TWA Flight Center: An icon of travel's golden age
The Trans World Airline (TWA) Flight Center at JFK International Airport in New York City, designed by Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen and opened in May 1962, is an iconic piece of 20th century architecture that truly captured the spirit and excitement of the golden age of air travel. The terminal closed in 2001 when TWA went bankrupt. Planned renovations, carrying a $265 million price tag, will turn the space into a 500-room hotel with a conference space and observation deck.
The exterior is meant to allude to a bird in flight. The "headhouse" at center is the main terminal.
TWA Flight Center
Passenger planes are connected to the spider-like flight wing at the TWA's Flight Center on September 2, 1962.
TWA Flight Center
Visitors wander around the TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in Queens, New York, October 18, 2015.
The renovations for the landmark space will be primarily funded by JetBlue Airways and MCR Development. The hotel is expected to open in 2018.
TWA Flight Center
An estimated 5,000 people visited the TWA Flight Center for its one day opening to the public, October 18, 2015. The swooping lines are a key feature of the space as well as the pendant clock.
"All the curves, all the spaces and elements right down to the shape of the signs, display boards, railings and check-in desks were to be of a matching nature. We wanted passengers passing through the building to experience a fully-designed environment, in which each part arises from another and everything belongs to the same formal world," stated Eero Saarinen during construction in 1959.
TWA Flight Center
The slanted, expansive glass windows that enhance the soaring space.
The terminal was granted official landmark status in 1994 by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
TWA Flight Center
The TWA Flight Center's design included many firsts, including enclosed passenger jetways, baggage carousels, and an electronic departures board.
TWA Flight Center
A woman in a Pan American Airways flight attendant uniform visits TWA Flight Center, October 18, 2015. The one day opening drew former TWA and Pan Am employees in their old uniforms as well as 60s-era fans.
TWA Flight Center
TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport in Queens, New York.
TWA Flight Center
The three-sided clock in the center of the terminal.
TWA Flight Center
The passenger "pit" decked out in TWA red was gutted and then recently renovated.
TWA Flight Center
The angled windows of the terminal building.
TWA Flight Center
The business class lounge inside the terminal.
TWA Flight Center
Roberta Dunn, a former TWA receptionist from 1970-2001, is seen in silhouette inside the Ambassadors Club at the TWA Flight Center, October 18, 2015.
TWA Flight Center
One of two bridges linking to the main terminal space.
TWA Flight Center
The interior of one of two bridges linking to the main terminal space. The carpet is TWA red.
TWA Flight Center
Some visitors came decked out in 60s-era fashion, right down to their flight bags.
TWA Flight Center
People photograph architecural details.
TWA Flight Center
Scott Colonna and Yolanda John, both TWA 89, introduce themselves to Emily Lemer, TWA 63 at the TWA Flight Center. The designations refer to the year they were hired by the airline.
TWA Flight Center
The area outside the former Ambassadors Club of the terminal.