Lexington Ave. & 46th St., 3/2/1917
"Route 5, Section 7 March 2, 1917 Lexington Ave. and 46th St. Camera 10 feet south of south building line of 46th St. 3 foot west of E. curb of Lex. Ave. Looking north showing surface decking. Time 10.26 A.M. Mulcahy, Pullis, Kincaid" An exterior photograph displaying Lexington Avenue at the intersection of 46th Street, looking toward the north. Various buildings line the streets. There are workers on the right sidewalk, with a large pile of debris and variius materials. Streetcars are traveling along the avenue. The Grand Central Palace is visible on the left, with a horsedrawn carriage and automobile in front of it.
New York Transit MuseumIntersection of East 46th Street and Lexington Avenue, March 2, 1917.
The building seen at left is the Grand Central Palace. Designed by the team of associated architects that created Grand Central Terminal (Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem) the Palace was an 13-story exhibition hall completed in 1911. It replaced the the 1893 Grand Central Palace which at Lexington Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets had to be demolished for the new train station.
The 1911 Beaux-Arts building hosted large-scale events and exhibitions, including auto, boat, flower, and trade shows on its lower three floors. In 1911 the First Industrial Aeroplane Show, the first time most New Yorkers had ever seen a plane, was presented at the Palace. It was also the home of the Westminster Dog Show for many years. The upper floors were leased as offices.
The final exhibitions were installed in 1953 and a decade later the building was demolished, two years before the Landmarks Law was passed. The replacing building was the 44-story 245 Park Avenue.
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