Eero Saarinen’s iconic 1962 TWA terminal at JFK, one of the landmarks of the then-new jet age, will live into the future as the entrance and lobby for JFK’s first on-airport hotel. The project, to open in 2018, got formal approval today from the Port Authority, operator of the airport.
The terminal, called the TWA Flight Center when it opened, was designated a New York City historic landmark in 1994, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Despite the recognition, as air travel grew, the terminal became too small for its purpose and eventually closed, despite various other plans to extend it. JFK’s other early-jet-age landmark, Pan Am’s Skyport, was demolished last year.
The hotel will have 505 rooms and extensive meeting and restaurant space, as well as a 10,000 square foot observation deck. The hotel rooms will be in two 6-story towers attached to the terminal, as the concourses once were. An energy management system will allow the hotel to generate its own electricity. JetBlue, whose terminal adjoins the site, will be a part-owner of the hotel.
