Surviving into the 21st century : the preservation of early aviation passenger terminals

Abstract

This thesis seeks to clarify how a subset of American airport terminal buildings that were constructed in the second quarter of the twentieth-century, survived into the twenty-first century. The purpose is to determine whether their survival is a result of preservation legislation, of which each has been subject to, or as a result of a civic infrastructure’s needs, and the existing circumstances of economic forces at the time of fulfilling such needs. The impacts of preservationists and the influences of politics, technology, and society, on the economy are examined in detail. The thesis is organized into five chapters. Chapter I reviews the state of civilian aviation during the second quarter of the twenty-first century. The concept of an airport terminal and its benefit over previous methods shall be analyzed. Chapter II identifies the artistic styles of the period, their applications in airport terminal architecture, and programs initiated to employ artists, and other skilled personnel during the Depression era. Chapter III examines in detail, the survival of three airport terminals: The Administration Building at Newark Airport; The Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport, and The Administration Building at Floyd Bennett Field Historic District. The potential for profits derived from modernizing airports to provide passenger convenience shall be discussed. Further discussion shall focus on the past and current function of each terminal and both preservation and manmade efforts to sustain their existence. Chapter IV will analyze airport terminals of the same period which met similar or dissimilar fates based upon various factors. Chapter V culminates with the conclusion that even though technology and increases in passengers rapidly reduced the efficiency of these terminals, preservationists still sought to preserve them. Only through adaptive use could these terminals survive to the present day, regardless of imposed legislation.