In the midst of a $10.3 billion redevelopment, the internationally known and universally loved TWA Terminal, designed by Eero Saarinen for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and opened in 1962, most likely cannot survive totally intact. Theo Prudhon, president, DOCOMOMO US (International Working Party for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites, and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement) explains:

"The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the agency in New York City responsible for the operation of the international airports, has announced, as part of its plans for the renovation of John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), the construction of new terminals. One of these new terminals is directly adjacent to the world famous TWA Terminal designed by Eero Saarinen between 1956 and 1962. The airline TWA has been taken over and no longer exists. As a result the TWA Terminal will become vacant and has as yet no appropriate use identified. In addition, as part of the construction of an adjacent new terminal, a portion of the original TWA Terminal and its gate structures are scheduled for demolition.

"DOCOMOMO US and DOCOMOMO TristateNY have three concerns:
• Sections of the original building will be demolished
• A new adjacent building will dwarf the existing structure with little or no proper architectural solution
• The original terminal will be derelict without any viable use which will ultimately lead to its continued deterioration and will in the future lead to arguments for further destruction."

Christopher Northrup, also of DOCOMOMO, sent the following message last month to members of the AIA's Historic Resources Committee:
"Some of you may know already the dire situation Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal here in New York City now faces. It is a complex issue, which I hope each of you will help support by sending a letter to the Governor of New York and heads of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

If you could follow these directions when writing a letter:

1. Please send a letter to the following people regarding your concern and dismay at the plans for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the TWA Terminal.

The Honorable George Pataki
The Governor of New York
The Executive Chamber
The State Capitol
Albany, New York 12224

Neil Levin
Executive Director
The New York and New Jersey Port Authority
1 World Trade Center, 65th Floor
New York, NY 10048

John Fowler
Executive Director
The Advisory Council for Historic Preservation
The Old Post Office Suite 809
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004

2. Please cc: your letter to the below address, to be committed to official public record:

Edward C. Knoesel
Manager, Environmental Program
Aeronautical and Technical Services Division
Aviation Department
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
1 World Trade Center, 65 East
New York, NY 10048

3. Please send a hard copy of your letter to:

Docomomo c/o Caroline Zileski, 300
Central Park West, 29d New York, NY 10024.

Thank you for your help and keep checking your email for further developments. Your action and making your voice heard is crucial to changing this outcome!!!

Christopher Northrup
DocomomoNY/Tri State Steering Committee"

Northrup provided the following sample letter:

Dear Governor Pataki:

I am writing to communicate my concern and dismay for the impending plans by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for one of New York's most internationally recognized icons of 20th Century architecture. I am speaking of Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal in New York City.

My concern for this building is not only its great architectural value, but its value as a symbol from a time in American history of hope, prosperity, and technological innovation. This building is of a time when we were beginning our space programs, before the Kennedy assassinations; it was a time caught in between the idealism of the 1950's and social turmoil of the 1960's.The terminal was a symbol then of America, so too should the new terminal be a symbol of our future in harmony with the past.

As I understand the preliminary plans for the terminal, these plans in no way come close to a satisfactory over-all design solution for the new terminal, nor does it provide for the adequate preservation of the TWA Terminal. It is sad to me that New York, and a nation which commissioned and produced the masterpiece TWA Terminal, cannot, or is not willing to take an innovative approach to the preservation and re-use of a designated Landmark of the City of New York.

The people of New York, and the people of the world, deserve to see a visionary work indicative of the dynamic New York City I have chosen to live in, and the country in which I was born. I beseech you to support an innovative preservation and adaptive re-use for this great work of international stature.

Sincerely,
Christopher Northrup

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.