Iconic Saarinen-Designed TWA Terminal At JFK Airport To Get Second Life As New TWA Hotel

John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, has long been a gateway to the United States. However, since the aviation hub opened in the 1940s, the 59 million annual passengers who now utilize the transit nexus have been without an important 21st-century amenity — an on-site hotel.

Now, MCR Development, the seventh-largest hotel owner-operator in the U.S., is undertaking one of the most anticipated adaptive reuse projects in the country, converting the landmarked TWA Flight Center, designed by master-class midcentury modern architect Eero Saarinen, into a 505-room hotel that includes 40k SF of meeting space, multiple restaurants and bars, a 10k SF observation deck and a museum dedicated to the Jet Age and Midcentury Modern design.

Expected to open in late 2018, the TWA Hotel looks poised to become one of North America’s iconic hotels, redefining airport-based lodging and events by transcending traditional boundaries with a project of tremendous creativity and scope.

The rehabilitation of the TWA Flight Center at JFK will restore the landmark to its 1962 condition, and pay tribute to the ethos of the Jet Age throughout the hotel. The landmark has sat dormant on JFK’s grounds since 2001, but MCR Development is fully committed to recreating the unique aesthetic that defined 1962.

“We are excited and honored to have the opportunity to capture and revive this great moment in American and New York history and appreciate the many partners, including Berdon LLP, that have helped us bring this project to life,” said MCR CEO Tyler Morse (below left chatting with Berdon’s Maury Golbert).

Marked by a December groundbreaking ceremony with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the project has enjoyed widespread enthusiasm from aviation and architecture aficionados, landmark preservationists, TWA alumni and the general public. 

“The passion for this incredible building and the outpouring of support for our plan to preserve Saarinen’s masterpiece and permanently reopen it to the public as a 500-room hotel has been astounding,” Morse said.

Moreover, enlivening Saarinen’s masterpiece and operating the hotel will bring 3,700 permanent and construction jobs to Queens.

Below, watch Berdon LLP Tax Partner Golbert sit down with Morse to hear more about MCR’s project.

To learn more about Bisnow content sponsor and TWA Hotel consultant Berdon LLP, click here.