Former TWA Terminal at JFK Open to Public

If you want to revisit the golden age of the jet set, a time when travel was a stylish affair highlighted by space age innovation, you can.  And you don’t need a TARDIS to get you there either.

For one day this month, the architecturally-iconic former TWA terminal at JFK (nee Idlewild) will open to the public.

The terminal has long been one of my favorite airport icons.  For those in or near New York on October 11, the tour provides an opportunity to revisit this notable structure.

Designed by Eero Saarinen (also known for the St. Louis Gateway Arch and another Mid-Century Modern airport classic – the Dulles Main Terminal as well as his significant design contributions to many iconic furniture designs for the latter 20th century), the neo-futuristic terminal opened in 1962.  It housed TWA operations until 2001, when American Airlines pulled operations from the building following their acquisition of the bankrupt airline.

The future of the former TWA terminal is uncertain – previous plans for both a restaurant and a boutique hotel have been shelved.  Parts of the original structure have been removed to make away for progress at JFK and other sections have fallen prey to vandalism or disrepair.