An interior view of Grand Central Terminal, looking east, after a 12-year restoration project was completed on Oct. 1, 1998. The vaulted sky ceiling over the main concourse was given an extensive soap-and-water scrubbing. A Times article said, "The cleansing of the star constellations and zodiac signs, which over the years have gone from glittering gold on bright blue to algae green under a thick coat of grime, is intended to restore the splendor of the Beaux-Arts terminal that opened in 1913 as "a triumphant portal to New York," in the proud but immodest characterization of its architect, Whitney Warren."