Design
JFK's Most Famous Terminal May Soon Be Transformed Into a Flashy Hotel
The Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center is finally, maybe, getting a second life.
The famous TWA Flight Center at New York's JFK airport was once the ultimate symbol of the jet age. The Eero Saarinen-designed building opened in 1962, and was an instant, award-winning architectural icon. Robert A.M. Stern went as far as to call it the "Grand Central of the jet age."
Unfortunately, its futuristic look didn't translate to the 21st century. It closed in 2001, when Trans World Airways ceased operations. It occasionally reopens for special events, hosting open houses and, briefly, an art gallery that was promptly vandalized and shuttered.