The TWA Flight Center, nowadays known as Terminal 5, is undoubtedly the building with the most character among the multitude of terminals that make up what we call John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City. Just one look at the iconic building will suffice to know why that is the case: The bird-shaped building is a fresh welcome amongst a number of boxy and tiresome terminal designs at the airport, although by no means it is a recent addition to the terminal line up.
Opened in 1962, the TWA Flight Center is in fact one of the oldest structures to be still standing at JFK Airport. In fact, with the demolition of Pan Am Worldport in 2013, another icon that had stood its ground since its commissioning in 1960, TWA Flight Center has become the oldest still functioning terminal building within the airport complex. Although the entire structure as it was built could not be maintained due to alterations and newer construction since, the main terminal building (or head house as it was called originally) has been kept, and currently forms part of the Terminal 5 complex operated by JetBlue Airways. The current complex known as Terminal 5 was the result of an extensive makeover to the original terminal, as well as the addition of a large pier to accommodate traffic in 2008, after which JetBlue Airways moved in to the complex. The airline, the largest carrier at the airport as of 2013, has since called this building its home.
The history of the TWA Flight Center dates back to 1955, when Finnish architect Eero Saarinen's firm was selected for the design of a new home for TWA at the New York International - Idlewild Airport - as it was known before it was renamed after JFK - in New York. At the time, TWA was one of the Big Four domestic airlines along with American, United and Eastern, and along with Pan Am, one of the largest airlines in the nation. As such, it was in need of a terminal that would serve as a trans-Atlantic gateway for the sprawling international operations. Eero Saarinen and Associates, Saarinen's firm, was bent on giving the airline what it needed, and in style too.
Saarinen, himself the son of an architect, was an advocate of liberal use of arches, curves and clean lines and applied these concepts to his work often. The TWA Flight Center is representative of these concepts; a white-washed building with few sharp corners, an abundance of soft curves along with tube-shaped corridors and significant use of large windows to make use of sunlight and give unobstructed views to the apron. Saarinen's other works also follow this idea, as can be seen at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, also known as the Gateway Arch (completed after Saarinen's death by his partners Roche and Dinkeloo), and at the main terminal building of Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. Still, the TWA Flight Center stands out as the single most inspiring work of architecture by the architect. It was also the first airport with enclosed passenger jetways, central PAS (public address system), baggage carousels and electronic schedule board. With the shape of a bird spreading its wings, the building is a remarkable sample of the form meeting function in airport design, even winning its designer the AIA Gold Medal after his death.
However, as with most designs, the TWA Flight Center lost part of its functionality in time, due to changes in the aviation industry. Tighter security checks, bigger aircraft, busier airline traffic and more passengers resulted in less-than-ideal utilization of the terminal in time. Still, TWA stayed in the building until its demise much later.
The building was declared a historic landmark by the City of New York in 1994, and in 2005 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, although by then it had fallen into disuse; TWA had abandoned the terminal after it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001 following its third and final bankruptcy. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the owner of major ports and airports within the NY / NJ area, initially proposed converting the building into a conference center, although this idea was subsequently abandoned due to objections regarding the architectural integrity of the final outcome. The building stayed empty until 2008, when a Gensler-designed pier was integrated with it to become the new home of JetBlue Airways. Opening to public on October 22nd, the terminal has since hosted millions of passengers traveling to many places on the North American continent.
It is very rare that, a building manages to keep both its form and its usefullness throughout the ages. The Saarinen designed TWA Flight Center is a remarkable building that is not only as breathtaking as the day it was commissioned, but also still able to stand up among uninspiring terminals in providing many faces a gateway to the rest of the world.
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