directly to them.
