[TRAVEL ★]
LAST CALL FOR JFK AIRPORT’S TWA TERMINAL
(P1) Despite the fact that it’s one of the busiest international airports in the United States, plenty of travelers do what they can to avoid New York’s JFK International Airport.
(P2) The hub is, after all, often included on lists of America’s worst airports.
(P3) It could be worth a visit this weekend, however, when the airport opens the doors to its classic TWA Flight Center terminal one last time before development.
(P4) The famed gull-winged building, which is set to become a hotel, will welcome visitors on October 18 as part of the Open House New York INITIATIVE that unlocks the doors of the city’s LANDMARKS.
(P5) The terminal was designed by the CELEBRATED Finnish ARCHITECT Eero Saarinen and opened in 1962.
(P6) It’s still celebrated as an ICON of the Jet Age.
(P7) On an artistic level, it’s seen as a masterpiece of 20th-century modernism, with SLEEK and FLOWING lines said to EVOKE the notion of flight.
(P8) On a practical level, it EVENTUALLY turned out to be a DUD.
(P9) The terminal struggled to handle larger airplanes and the higher volume of passengers brought on by rapid advances in air travel.
(P10) It’s been out of use since 2001, when the airline it was originally built for, TWA, WENT OUT OF BUSINESS.
(P11) Over the last six years the building has been PAINSTAKINGLY restored and included in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
(P12) Now, MCR Development (with offices in New York and Texas) plans to invest $265 million to turn it into JFK’s first on-site luxury hotel.
(P13) The hotel owner-operator firm says its plan, due to be completed in 2018, includes a museum focusing on New York City as the birthplace of the Jet Age of intercontinental travel.
(P14) It’ll also focus on the history of TWA, once among the premier carriers in the world, and the modernism design movement.
WORDS: 309
SOURCE: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/14/aviation/twa-terminal-jfk-airport/index.html
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- The TWA terminal became functionally OUTDATED (although still beautiful) rather quickly. How should architects design for the future?
- What is the best airport you have ever been in? The worst?
- What is the best hotel you have ever stayed in? The worst?
- Many airlines like TWA have gone out of business. Why is it hard for airlines to make money?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Go out of business
