Ground Breaking Marks Construction 

of TWA Hotel at JFK Airport

Shovels dug into JFK soil on December 15th to mark the official ground breaking ceremony in the re-construction of the famed TWA Eero Saarinen terminal. 

The Eero Saarinen-designed landmark ter­minal will serve as the hotel reception area as well as location for the restaurants and bars and travelers will be able to access Terminal 5, the terminal that replaced the TWA Flight Center, through one of the tubes that originally took TWA passengers to their gates. 

On hand were many formerTWAemployees, media, the developer MCR's officials and Jet­Blue staff, local politicians and Governor An­drew Cuomo. Cuomo stated "The conversion of the TWA Flight Center into a new state of the art hotel will preserve this iconic landmark while cementing JFK's status as a crown jewel of aviation Continued from Page 1 

Said Governor Cuomo; "This groundbreak- ing builds on our efforts to modernize gateways across the state and we will continue working to drive growth, support thriving regional economies and bui,ld 21 century infrastructure of the caliber that New York deserves." 

The $265 million dollar project is privately financed. MCR development, the hotel com­pany in charge, in partnership with the Port A􀁝thority ofNYNJ and JetBlue has confirmed that the project will be completed by the end of 2018. Tyler Morse, CEOand ownerofMCR also made remarks at the ceremony. In his remarks, Morse said; "Besides investing $265 million, !_Morse] said, he has to deal with 22 government agencies. MCR must remediate asbestos throughout the headhouse and rebuild or update mechanical systems. If the restoratirn work meets government standards, howeve1 MCR will be eligible for a credit against federa and state ineome taxes of an amount up to 2( percent of qualifying construction costs ". 

Two buildings alongside the TWA Flight center will be about 5 stories high and hold about 500 rooms.The buildings will curve around the terminal and complement its un­usual shape. 

The main terminal is being restored to its 1962 jet age splendor and will house eight res­taurants, a food hall featuring local vendors, conference rooms, a cocktail bar and nightclub. 

The TWA Hotel will be the first onsite hotel in the JFK airport complex.

Source Metroplitan Airports News

www.MetroAirportsNews.com