Update on Worldport

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2013/09/coming-jfk-sleeping-comfortably-inside-its-most-famous-terminal/6963

Worldport Terminal at dawn
hyperallergic.com

Hello Everyone:

I'd like to take a moment to once again thank you for all your support of this blog, it really means a lot to me.  I hope you'll show the same kind of love for Tower Records on Sunset Strip.  Please go to http://www.change.org, read the online petition, sign it, and spread the word.  We can't let the "old girl" fall victim to the wrecking ball.  Today, I'd like to bring you an update on the late lamented TWA Worldport at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.  Fortunately, this ode to the mid-century glamour of air travel has not fallen victim to the wrecking ball, yet.  However, Mark Byrnes reported in The Atlantic Cities on September 20, 2013, there is a proposal to turn it into a hotel.  This has possibilities.

Worldport interior
hyperallergic.com

Once upon a time, the TWA Flight Center at JFK airport was the ultimate symbol of jet travel.  The iconic building, designed by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, opened in 1962 and instantly became an award winning architectural masterpiece.  In fact, no less than Robert A.M. Stern called it the "Grand Central of the jet age."  Unfortunately, the future turned out to be not so bright for this landmark of mid-century modernism.  In 2001, the terminal closed when TWA ceased operations.  It still opens from time to time for special events: open houses and briefly, an art gallery that was quickly vandalized and shuttered.

The "Grand Staircase" of Worldport
untappedcities.com

However, there may be hope on the horizon. After years of hedging over the fate of the terminal, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have finally settled on a developer for the site.  Balazs Properties is proposing to turn the site into a Standard brand hotel and conference center with restaurants, shops, and flight museum.  All this despite the fact that officials are in the early stages of planning and no opening date announced.  This is this the highest and best use of the building?  From a purely pragmatic point of view, a hotel and center in an airport does make sense because it would eliminate the need for travelers to travel distances from the airport to their hotel.  If you're a business person, being that close to an airport makes it easier to fly in, get work accomplished, and fly out.  However, from a design perspective, there is the issue of how do you block out the noise of jets landing and taking off, the smell of jet fuel, how do you give people staying at the hotel a pleasing view outside their window, et cetera.  The building itself does seem conducive to some sort of commercial/retail development with its vast square footage, high ceilings, and endless corridors.  Without more information, it's hard to determine if the proposed mixed use plan is the highest and best use for the space.                                    

Inside the jetway
theboweryboys.blogspot.com

 
For along time, the Port Authority has tried to resuscitate the TWA terminal.  At first, the agency proposed a restaurant and conference center surrounded by one or two new terminals but was opposed by the Municipal Arts Society of New York and well-known architects such as Robert A.M. Stern for compromising the venerable structure.  Andre Balazs, the developer tasked with defining the terminal's next phase, claims Eero Saarinen as "personal hero" and promises that the architect's vision will be preserved.  In the meantime, portions of the original facility were demolished to make way for a new Jet Blue terminal which opened in 2008 and partially surrounds the former TWA facility.  Regardless, the TWA terminal still remains a powerful magnet for architectural fan around the world.

TWA flight information board
aimlesswandering.wordpress.co

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