![]() ![]() The walls and ceiling were brought back to their former glory and the original steel safe, once hidden behind a wall, now sits in the massive fireplace as a reminder of Campbell's wealth. Īfter falling into disrepair, the space was restored and renovated in 1999. It also had a small jail, in the area of the present-day bar. Īfter Campbell's death in 1957, the rug and other furnishings disappeared from his office and the space eventually became a signalman's office and later an MTA Police office, where officers stored guns and other equipment. Campbell added a piano and pipe organ, and at night turned his office into a reception hall, entertaining 50 or 60 friends who came to hear famous musicians play private recitals. The Persian carpet that took up the entire floor was said to have cost $300,000, or roughly $3.5 million today. Allen, an architect known for designing estates on Long Island and town houses in Manhattan, to build an opulent office, transforming the room into a 13th-century Florentine palace with a hand-painted plaster of paris ceiling, leaded windows, and a mahogany balcony with a quatrefoil design. At that time, it was the largest ground-floor space in Manhattan. The 3,500-square-foot (330 m 2) space was a single room 60 feet (18 m) long by 30 feet (9.1 m) wide with a 25-foot (7.6 m) ceiling and an enormous faux fireplace in which Campbell kept a steel safe. Campbell from William Kissam Vanderbilt II, whose family built the Terminal. The space was first leased in 1923 by John W. Located in the southwestern corner of the Grand Central Terminal building-above the northeastern corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue-the space is reached by a staircase from the terminal's balcony level. Temporarily closed in 2016, the bar was reopened the following year under new management. Renovations in 19 restored the space to its original opulence at a total cost of nearly $2 million. It was later used as office space, as a studio by CBS and as a jail by Metro-North Railroad. Campbell, a member of the New York Central Railroad's board of directors. The space, long known as the Campbell Apartment, was once the office of American financier John W. The Campbell is a bar and cocktail lounge in Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The Campbell Apartment is located inside Grand Central Terminal (off the Vanderbilt Avenue entrance), and their hours are Mon-Sat 12 p.m to 1 a.m., and Sunday they close at midnight.The space as John Campbell's office, c. ![]() Sadly, however, there wasn't a fedora in sight when we dropped by. They require proper attire: no baseball caps, t-shirts, or athletic shoes. To get into the Campbell Apartment, you simply must dress the part. but after one of Paris DuRante's Prohibition Punches you won't mind. A rep told us, "Some customers and staff have pointed out eerie incidents that have taken place at the cocktail lounge, such as unexplained gusts of cold air, taps from behind without anyone in sight, sounds of an organ playing, and doors mysteriously shutting on their own." Owner Mark Grossich has corroborated these paranormal activities. There are also claims that Campbell's ghost haunts the space-we were told that the Eastern Paranormal Investigation Center conducted an extensive examination there and validated the ghost sightings. The mahogany, the carpeting, the vases, and most notably, the safe he hid in the fireplace is now displayed there, a reminder of his wealth. It wasn't until 1999 that the semi-hidden space opened its doors to the public as a bar, and Campbell's touches were carefully restored. (Photo courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York) Through the years drop ceilings were installed, as it became a signalman's office, a closet that stored transit police guns, and at one point a jail.Ĭampbell's office, 1923. When he died in 1957, things became a little dismal-the gorgeous space deteriorated as it went through various occupants. Under Campbell's lock and key, the room was transformed from a bare barracks to a galleried hall of a 13th century Florentine palace. ![]() He even had a butler there, whose name was Stackhouse. It was never a residence, but Campbell-a railroad tycoon who served on New York Central's Board of Directors-did entertain there, adding a piano and pipe organ, and often inviting around 50 guests to come hear famous musicians play private recitals. ![]() The Campbell Apartment started out as an office space for John W. Tucked away in a dark corner of Grand Central Terminal, there's a cocktail lounge that will transport you back to another era, when rail travel was more romantic and men looked like Don Draper. ![]()
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