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Built between 1959 and 1962, this Modern Futurist and Googie building was designed by Eero Saarinen and Associates for Trans World Airlines to serve as a Flight Center, or Terminal headhouse, for their passenger services at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The building is an example of thin shell construction, with a parabolic and curved sculptural concrete roof and concrete columns, with many surfaces of the building's structure and exterior being tapered or curved. The building also appears to take inspiration from natural forms, with the roofs appearing like the wings of a bird or bat taking flight. The building served as a passenger terminal from 1962 until 2001, when it was closed.
The building's exterior is dominated by a thin shell concrete roof with parabolic curves, which is divided by ribs into four segments, with the larger, symmetrical north and south segments tapering towards the tallest points of the exterior walls, and soar over angled glass curtain walls underneath. At the ends of the four ribs are Y-shaped concrete columns that curve outwards towards the top and bottom, distributing the weight of the roof structure directly to the foundation. The east and west segments of the roof are smaller, with the west roof angling downwards and forming a canopy over the front entrance with a funnel-shaped sculptural concrete scupper that empties rainwater into a low grate over a drain on the west side of the driveway in front of the building, and the east roof angling slightly upwards, originally providing sweeping views of the tarmac and airfield beyond. The exterior walls of the building beneath the sculptural roof consist of glass curtain walls, with the western exterior wall sitting to the east of the columns and the eastern exterior wall being partially comprised of the eastern columns, with the curtain wall located in the openings between the columns. To the east and west of the taller central section are two half crescent-shaped wings with low-slope roofs, with a curved wall, integrated concrete canopy, tall walls at the ends, and regularly-spaced door openings. To the rear, two concrete tubes with elliptical profiles formerly linked the headhouse to the original concourses, and today link the historic building to the new Terminal 5 and Hotel Towers.
Inside, the building features a great hall with a central mezzanine, and features curved concrete walls and columns, complex staircases, aluminum railings, ticket counters in the two halls to either side of the front entrance, a clock at the center of the ceiling, and skylights below the ribs of the roof. The space features penny tile floors, concrete walls and built-in furniture, red carpeting, and opalescent glass signage. On the west side of the great hall, near the entrance, is a curved concrete counter in front of a large signboard housed in a sculptural concrete and metal shell that once displayed departing and arriving flights. On the north and south sides of this space are former ticket counters and baggage drops, which sit below a vaulted ceiling, with linear light fixtures suspended between curved sculptural concrete piers that terminate some ways below the ceiling. To the east of the entrance is a staircase with minimalist aluminum railings, beyond which is a cantilevered concrete bridge, with balconies and spaces with low ceilings to either side, off which are several shops, restrooms, and telephone booths. On the east side of the bridge is a large sunken lounge with red carpet and concrete benches with red upholstered cushions, surrounded by low concrete walls that feature red-cushioned benches on either side, sitting below a metal analog signboard mounted to the inside of the curtain wall. To the north and south of the lounge are the entrances to the concrete tubes that once provided access to the concourses, which are elliptical in shape, with red carpeted floors and white walls and a white ceiling. On the mezzanine are several former lounges and a restaurant, which feature historic mid-20th Century finishes and fixtures.
The complex includes two contemporary hotel towers, the Saarinen and Hughes wings, which were designed carefully to harmonize with the original building and match its character. The two wings feature concrete end walls, curved Miesian glass curtain walls, and interiors with red carpeting, wooden paneling, brass fittings and fixtures, and white walls and ceilings. The only substantial modification to the structure's significant interior spaces was the puncturing of the two concrete tubes to provide access to these towers. The former terminal also features several service areas that were not previously open to visitors, which today house a massive fitness center, a cavernous underground conference center, and various meeting rooms and ballrooms, with all of these spaces, except the fitness center, being redesigned to match the mid-20th Century modern aesthetics of the rest of the building, with new fixtures, furnishings, and finishes that are inspired directly by the time period in which the building was built, and are nearly seamless in appearance with the rest of the building.
The fantastic building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1994, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Between 2005 and 2008, the new Terminal 5, occupied by JetBlue, was built, which wraps the structure to the east, and was designed by Gensler, and was carefully placed so as to avoid altering or damaging the character-defining features of the historic terminal. Between 2016 and 2019, the building was rehabilitated in an adaptive reuse project that converted it into the TWA Hotel, which was carried out under the direction of Beyer Blinder Belle, Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, Stonehill Taylor, INC Architecture and Design, as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and MCR/Morse Development. The hotel features 512 guest rooms, large event spaces, a rooftop pool at the top of the Hughes Wing, a large basement fitness center, and a Lockheed Constellation L-1649A "Connie" on a paved courtyard to the east of the building, which houses a cocktail lounge. The hotel is heavily themed around the 1960s, and was very carefully designed to preserve the character of this iconic landmark.
