facade but also that of the nearby New York Biltmore Hotel, which was gutted in the early 1980s. The hotel contained large amounts of materials, including of steel, 4.256 million bricks, 1.653 million terracotta blocks, and of fireproof floor arches. The hotel's heating system included 4,400 radiators, supplied by a pair of boilers in the basement. The ventilation system contained 17 fans that were capable of supplying of air per minute. The Commodore contained ten passenger elevators, eight service elevators, one freight elevator, and two dumbwaiters. The hotel received water from the city's water supply system, with two intakes from 42nd Street and one from Lexington Avenue. The water-drainage system included two sewers to 42nd Street and one to Lexington Avenue, as well as sump pumps that drained water from the basements into the city's sewage system. The Commodore also contained a telautograph system with 75 stations, as well as a fire alarm system, which at the time of the hotel's opening was an uncommon feature. Ground level The hotel's main entrance was at 42nd Street, just east of Grand Central Terminal. At ground level was a vestibule, consisting of a central hallway flanked by wide stairways that ascended to the lobby. The central hallway continued to the grill room and to the Commodore Passageway at the rear of the ground level. At the rear of the vestibule was a grill room, used for supper and dancing; it was also known as the supper room. The grill room's entrance was on a terrace with stone walls and columns and a tiled floor. A short flight of steps descended to the main part of the grill room, which had chestnut walls with alcoves and leaded windows. On the ceiling were large beams painted by John B. Smeraldi, consisting of heraldic designs taken from illuminated manuscripts. The center of the grill room contained a dance floor measuring . At the north end of the ground story was the Commodore Passage, which still exists but was renamed the Lexington Passage after the Commodore closed. The passage leads directly to Grand Central Terminal and also connects to Lexington Avenue. This passageway also connects the hotel to the New York City Subway's Grand Central–42nd Street station via the terminal's corridors. Additional passageways connected with other buildings such as the Biltmore and Roosevelt hotels, the Yale Club Building, the Graybar Building, and the Chrysler Building. In