Artists Study It; Now Wrecking Crew Does

When TWA opened a new passenger terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1962, crowds gathered to view the controversial building, with its soaring white walls celebrating flight. Almost four decades later, the landmark structure by architect Eero Saarinen is regarded as a Jet Age icon, studied worldwide in art appreciation courses.

But on Tuesday, some of the nation’s most famous architects were protesting plans that call for part of the building to face the wrecking ball, setting the stage for what could be the next big preservation battle in New York.

“Our duty is simple: to save it,” said 95-year-old Philip Johnson, considered the dean of American architects. “You can’t keep its essence unless you save the building itself.

“Saarinen’s work was part of an entirely new direction which would influence me greatly,” Johnson said. “In fact, it influenced all of us in architecture.”

“TWA is the Pennsylvania Station of the Air Age,” added architect Robert A.M. Stern.

Plans by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to modernize the airport call for demolishing the gate areas of the Saarinen building. Two huge new terminals would surround it in a semicircle and connect to the structure by tubular walkways--which were an integral part of Saarinen’s design.

The current terminal would be converted into a restaurant, conference center or museum as part of the $10-billion airport expansion.

“The Port Authority has been working for years with concerned citizens, including prominent historic preservationists, to protect the Terminal 5 TWA landmark and enhance its role as an airport centerpiece,” said William R. DeCota, the authority’s director of aviation, on Tuesday.

DeCota explained that the plan not only would preserve the integrity of the terminal by restoring significant portions of its historic structure but also would make it more accessible to the public.

Officials of the Port Authority believe Saarinen’s building has outlived its usefulness as an airline terminal: In 1962, the airport, then named New York International Airport and informally known as Idlewild, handled only 11.5 million passengers a year. It now handles nearly three times that number.

To deal with growing passenger needs, United Airlines will spend $350 million to erect one of the new terminals--with additional gates--alongside the landmark. The other terminal is expected to have JetBlue Airways as its main tenant.

Opponents of the Port Authority plan include the Municipal Art Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“The truth of the matter is, the terminal is the best building at JFK,” said Stern, who spoke along with critics at a news conference Tuesday. “The Port Authority is possessed with a treasure. . . . It should be the centerpiece of the airport.”

“It is crucial we preserve architecture in the world as it was built to be,” added Agnes Gund, president of the Museum of Modern Art. “You can’t preserve it in museums.”

Even though the TWA terminal has been designated a landmark by the city’s preservation commission, the group’s leverage is limited because it has no regulatory power over the Port Authority--a bi-state agency that runs airports, some bridges and tunnels in the New York metropolitan area.

With that in mind, Kent Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society, stressed Tuesday that no one was attempting to “bash” the Port Authority.

“We hope the Port Authority, even if it has the power to evade the law, will abide by the spirit,” he said.

But Johnson was more direct.

“The best part of the building will be lost in this new scheme,” he said. “You can’t remove the satellite gates. You can’t take away any of it. . . . The more I think about it, the more maddening it gets.

“This building represents a new idea in 20th century architecture, and yet we are willing to strangle it by enclosing it within another building. . . . If you’re going to strangle a building to death, you might as well tear it down.”