Architectural historian Carol Krinsky talks about Grand Central Terminal and the development of Midtown. Responding to the changing nature of the Terminal's transportation role, the Master Place, completed in 1990, was based upon a blending of historic preservation and modern needs to build on the strengths of the Terminal's original 1913 architecture.
A number of individual projects in the building were undertaken to show the public how great a restored Grand Central could be, such as the removal of the Kodak sign from the east balcony and the cleaning of a test patch of the sky ceiling. The primary goal of the revitalization project was to create a train station for the twenty-first century. Engineering systems were restored or replaced and the building was air conditioned for the first time in its history. The famous sky ceiling was cleaned and newly illuminated using fiber optic lights. A new stair was created on the east side of the Main Concourse, following the designs of the original architect, Whitney Warren. A new entrance on the east side, at 43rd Street and Lexington Avenue, connects to the Main Concourse through a passageway which resembles a European marketplace.