This thoughtful STEM picture book biography about the brilliant architect of Grand Central Terminal is a celebration of resilience in the face of adversity, creative problem solving, and, of course, trains!
There was once a place in New York City that had a tennis club, movie theater, and art gallery—all in the same building! It also had a secret passageway, a huge library, and even a ski slope! This astounding building is Grand Central Terminal, and it was the work of one brilliant man, William J. Wilgus, who wanted to create a new electric-powered train system and knew he needed to house this special fleet somewhere exceptional. His grand idea of a solution? An underground multilevel train station that would become an iconic New York landmark, and one that is still an integral part of the city over a century later.
From School Library Journal:
VERDICT
A charming tale, and to think it's all true! Whether readers are train and construction buffs or not, this is a living, breathing biography of a building, and the man who believed in it from the ground up. Extraordinary.
There was once a place in New York City that had a tennis club, movie theater, and art gallery—all in the same building! It also had a secret passageway, a huge library, and even a ski slope! This astounding building is Grand Central Terminal, and it was the work of one brilliant man, William J. Wilgus, who wanted to create a new electric-powered train system and knew he needed to house this special fleet somewhere exceptional. His grand idea of a solution? An underground multilevel train station that would become an iconic New York landmark, and one that is still an integral part of the city over a century later.
From School Library Journal:
VERDICT
A charming tale, and to think it's all true! Whether readers are train and construction buffs or not, this is a living, breathing biography of a building, and the man who believed in it from the ground up. Extraordinary.