All roads — or tracks — lead to Grand Central Station. You may have seen videos of George Clooney taking bows for his new Broadway play, “Good Night and Good Luck.” Behind him, on the stage set, you’ll see a large half-arched window, the kind where when you look up from the main floor, it takes up the sides of Grand Central near the ceiling. What you don’t know is the set is based on a still-accessible real place with significant broadcasting history.
A few weeks ago, Mark Saulnier, the chief architect of Grand Central, gave me a tour of the iconic train station built by Cornelius Vanderbilt. We ventured up the winding hallways, crossed catwalks set at those very windows, and ended up at a hidden tennis club located at 15 Vanderbilt Avenue. Gazing down from our high perch, Saulnier remarked on how the scurrying train passengers looked just like ants below.
This tennis club, mostly concealed from public view, was once the home of CBS Radio, where Edward R. Murrow and his team of broadcasters delivered the news to America from 1939 to 1964. This is the backdrop of Clooney’s movie and now stage adaptation. Who knew?
We met Saulnier at an unusual event at Grand Central’s Campbell Apartments, located off Vanderbilt Avenue. This ornate, restored lounge hosted a gathering by Czech Vogue for their March cover star, Consuelo Vanderbilt-Costin. If Vanderbilt rings any bells, it’s likely because Consuelo hails from a long lineage of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. She carries the name of Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, who was the great-great-granddaughter and died back in 1964 at the age of 87.
The current Consuelo is not only decades younger but also the seventh generation of her family, making her way actively as a philanthropist. She has claimed Grand Central as her ancestral home since the avenue it stands on is named for her family. Plaques honoring Grand Central Station’s original builder, Cornelius, also known as The Commodore, can be found in the station.
One might wonder what Anderson Cooper knows about this connection. That remains unclear because his late mother, the illustrious Gloria Vanderbilt, was actually the granddaughter of the Commodore. Interestingly enough, Anderson is Consuelo's third cousin, twice removed.
Michaela Seewald, the Publisher of Vogue Czech Republic & Slovakia, gathered fashionistas and influencers from all over for this celebration of Consuelo. One wonders if she is aware of the Clooney-Murrow connection. Seewald and Saulnier have become friendly over time, with her taking clients and business associates on tours around Grand Central. But she’s likely going to be thrilled to see the set of “Good Night, and Good Luck” on Broadway.
Consuelo itself has been described as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and international recording artist. Recently, she graced the pages of Elysian Magazine as one of New York City’s most influential and inspirational women, boasting a multifaceted career as a singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Also, she has her very own jewelry line, named Homage by Consuelo Vanderbilt-Costin, featured with HSN.
One can only ponder how different it would be if she was alive back during Murrow’s golden era, as the legendary broadcaster might have easily featured her on his famed “Person to Person” radio show!
