Jet-Age Chic
The TWA terminal at JFK airport was an icon of mid-century cool. Now it’s being reincarnated as a hotel.
It was the world’s most famous airport terminal 1, and the most beloved project of the mid-century architect Eero Saarinen 2. Likened to a bird taking off, the TWA Flight Center at New York’s Kennedy airport comprises four vaulted concrete shells perched lightly on the ground. There are few walls; instead, the exterior is dominated by canted banks of windows.
“Most people are blind,” Saarinen said after his extravagant design was unveiled . “If you get too subtle about architecture, people come in
