The Oyster Bar Restaurant at Grand Central Terminal has welcomed New Yorkers and travelers since 1913, making it the oldest continuously operating business in the terminal. Its signature feature is a sweeping series of Guastavino tile vaults that arch across the dining rooms, lunch counter, and bar -- a herringbone-patterned ceiling system that defines the character of the space and has become one of the most recognized interiors in New York City.
After a century of continuous service, the tile vaults showed the wear of time: the aftermath of a 1990s fire, less-than-expert prior repairs, and cumulative moisture damage had left the installation in need of careful, expert attention. Graciano Corporation, recognized specialists in Guastavino tile restoration, was engaged to return the lofty curving surfaces to their original condition.
What is Guastavino Tile?
The Guastavino system -- developed by Rafael Guastavino in the late 19th century and carried forward by his son -- uses interlocking terra cotta tiles laid in multiple layers with Portland cement to create self-supporting vaults of remarkable strength and acoustic quality. The method was used throughout New York City and beyond: Grand Central Terminal, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Ellis Island, and Carnegie Hall are among the hundreds of buildings featuring Guastavino work. Restoration requires not only masonry expertise but a deep understanding of the system's geometry, tile fabrication, and mortar behavior.
Graciano's Guastavino Expertise
Graciano's standing as Guastavino specialists traces to a foundational project in 1998, when stonemason Gino Marchese led the first-ever Guastavino reconstruction -- the revival of a cavernous 1914 market space beneath Manhattan's Queensboro Bridge, one of the world's largest terra cotta restorations at the time. That assignment required rediscovering historic fabrication techniques and tools, and it established Graciano's crew as among the most knowledgeable Guastavino practitioners in the country.
Scope of Work
Services Performed
- Tile-by-tile inspection and sounding of the full 13,000-square-foot installation
- Cleaning of terra cotta tile surfaces throughout the dining rooms and bar
- Repointing of mortar joints across the vaulted ceilings
- Patching and crack repairs to damaged tile and grout
- Removal and resetting of 1,300 square feet of deteriorated terra cotta tile
- Replacement with newly fabricated, architecturally correct terra cotta tile
- Repair of damage remaining from the 1990s fire and prior repairs
The Challenge of Active-Use Restoration
The Oyster Bar continued operating throughout much of the restoration program. Working overhead in an active restaurant environment required precise sequencing of scaffold placement and removal, careful dust and debris management, and close coordination with building management to protect the dining areas below. Graciano's in-house workforce -- with 90% of all labor self-performed -- allowed the tight scheduling control that this kind of project demands.
Related Grand Central Work
Graciano has performed restoration work at multiple locations within Grand Central Terminal, drawing on the company's depth in historic masonry and Guastavino tile systems. The Whispering Gallery, another space defined by its curved tile vaulting, is among the terminal's features that benefit from the same category of expertise.
About Graciano Corporation
Founded in 1916, Graciano Corporation is one of the oldest and most experienced masonry and concrete restoration firms in the United States. With offices in Pittsburgh PA, New York NY, and Florida, and approximately 90% of all labor self-performed by in-house craftsmen, Graciano delivers the quality control that landmark and institutional clients require. Graciano is a WBENC-certified Woman Business Enterprise.