In September 2011, the Met Section submitted a nomination package to ASCE's National History and Heritage Committee (HHC) to designate Grand Central Terminal as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (NHCEL). The HHC voted to recommend the Terminal for designation as a NHCEL, which was formally approved by ASCE's Board of Direction.
Grand Central Terminal now joins thirteen other projects in the Met Section that have been designated as historic civil engineering landmarks.
"Although the Terminal has long been recognized as an architectural landmark, it also represents a triumph in civil engineering—a fact that goes unnoticed because much of the engineering work that went into the design and construction of the Terminal is largely hidden from public view," said ASCE President Andrew W. Herrmann, P.E. "Grand Central Terminal joins other engineering marvels such as the Washington Monument and the Erie Canal, as well as the Brooklyn, George Washington and Golden Gate Bridges."
"The endless adaptable Terminal functions as well today as it did the day it opened," said Howard Permut, President of Metro-North Railroad, which oversees, maintains and manages Grand Central Terminal. "It has metamorphosed from the grand gateway to the continent to the bustling center of New York City from long-distance train station to regional nexus linking the northern suburbs to Manhattan. It handles more trains each day than ever before and its retail component is more vibrant and varied than ever, drawing local and international visitors. The Terminal’s nimble design ensures that this great edifice will endure for another hundred years."
Grand Central Terminal was designed by William J. Wilgus, Hon.M.ASCE, Chief Engineer of the New York Central Railroad and a former president of the ASCE Metropolitan Section.
A bronze plaque marking the landmark designation will be formally dedicated by ASCE National President Gregory DiLoreto on February 1, 2013 as part of the Grand Central Terminal Centennial.
The Centennial year celebration will begin with a birthday party and historic exhibition that will kick off a year-long series of events, including a rare public display of historic train cars in the Terminal during May 2013, five exhibitions curated by the New York City Transit Museum in 2013 and family-friendly activities in and around the Terminal during Summer 2013.