When Louis Market was sold in 2011, its sign was one of the last vestiges of Googie-dom in town. I feared it would meet an unsavory end. A local gas station operator, Steve "Bucky" Buchanon, had bought and developed the land. Thankfully he had enough sense to save the sign. He donated it to an apartment complex near the old Louis location. Good news, but I didn't know if the sign would be lit ever again. Well I drove by today and saw it lit up! Only one side lights, but that's better than nothing. Good on Bucky. As a side note - just about every car guy/mechanic I know says to avoid getting work done at his places.
The amazing architecture of the Starlux Hotel, located at 305 East Rio Grande in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Googie Heavan at the Jersey Shore
Back of postcard reads:
INN OF TOMORROW
1110 W. KATELLA
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA 92802
TELEPHONE AREA CODE (714) 778-1880
MOON LEVEL LUXURY...
DOWN TO EARTH RATES...
On behalf of the Stovall Family, we take great pride in presenting the INN OF TOMORROW for your comfort and luxury. The lodge offers the finest accommodations available with all the conveniences of the INN OF TOMORROW...
Image taken from postcard for the former Thunderbird Lodge in Oakland, CA. The restaurant, for those who are interested, is now the Buttercup Grill.
Postcard was postmarked 1966.
Address is 229 Broadway.
Downtown Barstow, CA is a magical place on the Route. It plays host to at least six neon motel signs and countless more neon signs such as this one right along the downtown drag, very close to The Village Hotel and Café sign, and the El Rancho in Barstow. It qualifies as both a vintage bulb sign and part of Googie architecture.
Dinah's Family Restaurant, 6521 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. A family restaurant in business since 1959, and famous for their fried chicken. The restaurant has a classic Googie exterior.
Onward and upward is where your spirit soars in this googie-inspired church. Designed by John Randall McDonald in 1961. Materials include California Redwood, African Mahogany and local stone. Love the redwood planking supported by the super-steep red beams and the stained glass. Geo-tagged.
Update: Another J. R. McDonald church in Clearwater here.
This great googie style diner designed by the famous architects Armet & Davis in Sherman Oaks was built in 1953, it's now part of the Mel's Drive-In chain that was started in 1947 up in San Francisco for more history on Mel's check this link
This lower-profile sign is out front next to the main sign at Jack's Whittier Restaurant, 13221 Whittier Blvd., Whittier CA.
Shot with a Canon DSLR and processed with the iPhone app Lo-Mob.
Very cool, nearly Googie-style building at 3349 Cahuenga Blvd in Burbank.
While it looks like small apartments or offices today, it was once the "Modern Headquarters" of Tasker Instruments, according to a caption from the LA Public Library:
"Engineering and administrative offices and laboratories of Tasker Instrument Corp. are located in these quarters at 3349 Cahuenga Blvd. Production facilities are in Burbank. Plans are being made for a consolidated location in the San Fernando Valley". Photograph dated: Nov. 11, 1959."
Voigtlander VSL with the Vivitar 20mm wide angle lens on expired Gekko MW100 film, rebranded Maco/Rollei 35mm for Mitsubishi.
KCMODERN friend, Scott Butterfield did some serious scan work of 'The House that HOME Built' brochure to let us share it with our readers. The promotional brochure was designed and printed by NBC for participating builders to use in their marketing of the 'HTHB.' Kansas City Modern Builder, Don Drummond gave the brochure to Scott's parents in 1955, when they were thinking about having Don build them a house. Don Drummond signed the back cover for Scott at a soiree during the Drummond Weekend in 2006.
Also note the math notation on the last image from 1955 to Scott's parents, "1680 square feet x $15 per square foot = $25,200." That is not a bad price for a Jones and Emmons designed home that was also built by Joseph Eichler. That would be $200,000 to $275,00o in today's dollars depending on what conversion you use. I would hate to have to try to build it today for $275k!
Enjoy 'The House that HOME Built' in all its Mid-Century Modern goodness!
To learn more about 'The House that HOME Built' and its relationship to Eichler Homes go to:
kcmodern.blogspot.com/search/label/HTHB
Visit KCMODERN at:
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Debra Jane had this on her stream a few months ago. I had never seen it, but then I'm hardly ever on that part of Bragg Boulevard. I have feelers out trying to determine which chain this was for.
One of the last animated, googie signs in town. This is its best side. The north-facing side has most of the letters out. They did get all the neon in the arrow working again from the last time I shot this sign.
The El Camino in Socorro, New Mexico is a great diner with good food, including excellent New Mexico food. We shared this chile relleno, with both red and green chile. Excellent.
But the fun part is that this cafe was designed in the "Googie" era and still shows many characteristics. For instance, the sign outside is pure Googie.
Image taken using Open Camera, and processed with GIMP.
Scenes from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folkie Pete Seeger in 1964.
Read more about Westlake at the blog: "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb."