This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Yeah. Mm. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star.
and the American people. Before she was an iconic First Lady of the United States, Jackie Kennedy was a born and raised New Yorker. By 1975, when she settled full-time back into Manhattan, Grand Central Station seemed doomed. Its owners, the Penn Central Railroad, had some grand plans. A decade earlier, Penn Central had demolished Penn Station, replacing its fabulous wrought-iron concourse with a cramped terminal.
squashed beneath the newly built Madison Square Garden. Here to tell the story is Natasha Wing. Natasha is best known for her The Night Before Children series, she's here to share this story from her book, How Jackie Saved Grand Central. Here's Natasha with the story. I was traveling in Paris, and I believe it was.
2005 and I remember going to the Musée d'Orsay. and I had discovered that it once used to be a train station. And at one point it became a museum, an art museum, but it's because the building was going to be demolished.
So the people rose up and said, You are not going to demolish this building. We're going to save it, and it finally became an art museum.
So when I got back from my trip from Paris, I talked to my agent and I mentioned the Musée d'Orsay and she said, well, that's interesting, because did you know that Grand Central Terminal was set to be demolished? But Jackie Kennedy O'Nassis stepped in and helped save it. And I grew up in Connecticut. I live in Colorado now. But so we would go into New York City, and you know, it's just part of the architecture, part of the flavor of being in the city.
And I never. associated it with a former first lady. But in the Grand Central Terminal, I did come across a plaque and I'll read it to you. In memory and honor of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In an age when few people sought to preserve the architectural wonders that are a daily reminder of our rich and glorious past, A brave woman rose in protest to save this terminal from demolition.
Because of her tireless and valiant efforts, it stands today as a monument to those who came before us and built the greatest city known to mankind. Preserving this great landmark is one of her many enduring legacies. The people of New York City are forever grateful. And I saw that, and I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to write this story because. Billions of people probably passed by this little plaque every day and didn't even connect that she was.
involved in saving this wonderful building.
So just a little bit of background about Grand Central. It was one of the largest and grandest railroad terminals in the world. And it opened in 1913. And I'm going to read an excerpt.
Some called it a work of art. With its pink marble steps, majestic sculptures, dazzling chandeliers, towering windows, and cerulean vaulted ceiling painted with gold leaf constellations.
So it was the hub of people coming in and out of the city. It took 10 years to build. and cost sixty five million dollars.
So in the 1940s, which was the peak of train travel. 65 million passengers came in and out of New York City every year. Via the train.
So, um Not only did Grand Central Terminal act as a way to get people in and out of the city, it was also a big community gathering spot. And so, this is where politicians made important speeches. This is where they would close it down and have a New Year's Eve dances. And artist Andy Warahol actually threw an underground party there. And there have been movies filmed there.
Like, probably the most memorable one was North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock. Carrie Grant was in that one, and The Cotton Club by Frances Coppola. Was filmed there in the Fisher King.
So, again, it was another example of this wasn't just. A train station. This was a community center, and it was almost like having a miniature village within a city.
So there was another station. That was actually considered even more beautiful than Grand Central Terminal, and it was Penn Station. And Hennes Station was also built in the Beaux-Arts style. It was considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest architectural works in New York City. In nineteen sixty three, it was demolished and people were just shocked.
They were kind of caught off by surprise by the developers. They they ended up building well now today is Madison Square Garden. And then, when they heard that Grand Central Terminal was going to suffer from the same. Yeah. They rose up and said, Oh no, this is not gonna happen twice.
So, in 1975 is when the Committee to Save Grand Central was formed. And shortly after is when Jackie O. became involved in it.
So I believe you have a recording of Jackie's speech that she gave January 30th, 1975 in Grand Central Terminal to plea for saving the building.
So take a listen. I think if we don't care about our past, we can't have very much hope for our future. And we've all heard that it's too late, or that it has to happen, or that it's inevitable. But I don't think that's true. Because I think if there is a great effort, Even if it's at the 11th hour, you can succeed, and I think, and I know that that's what you'll do.
Truly, it started when she was in the White House. And when she became a first lady in 1961, Her and President John F. Kennedy and their children moved into the White House.
So she looked around and the walls needed painting, the furniture was all shabby, and she also was like, Well, where's all the mementos of all the presidents that came before us?
So she took it upon herself to renovate the White House because it is the people's home, essentially.
So she wanted to make it a place that Americans can be proud of and then also visit and learn a little bit about. past presidents. And you're listening to Natasha Wing. Tell the story of how Jackie Kennedy Onassis Saved Grand Central and what a save it was. When we come back.
More of Natasha Wing, the story of how Jackie Kennedy O'Nassis saved Grand Central. Here on Our American Stories. Uh Mm-hmm. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country.
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And we return to our American stories and the story of how Jackie Kennedy O'Nassis saved Grand Central. Let's continue with Natasha Wing. Let's pick up where we last left off.
So, what she did is she went down into the basement of the White House and drug up furniture. Like a history detective, Jackie tracked down lost presidential treasures: the desk used by Rutherford V. Hayes, candelabras purchased by James Monroe, a chandelier. Bought by Ulysses S. Grant.
Room by room she restored the dreary mansion into a stately home that made Americans proud. She was really meticulous about the details and then working. with designers to get the house back up to a a very presentable home that Americans could be proud of.
So Jackie led preservation efforts beyond the walls of the White House, too. When the neighborhood across the street from the presidential residence was set for destruction to make way for modern court and office buildings, Jackie persuaded the developers to stop. She used her position as first lady to get the plans changed only by Old buildings were preserved rather than torn down, and new buildings were built to match the original architectural style. The restoration of the White House in the neighborhood of Lafayette Square led to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which helps develop national heritage treasures. In 1970, Lafayette Square became a National Historic Landmark.
