Terminal is once again grand.

It's been scrubbed, polished, re-linked, up-teched, re-staired and naturally lit. Twenty years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Grand Central Terminal shouldn't go down so a skyscraper could go up, New Yorkers celebrated its restoration as a civic jewel with laser lights, symphonies, trapeze artists and politicians.

"We put the grand back into Grand Central," declared E. Virgil Conway, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), at the public re-dedication last Thursday, October 1st.

When the MTA took over operations in 1983, they spent about $160 million stemming the disrepair of the Beaux Arts terminal, which was, among other things, damaged by ongoing leaks.

"Fifteen years ago, we started fixing the roof on this... because if it leaked, it wouldn't make any sense to do anything else," recalled Peter E. Stangl, then chairman of the MTA.

Even simple shop tools were still dated from its 1913 opening, so those were replaced and other modern mechanical equipment installed. At that time, along with the roof repair, 10,000 panes of glass were cleaned, and Beyer Blinder Belle was retained to assess what was needed architecturally.

In 1990, a joint venture of LaSalle Partners and Williams Jackson Ewing, which had directed the rejuvenation of Washington's Union Station, were retained to direct the upgrading the retail of the Terminal, which would pay for the total restoration financing.

Now revenues from retailers and restaurants will go towards paying off $85 million in bonds that helped fund the recent $196 million renovation. The total amount will end up being double that by the time the $80 million cost of the new north entrance and the earlier $160 million improvement work are factored in.

Commuters and visitors will notice the gleam everywhere, particularly in the sparkle of the chandeliers and the actual light cream color of the scoured and polished Tennessee marble and terrazzo floors, and Main Concourse walls of restored Caen stone, terra cotta and Guastavino tile vaulting. Architects from Beyer Blinder Belle traveled to Tuscany three times to match the original Botticino marble that was used for the ornamentation.

Above, the Sky Ceiling was cleaned and restored, and a new fiber optic star lighting system replaced the old 40-watt bulbs.

A few years ago, at the direction of the architects, the old immense Kodak ad came down, and natural sunlight greeted travelers from three previously hidden windows.

Last summer, one new chiller was turned on, and in 1999, the effects of a second will be more than discernable.

Goldman Copeland Associates was the mechanical engineer on the project, and Lehrer McGovern Bovis was the construction manager.

The rededication ceremonies took place on a new east stairway to the balcony. This had been part of the original Reed & Stem/Warren & Wetmore design, which had been planned to bring symmetry to the opposing Vanderbilt Avenue staircase, but was never constructed.

Last week, it served as a stage for the Westchester Symphony Orchestra, trapeze artists from the Big Apple Circus, and a podium for speakers that included Governor George Pataki and John F. Kennedy, Jr., whose mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, had rallied New Yorkers to save the Terminal when it was slated for destruction.

"She was at heart a New Yorker, and like all New Yorkers, she liked a good scrap, and she liked to win," said JFK, Jr., after receiving from the Governor a replica of a plaque created in memory of his mother's efforts.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the city's landmarking of the terminal in 1963 legitimately served a public purpose, and the Terminal owners agreed not to use the air rights to build above the Terminal itself, Stangl said "That was a critical turning point."

Governor Pataki stressed the celebration of both a restored landmark to unite New Yorkers with the past, and dynamic transportation center that can be a "living, breathing part of our economy."

While ultimately appropriate, there was somehow no mention of any "economic engine," but several turn-of-the-century and now privately-owned rail cars were on view on several of the tracks.

Many real estate professionals were among the 500 invited guests who gazed upwards to enjoy the laser light show as it mimicked the constellations on the restored Sky Ceiling. We spotted Louis and William G. Rudin; former MTA board member, developer Peter Kalikow; current MTA board member, developer Alan B. Friedberg; and Peter L. Malkin, whose W&M Properties has an operating ownership interest in 60 East 42nd Street, one of the buildings tied into the Terminal through underground passageways.

"It's a beautiful job and the ceremony was fun," said Malkin, former chairman of the Grand Central Partnership Business Improvement District. "There's no question that the whole area is rejuvenated, first by the Grand Central Partnership and now by Grand Central Terminal. There has been a doubling of the retail [in the terminal] and this district has the highest [commercial] occupancy in New York City, so it's working."

Current board member Alan B. Friedberg told REW, "This is the greatest indoor public space in the City of New York and provides a tremendous welcome to our great city. The 100 retail shops are over 90 percent leased to date."

The 170,000 square feet of shops and restaurants doubles the previous space, and the mix is designed to attract both destination shoppers and commuters by providing banking, money changing, flowers, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, vitamins, perfumes, candles, watches, bread, ham and wines, among plenty of other products. A Discover Channel Store and a Children's General Store will keep kids happy, too.

The balcony restaurants, like Michael Jordan's "The Steakhouse" off the Vanderbilt stairs, are already full of upscale diners and shoppers. LaSalle hosted a party there after the ceremonies, and Conway and his wife dined there, too. The balcony restaurants include The Campbell Apartment where John W. Campbell first rented a pied a terre in 1923; Cipriani; and Matthew Kenney's Metrazur. The lower Dining Concourse will have more reasonably priced food outlets, but we're talking Zaro's, Mendy's Restaurant and Delicatessen, Masala (from Dawat) and Citarella - no Mickey D's here. The Oyster Bar was restored after its fire and is open on the lower level ramp.

Along 42nd Street, shoppers will find J. Peterman's western wear, the Banana Republic, Kenneth Cole and Rose Boutique.

The former Main Waiting Room has been renamed Vanderbilt Hall and is already the site of seasonal boutique markets. A Bill Clinton event took place there when he was nominated in 1992, and is now available for public events and private parties.

Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson said, "This is a wonderful occasion, with a fantastic opportunity for the design, construction and real estate industry of New York to show what it's capable of doing. The best of our industry demonstrated how good it is today."