New York (CNN) -- Celebrities, city officials and everyday commuters gathered at Grand Central Terminal Friday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the New York landmark.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg told the crowd, "It's a symbol of all that is great about our city. It's rooted in an incredible history while also being thoroughly modern. It represents beauty and art, but also commerce and industry.
"It's an innovative and visionary place, and it has the same power to inspire awe and wisdom whether you walk these corridors every day or you're visiting here for the first time."
In his speech he referenced Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the former first lady, who led a campaign in the 1970s to preserve the building that was in danger of being razed for hotel development.
Listen: Grand Central turns 100
Grand Central Terminal under construction in 1912. The iconic rail hub turns 100 years old this month.
11 milestones from Grand Central's first century
Onassis's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, was present at the centennial celebration and spoke of her mother's efforts to save the architectural masterpiece. "As a native New Yorker, she cared deeply about this city. She was so upset when Penn Station was torn down, the Metropolitan Opera house, and when it came to Grand Central it was just too much. She cared about its neighborhoods, its families, its artists, its dreamers."
iReport: Photos from the centennial celebration
The terminal which has been the background of dozens of Hollywood movies and television shows throughout the years, brought out several celebrities, including former Mets star Keith Hernandez and Grammy award singer Melissa Manchester to speak and perform.
Actress Cynthia Nixon of "Sex and the City" fame, said "Grand Central is everything that New York is. It's big, its loud, its functional, its dysfunctional, it's crowded, it's noisy but it is something that New York is too that we sometimes forget: It is so beautiful."
As the formal program for the celebrations wrapped up, a cake in the form of the terminal's clock was rolled out and the entire grand hall of people sang "Happy Birthday."
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After 10 years of construction, Grand Central Terminal opened on February 1, 1913. The first train pulled out at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, February 2, 1913. More than 150,000 people visited the new terminal on opening day.
Passengers arriving at Grand Central or other stations in the 1930s handed their luggage claim tickets to Red Cap workers on the platform, who fetched checked bags from the claim area.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the terminal starred on postcards ...
... and with Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 movie "North By Northwest."
The armored carriage designed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II allowed him to travel while keeping his polio hidden from the public.
During the 1960s, the terminal was a crumbling, rusting ruin, often used as a shelter by New York City's homeless.
In 1990, recycling bins were introduced. Since 2001, the New York Times has helped fund special bins that allow papers to go in, but not come out.
The station is now also a destination for shoppers looking for the latest Apple products ...
... and those looking for a bite to eat. There are 50 shops as well as 20 casual eateries in the terminal.
Having been named a National Historic Landmark in 1976, the terminal was spared demolition and renovated in the 1990s at a cost of US$160 million.
The famous Grand Central Terminal Clock. On February 1, 2013, Grand Central Terminal will be celebrating its 100th birthday, with exhibits, special offers, performances and celebrity speakers.
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