So, a lot of the challenges with this story were trying to figure out. How to make a building interesting. And I knew that's what the committee to save Grand Central Terminal was feeling like they were looking at this as something more than just a building to save. It was history, it was people, it was transportation, it was a community gathering place, it was a place you can shop and meet your friends for lunch and what it actually represented to people of New York City. And actually people around the world, if you think about it, it's called the gateway to the city that never sleeps, but it's also a gateway to the United States.
A lot of people fly into New York City or they take a train or a subway into Grand Central Terminal and then they go from there to Discover America.
So it is a gateway. It started off as a court case that was set in New York City and. Not many people knew about what was going on, you know, with the wanting to build a skyscraper or demolished Grand Central Terminal as far as Americans.
So it was more like a New York City story. When Jackie read about the demolition on the front page of the newspaper, she was like, oh no, this is not going to happen. I am going to get involved. And once she became involved and put out a plea to Americans to help save the building, they would mail in $5 checks or $1 checks, anything to help. And it kind of became America's fight, too, because, like I said, it was the gateway to America.
And everybody knows what the Grand Central Terminal is. And so. It then elevated the fight to the Americans want to save this, not just New York City residents.
So, this case went back and forth. And so, at one point, Jackie was desperate. She was a very good writer. She sat down, and I found this letter she wrote to the mayor, Mayor Beam. uh the mayor of New York New York City and it's really For me, it was like a chill moment to see her handwriting because it wasn't a typed letter.
It was, she sat down at her desk and wrote it out by hand, and so she wrote. I write to you about Grand Central Station with a prayer that you will see fit to have the City of New York appeal Judge Save Police's decision. Is it not cruel to let our city die by degrees, stripped of all her proud moments, until there will be nothing left of her history and beauty to inspire our children? If they are not inspired by the past of our city, where will they find the strength to fight for her future? Americans care about their past.
But for short-term gain, they ignore it and tear down everything that matters. And this is a court case that the interesting thing about it. is it went it ended up going all the way to the Supreme Court. And it was the first case that was about historic preservation. And that's why everybody was holding their breath.
Like Jackie, she was super nervous about which way this was going to go because. And we all know the Supreme Court is pretty much the final word.
So in 1978, It was a six to three rule in favor of saving Grand Central Terminal. And that's how the preservationists looked at it. They're like, oh my gosh, now we have the ability to save buildings that we have in our own cities because of Jackie.
So, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor. of the preservation group to save Grand Central Terminal, then that's when the work began. Because what was left of years of neglect was the ceilings were just covered in soot. Smoke from the trains would come up and get stuck on the ceiling. More people smoked back then, so there was a lot of cigarette smoke.
And during World War II, they blacked out the windows.
So, if planes flew overhead, they wouldn't identify the building and bomb it.
So, windows were blacked out. And really ugly advertisements were set up all over the place, so they were covering the beautiful details of the woodwork and the marble and the walls and everything. And then the homeless were starting to take over and sleep in there. And it was just not a really pleasant place to visit. And people felt if they had to go there, they would try to get through there as quick as possible.
And then, when the restoration started, Jackie also was involved in that, and she helped the architects who were working on it. Look at original drawings and photos of the building when it was in its glory. And so their intention was to try to restore it as much as they could back to its initial glory.
So it took about $200 million and a team of craftsmen to get the work done, and it took about two decades before. They could make the place shine again.
So it was not until 1998 that it was rededicated. But during the Restoration period In order to convince the people of New York City that it was worth putting all this money into restoring this building, they just cleaned a small little square of the ceiling. And suddenly, people could see that beautiful blue underneath, and they were like, wow, I didn't even know that was there. You couldn't see there's golden constellations painted up on the ceiling. And the funny thing about that is they're actually backwards.
So the artist who did the constellation artwork on the ceiling. Had it backwards, so the way they explained it was. It's as if you're looking at the constellations if you're way out in the solar system and looking down at the constellations, maybe like a god's eye view of the constellations.
So that was their kind of excuse why they're backwards.
So it was a big deal in 1998 when it was rededicated. Most New Yorkers had never seen Grand Central looking so glorious, and it was time to celebrate, yet, one person was missing. Jackie had died four years earlier. Many people honored her memory. By visiting Grand Central, to write messages in memorial books and linger in the beautiful space she had helped preserve.
A terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler. and a special thanks to Natasha Wing. He's the author of the well-known and best-selling children's series The Night Before. And she's also the author of How Jackie Saved Grand Central. The true story of Jacqueline Kennedy's fight.
for an American icon and praise God She fought. with this beautiful space. in one of our great American cities. If we don't care about our past, we won't care about our future. And then of course what she did, that letter to the mayor.
Just how beautiful. and in the end using all of her credibility and her popularity. And in 1998, it was saved 200 million dollars, two decades worth of work. And Jackie Kennedy O'Nassis never got to see it. He died in 1994.
But her work and her efforts. Live on. And by the way, we try to do the same thing Jackie O did right here with this show. preserving the good and beautiful things in life.
so we can remember. Who we were. The STORY OF JAKKIE KENNEDY AND HOW SHE SAVED GRAND CENTRAL here on Our American Stories. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years.
And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q.
That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Eczema is unpredictable. but you can flare less with F-glisk. a once-monthly treatment for moderate to severe eczema. After an initial four-month or longer dosing phase, about four in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieve itralate and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks.
And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing. EBGLIS, Libriquizumap, LBKZ, a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. EBGLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to EBGLIS. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.
Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with EBGLIS. Before starting EBGLIS, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about EBGLIS and visit ebglis.lilly.com or call 1-800-LILIRX or 1-800-545-5979.
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