Another Adventure: The TWA Hotel

June 18, 2019

By Wendy Lee

There is nothing that refreshes my spirit more than a mini-adventure.  We were planning a trip to Washington D.C. to attend a service at Arlington National Cemetery, when Steve suggested a bit of a detour.  Since we already had another D.C. trip on the schedule, he suggested that after the service we head up to New York to stay at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport.

Steve knew that I had been following the re-purposing of the TWA Flight Center into the TWA Hotel with great anticipation and interest.  I was captivated from afar.  The planned visit was a perfect early birthday present.

The TWA Flight Center is one of the last buildings designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen.  Among the multitude of designs, he designed the Washington-Dulles International Airport, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Library and Museum, the CBS Building in New York City, and the Athens Airport.  He also made his mark by designing buildings for major universities such as Drake University and the University of Chicago, as well as for major businesses such as IBM and General Motors.

In addition to his architecture designs, Saarinen is designed the Tulip Chair with Charles Eames.  This design gave Saarinen his first major recognition.

The TWA Flight Center opened in 1962, shortly after Eero Saarinen’s sudden death. Its design was a departure from the International Style of architecture commonly used at the time.  The International Style is known for its rectilinear forms and for being stripped of applied ornamentation.  Saarinen’s design uses curvilinear forms, very few straight angles, and the design itself is the ornamentation.

We arrived at the TWA Hotel late in the evening. Upon our arrival, even in the dark, I was struck by the exterior design of the former TWA Flight Center.  Its exterior design is a metaphor for travel in the form of a bird in flight.  Its outstretched wings suggesting flight and movement.

We were greeted in the valet area by attendants dressed in TWA mechanic’s coveralls, a simple hint of what we were about to experience.  We were ushered to the check-in desks, a long row of check-in kiosks that formerly served as the check-in area for TWA flights.

It was too late for this bone-tired explorer to do any actual exploring, so we headed to our room in the Hughes hotel wing.  The hotel wings are new additions, required to transform the former flight center into a hotel.  To reach the rooms, we had to walk down one of the delightful departure tubes, round with lush red carpet and glowing walls, evocative of the forward looking and glory days of travel.

The hotel rooms are decidedly small, but well appointed.  The rooms feature rich wood paneling, a tribute to 1960’s design, along with a Saarinen womb chair, rotary phone, a well-appointed bar, a basket full of retro candy and snacks, TWA branded robes, and TWA branded toiletries in a TWA toiletry bag.

The next morning, we were off to New York City for a day trip, yet anxious to return to the TWA Hotel for exploring.

Returning to the hotel, we toured the TWA Hotel lobby and common spaces.  From the interior lobby, it is an enchanting ocean of white curves.  It was difficult to discern where one space ended and another began.  It was futuristic, delightful, dramatic, and breathtaking. The flow was effortless.  I was in awe of the whimsical interplay of levels and spaces.

I was also fascinated by the time capsule feel of the design.  Regardless of the interior repurposing, which was brilliant, the building itself captures an era long gone.

From an architecture viewpoint, it would be difficult to find another building that demonstrates such visual splendor while including the neo-futuristic, Googie, and “Golden Age of Flight” inspirations.

The building was designed to circulate people effortlessly through their travel experience.  It portrays progress, excitement, and the romance of travel customary to the time by using the design itself.

While the design is expansive, it is also intimate, anchored by the famous sunken lounge.  The built-in lounge is warm and inviting, evocative of a Frank Lloyd Wright design where he takes command of how people use the space.  The common spaces are drenched in natural light, blurring the space between outdoors and indoors.  The design is purposeful, so travelers feel a part of the larger travel experience.

There are some surprising spaces and designs as well.  While exploring the upper level, Steve discovered seating areas tucked into niches.  We found planters that have a distinct mid-century modern design.  The lighting was mid-century modern and just plain cool.  One of the halls is adorned with vintage TWA advertising posters.  There is even a Herman Miller reading room.

In repurposing the flight lobby, and adding the hotel space, the TWA Hotel stayed true to the design of the era and of Saarinen.  The Paris Cafe features Tulip chairs and tables, the lobby space is covered in ceramic penny-tiles that were used in the original design, and the hotel room floors use white terrazzo tile inspired by the Washington Dulles International Airport design.

New Solari arrival/departure boards are installed in both the lobby and the sunken lounge.  They feature the undeniable click-click-click as the boards change display.

The staff wear TWA uniforms.

They have retro cocktails and air travel themed drink names.

TWA branding abounds.

One of our stops was to get a drink on the “Connie,” a 1958 Lockheed Constellation airplane, restored and outfitted with TWA livery.  It now serves as a cocktail lounge.  What a treat.  We sat in the cockpit, and then sipped cocktails while listening to a gentleman talk about his time working at the TWA Flight Center.

The visit was immense fun.  You can certainly read the reviews on the hotel which will highlight the hotel flaws.  The hotel simply isn’t ready to be open and is missing some key elements.  For example, with such attention to detail in the preservation and repurposing aspects, they need tours and more artifact displays (they only have uniforms displayed now).  We have serious doubts about whether it will survive as a hotel, but we are certainly rooting for it to stay open.

Still, it was highly enjoyable and all architecture enthusiasts should visit it at least once.

As a side note, The Library of Congress houses the original survey drawings of the TWA Flight Center.  They are a wonderful study in architecture, and I highly recommend that you have a look.

A special thank you to Steve who made this all happen for me!  It was truly a special experience that I will never forget.