Eero Saarinen's JFK terminal to become a hotel
The former TWA Flight Center terminal designed by architect Eero Saarinen at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is set to be converted into a hotel and conference centre.
Developer and hotel owner André Balazs plans to transform the 1960s structure, which has been largely unoccupied since 2001, adding a mixture of uses that will also include restaurants, bars, a flight museum and a spa and fitness centre.
Speaking to Page Six, Balazs revealed that Saarinen's curved concrete terminal in Queens would be rebranded as The Standard Flight Center, bringing it into his family of Standard hotels.
"It is a great honour to be entrusted with the preservation and revitalisation of this masterpiece by my personal architectural hero," he told the magazine, adding that his final proposal is awaiting approval from the Port Authority board.
PA director Pat Foye confirmed that negotiations are still underway: "The Port Authority is committed to preserving the essence of [Saarinen's] iconic design and to continuing to work with [Balazs Properties] on a plan to transform the historic TWA Flight Center into a one-of-a-kind hotel and conference centre in the heart of JFK’s central terminal area."
Rumours that Balazs will be leading the development of the building have been circulating for several months, despite earlier reports that airport officials felt he "wasn't the right aesthetic fit" for the renovation.
A timeframe for approval is not yet confirmed.
Other hotel proposals to surface in recent months include a resort underway inside an abandoned water-filled quarry in China and a lopsided photo frame-shaped hotel for Peru. See more stories about hotels »