Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: January 13th, 2005
Twa Terminal, JFK Airport, New York, 1964
A pilot stands waiting for a ride. Five station wagons including a black ’63 Ford Falcon Squire and white ’64 Dodge crowd the loading and unloading zone. Suitcases sit on the curb. Yes, a typical airport scene with one exception - the terminal is straight out of a sci-fi fantasy.
Unique in every way, shape and form, the one-of-a-kind swooping-sweeping cement sculpture was the final creation of master modernist, Eero Saarinen. The Finnish designer never saw it finished. He died in 1961, a year before it was dedicated. Inside, the ticket counters, furnishings, signage, telephone booths and bright orange carpet were all custom-made to complement the organic shape and form
Last year while waiting on the tarmac at JFK in the wee hours of the morning, sitting there in my seat half asleep, all buckled up ready for the thrill of takeoff, I looked out of the window and much to my delight and surprise there it was - the TWA Terminal. I thought I was seeing things. More than forty years later it still looks like it belongs in the future. That makes it a perfect and rare example of timeless architecture and a miracle of mid-century modern design. Only one slight problem - it’s no longer in use. TWA is a thing of the past and its former terminal is empty. The future of this futuristic fantasy is unknown. For now it is dead - waiting to be reincarnated.
Oh, how I hope they don’t tear it down! Just think. Someday it will be the perfect terminal when the general public gets to fly to the moon. It could happen
Here’s to you and the TWA Terminal
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
January 2005
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Space-Age Style & Transportation
5 Comments on “Twa Terminal, JFK Airport, New York, 1964 ”
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January 12th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
I’m happy to see that the physically challenged were not shunned from the camera’s eye in the early ’60’s
January 25th, 2006 at 12:17 am
I love this shot! I love airports, airplanes, the smell of Jet fuel in the morning. But…HEY! There’s an UNATTENDED bag there! Call the bomb squad! Must be pre-9-11….Duh!
My most memorable experience @ JFK was on an inter-terminal shuttle bus. (this was also pre-9-11). Someone placed their luggage in front of the shuttle bus waiting for a cab. The shuttle driver shouted out “hey..anybodys’ bags here?” a couple of times. After about 15 seconds (a New York minute), he closed the door and drove on…. and over them. I was surprised that the bus didn’t bounce more as they were a hard shell Samsonite type luggage. “Welcome to New York” I thought.
Thanks for the memories Charles!
KevinL
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Ahh JFK. I remembered my invalidated domestic flight ticket after a long flight from Singapore some years back. I ended up going on the bus going from terminal to terminal to find an airline to redeem my tickets. As I rode in the bus, I couldn’t help to notice the different architectural style of each terminals. Then it occurred to me, the bus ride is a great architectural tour of evolution of airport architecture through the ages! I ended up using TWA, and I think flying out from this terminal. It was such a nuisance trying to redeem the ticket, but I ended up having a great “tour.”
July 21st, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Ahh! I remember going to visit the TWA terminal with my brother.Walking through those amazing futuristic tunnels and then watching those giant TWA 747-200’s load up.I really hope they use this terminal again!
April 24th, 2008 at 9:15 am
When I see slides like these, I am flooded with mixed emotions. Yes, I adore this very unique architecture!!But, on the other hand nothing of today’s designs rivals this one for its sheer,one-of-a-kind creativity!!That’s what’s sad about it. America has now become a cookie-cutter image of itself with one city’s landscapes and buildings looking like the next. In other words, we have lost our sense of individuality…after all, isn’t that what America was and should be about?