New York International Airport Murals, 1963

A large mural - Rejoicing and the Festivals of the Americas - by the famous Brazilian artist Carybé dominates one side of the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4. Carybé won the commission for two murals which were installed in 1960. The terminal has since undergone massive expansion, and the murals are being installed in Miami International Airport. The new Miami terminal is scheduled to open in June, 2009. Articles here and here. Video here.

The fate of this huge stained-glass façade by Robert Sowers (also unveiled in 1960) on the south side of American Airlines Terminal 8 was not as fortunate. Once the largest stained glass wall in the world, it came down in 2007 to make way for a larger terminal. It proved unfeasable to preserve as a whole, so the seperate tiles were sold and shipped to various places. One report had them being made into keychains. Ouch.

This quote from the New York Times says it all: 'John Farrell, another pilot, said: “In this age, you can’t afford too much sentimentality. There are razor-thin margins in this business, and I don’t think anybody ever buys a ticket because American Airlines has a very nice stained window.” ' I'm going out on a limb here and guessing he's no artist... More here and here.

International Customs and Claims area. Note the Eames-esque color sceme of bright yellow, orange and white.

Two Mohawk "Cosmopolitan" Convair 240 26s sit ready in front of the Pan Am Terminal at New York International Airport at Idlewild. A pilot is visible in the nearest plane. The gold and brown color scheme was adapted in 1958.

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TWA Flight Center by Eero Saarinen, 1963

New York International Airport is packed as the Beatles finally arrive and — wait a minute, that isn't for a couple of months. The date on these slides is Nov 63, the month JFK was assassinated in Dallas. It is still New York International or Idlewild Airport (as it was commonly known after the golf course it displaced).

(The slides in this set were slightly damaged as found)

Of course, in 1963, the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center would have been the main attraction. Open for under a year when these photos were taken, it was designed to impart a sense of flight and movement. This futuristic work is now a National Historic Landmark.

(Composite image made from two slides)

The jetsons-like interior is full of movement, and in spite of being made of concrete, the construction gives a sense of lightness and airiness. The building and all its spaces and elements, make up a total environment where every detail belongs to the same family of forms, consistently repeated in passenger counters, information boards, railings etc.
Note the Alexander Calder sculpture hanging in Terminal 5.
Jet Blue and the Port Authority has put $19 million into the renovation of Terminal 5 and it opened last October. It is still modern, but seems to have lost some of its mid-century identity. Jet blue's site is here. May I check your baggage?

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