Landmark Reborn

New York City’s Grand Central station was rededicated Thursday after a 10-year, $200 million renovation project that has made it, once again, a secular cathedral of marble stairways, sparkling chandeliers, classical sculpture and a twinkling ceiling resembling the night sky. The 1913 rail and subway station is considered one of the finest examples of beaux-arts architecture in the United States. But by the time the renovation work began, the cathedrallike windows were dark with grime, the roof leaked, the concourse was cluttered with advertising and the halls were filled with homeless people. One spot of brown grime was left on the ceiling as a reminder of how bad things used to be.