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11 Most Endangered
TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport
Year Listed: 2003
Location: New York , New York
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Development
Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York.
Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Significance
Since its completion in 1962, Eero Saarinen’s curvilinear TWA Terminal at New York’s JFK International Airport has been hailed as an icon of modern design. There’s no other building like it: Its soaring, graceful form was meant to evoke the romance and excitement of flight, and even the smallest interior details -- ticket counters, chairs, signs, and telephone booths-- were designed to complement the gull-winged shell. But now, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wants to demolish portions of the terminal and construct a hulking new terminal behind it. The proposed light rail system and the new structure will block the TWA Terminal’s view of the tarmac and leave Saarinen’s terminal isolated and functionally useless.
Updates
With the completion of the new JetBlue terminal at its rear, the TWA Terminal remains in its rightful place as the star of the show. It is being restored, and in the meantime, it is open as a public entry to the new terminal, allowing the public to once again traverse the delightful and highly significant Jet-Age interior of the old building. Today, preservationists continue to work closely with the Port Authority and JetBlue to develop complete and compatible reuse concepts for the TWA Terminal building.
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