The idea and first design of the great building was drawn up in 1957 when Idlewild airport was undergoing a transformation from a small airport to the major international airport it is today. Laguardia airport could no longer handle the demands of the burgeoning development of air travel and the need for expansion. Developers than turned to the vacant lands on the South Shore of Long Island and Idlewild airport. Pan Am in its quest to increase their status as a premiere international airline carrier decided to build their new terminal on the 16 acres they were allotted and be one of the leading airlines at JFK along with what is now the saved TWA Flight Center. The first version was finally opened in 1960
The original Pan Am building under construction
Renamed the Worldport in 1971 after undergoing expansion to accommodate the new luxury jet the 747it was now the largest airline terminal in the world and kept that designation for many years.
Thru its years it has been featured in many films most notably the James Bond movie Live and Let Die. It also served as the backdrop for the Beatles departure from New York after their successful introduction to the people of New York and their historic live TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
After Pan Am declared bankruptcy in 1991 it was taken over by Delta Airlines till its closure last May 23 after the last flite to depart from the terminal was to Tel Aviv,Israel. Delta is in the process of moving their international flites to the newly expanded terminal 4 and to use the Worldport space for additional parking of planes. A sorry end to what once represented the future of airline travel.
As it was used by delta Airlines
The world port was eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1988 but was never designated. it also was recently on the list 11 of the most endangered places in the US.
There are many organizations trying to save the world port as was done with the TWA flight Center which is under review for future plans ,one of which might be a Boutque Hotel.
Save the Worldport is the leading org. trying to spearhead the saving of this great building you can like their facebook page at Saveworldport and twitter@SaveWorldport
Starting the process of removing the roadway
Reasons to Save the Worldport
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons to preserve the Worldport. Here are a few brief reasons:
> Culturally: Worldport was the site of the 1964 Beatles' American invasion, many celebrated people came through, and it was featured in 35+ movies and tv shows. It’s a world-famous icon.
> Artistically: it’s one of the most beautiful examples of Mid-century Modern Architecture in the US. That’s a recognized, celebrated art form of worldwide artistic and historic significance.
> Historically: Built in the late 50s by Pan Am, it creating a fundamental shift in how people travel. T3 marked the beginning of the Jet Age and was the commercial birthplace of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.
As of June 19, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Worldport on its list of "11 Most Endangered Places in America." The very next day, Delta in a move of blatant disrespect for the NTHP board members and trustees, such as Laura Bush, and others, rolled out bulldozers and destroyed much of the front entrance, roadway, and screen that held the Hebald sculptures. Progress is unavoidable, and we understand old buildings must sometimes make way for change, but sometimes historic buildings are just too important to lose. This building represents an important era in aviation, architecture, history, and human progress.
In this “throw-away age’ of waste, we need to turn to alternative solutions to re-use and repurpose what we already have. Our Save the Worldport campaign seeks to save only the original ‘flying saucer’ structure, not the additions, and to responsibly restore, re-purpose it for revenue-generating public uses. Delta wants the entire T3 complex demolished by 2015 for aircraft parking areas. Saving only the rotunda would be the space of only 3 aircraft parking spaces, 4 acres, just 8% of the total 48-acre hardstand site space. Though horribly neglected and left in disrepair, it is absolutely worth saving!
There are parallels between T3 and the Grand Central story. We are faced with a similar dilemma that confronted Grand Central: what to do with a worn out building that has served its purpose? The major consideration is to find more value by re-investing in this building for what makes sense for business, historic, and architectural preservation purposes. Our campaign group had been meeting with top Port Authority officials to discuss proposals. The Port Authority told Save the Worldport to come back to them with a business plan and a private investor, since the PA doesn’t receive tax revenue from the City or State. Their income comes from leases and tolls, and projects are funded through capital expenditures, bonds, or private partnerships. So, we did just that, BUT—PA and Delta will not return our investor's calls.
And as far as job creation goes, Delta is putting out press releases full of propaganda about job creation, but here’s the truth. The demolition and paving will only create 200 temporary jobs out of the 10,000 new jobs they promise, only 2% and only 0.004% of total job creation in New York State, according to New York State Department of Labor 2013 job creation statistics. Retail shops and other traveler services will provide thousands more long-term, permanent jobs. Only uninformed, uneducated people are fooled by Delta’s false proclamations.
It seems that some people's perception of preservationists is that they're just nostalgic "building huggers" who scream and cry when buildings are threatened and have no real solid plan of action. Maybe some are, but not true here. Worldport exemplifies the epitome of inventiveness that characterized the post-World War II era, when our nation was at its height of innovation and booming economy. The 50s-60s was a time of great change in American culture, art, architecture, and engineering. As Americans, we need to preserve it as a reminder—of who we are—and what made us great.
Donate to help our cause: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/save-the-worldport-at-jfk-international/x/3846230