Posted May 30, 20214 yr My partner and I took a one night staycation at the TWA Hotel. The building opened in 1962 as TWA's terminal at what's now JFK Airport in NYC. After TWA went under in 2001, the building remained vacant until a couple years ago when it was repurposed as a hotel. Two new wings were built to house over 500 hotel rooms, connected to the terminal headhouse by the original "Flight Tubes" which used to lead to the gates. As an architect, seeing a Saarinen building is always a treat. It was the perfect one night getaway 25 minutes from home. Would go back for drinks or to walk around again or stay another night to get to visit the rooftop pool which was closed due to the weather. If you're ever in the area or have a long layover at JFK, I'd recommend taking a stroll through. Really makes it clear how much air travel has changed since the advent of the jet age.
May 30, 20214 yr I REALLY want to go there. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 30, 20214 yr Author 42 minutes ago, ColDayMan said: I REALLY want to go there. It was great. We had been thinking of one night staycation ideas and JFK is like 25 minutes away from us so I figured, "what the hell!" now that everything is reopened. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes design, architecture, aviation, etc. It was a great hotel experience and the building, the new hotel wings, etc. were all amazing. It also made me want a womb chair again. Been toying with buying one for a few years now and now it's at the front of my head again haha.
June 1, 20214 yr ha what a cool idea for a staycation and great pics -- i haven't been in there since they renovated it -- looks the same thankfully.
June 1, 20214 yr All of the wood furniture in the hotel was made by the Amish up in Millersburg. A cool little Ohio connection. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
June 1, 20214 yr I was there back in January. Most things were still closed there (the Connie was, for example) but it was still really neat. The outdoor rooftop swimming pool is kept heated pretty well... that was a neat experience on a winter's day!
June 1, 20214 yr Author 9 hours ago, mrnyc said: ha what a cool idea for a staycation and great pics -- i haven't been in there since they renovated it -- looks the same thankfully. It looked great. There were a few things though that are already showing wear and tear more than I would have expected. The red carpet, all of which is new, already has tons of stains and discolorations (photoshopped out in these pictures haha), and next to the fountain in the Ambassador's Club, there's an area that's bleached from chlorine to neon orange. It's a shame because the vibrancy of the red is stunning, but then people are obviously not being careful with their foods and drinks. Other than that though, it's honestly hard to tell what is and isn't original. I watched a lecture about it yesterday and didn't realize just how much had been recreated because it had been lost to time, like the entirety of the sunken lounge.
June 1, 20214 yr Author 5 minutes ago, Cleburger said: Love the Constellation display! It has been turned into a bar so you can go onto it and sit in the chairs, get a drink or snacks, and get the closest experience most of us will get to that era of traveling. The cockpit is also open (albeit roped off) so you can look in which is also cool. I'm not an aviation buff, but do find planes cool so it's always fun to go down the rabbit hole when I experience something unique like this. I didn't take any pics, but they also have a recreation of Howard Hughes's office which was also really cool to see.
June 2, 20214 yr 19 hours ago, BigDipper 80 said: All of the wood furniture in the hotel was made by the Amish up in Millersburg. A cool little Ohio connection. yeah that is very cool. i thought it would all be eames/herman miller or something.
June 2, 20214 yr Author 9 hours ago, mrnyc said: yeah that is very cool. i thought it would all be eames/herman miller or something. All of the loose furniture is provided by Knoll. From what I could tell, it's nearly all Saarinen designs with a couple things by Bertoia with the exception of the Reading Room (which was closed at the time) which is full of Eames stuff. Lots of womb chairs and tulip tables and chairs. I'm assuming the amish likely built things like the woodwork, bed frame, little bar area, etc. in the units as that's more built in. Edited June 2, 20214 yr by jmicha
June 2, 20214 yr I work right next to the TWA Hotel! The place really is fascinating. As an aviation AND architecture buff, it's like being a kid in a candy store. There are so many nooks and crannies filled with aviation history and period design that one can spend the whole day wandering the facility. The rooftop on the hotel wing closest to Terminal 4 has some amazing tarmac views. And it's hard to beat sitting in and around the Connie on display in between the hotel portion and the Saarinen terminal. All in all, I would highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area with proximity to the JFK, especially if you happen to be making a long connection.
June 2, 20214 yr Author 11 minutes ago, CMHOhio said: I work right next to the TWA Hotel! The place really is fascinating. As an aviation AND architecture buff, it's like being a kid in a candy store. There are so many nooks and crannies filled with aviation history and period design that one can spend the whole day wandering the facility. The rooftop on the hotel wing closest to Terminal 4 has some amazing tarmac views. And it's hard to beat sitting in and around the Connie on display in between the hotel portion and the Saarinen terminal. All in all, I would highly recommend a visit to anyone in the area with proximity to the JFK, especially if you happen to be making a long connection. We opted for a room facing the terminal. My thought process was, "I like architecture, so we'll have that view from the hotel and will get the view of the runway from the rooftop during our reservations." Had I known the weather would go south and the rooftop was going to be closed I would have done the opposite. Even just seeing big ass planes taking off from the sunken lounge was an experience. You have the Connie right there and it feels so quaint when suddenly an Emirates (at least I think that's what it was) A380 takes off. Seeing an A380 still makes me feel like a little kid a bit haha. They're just so big. The first one I ever saw was taxing next to us when I landed coming back from Tokyo and landing at JFK. It was an Air France one I believe. Seeing that behind Terminal 5 taking off really puts into perspective how much things have changed since the jet age. I wonder what the people who were pioneers of jet travel would think today.
June 7, 20214 yr more fun out here at jfk --- you can skate around the connie on weekends: https://secretnyc.co/skate-alongside-a-1950s-airplane-on-new-retro-roller-rink-at-jfk-airport/
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