Last week, photographer Max Touhey was granted special permission to take photos of the defunct TWA Terminal at JFK Airport while a team of digital scanning experts recorded the building's features. The stunning pictures offer a rare glimpse into the terminal's symmetrical and flowing interior, typical of 1960's modernist architecture.
Off-limits to the public since 2001, the landmarked terminal is set to be converted into the lounge area of a hotel with 500 rooms housed in two towers flanking either side. It is legendary Finnish-born architect Eero Saarinen's final work, completed in 1962, one year after his death.
Beyond its architecture and design, the terminal also bears historical significance:
The opening of the TWA Flight Center in all its jet-age splendor marked a shift in the history of air travel in which middle-class Americans could now afford to fly. Clearly, the terminal's heyday coincided with the golden age of flying, in which travelers were restricted neither by economic class nor security concerns.
Take a look at Touhey's photographs and imagine what air travel in the 60's must have been like. While the redevelopment plans will try to preserve some of the TWA Terminal's features, it will never look as pristine as it does now.
For dozens more photos, check out the full article on Curbed.
via Curbed
Akiva Blander
Contributing Writer
Akiva Blander is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor.
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