The Sundrome, later TWA Domestic Terminal and Terminal 6, was one of several terminals at

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

. It was designed by I. M. Pei & Partners (now

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is an American architectural firm based in New York City, founded in 1955 by I. M. Pei and other associates.

). Opened in 1969, it was initially used by National Airlines. It had been occupied at various times by

Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles ...

(domestic flights),

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

(SFO and LAX transcontinental flights), ATA Airlines, Pan American Airways (1996–1998), Carnival Airlines, Vanguard Airlines, and

America West Airlines America West Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated from 1981 until it merged with US Airways in 2007. It was headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Its main hub was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with secondary hubs ...

. Most recently, from 1998 to 2008, Terminal 6 was the home of

JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub ...

. It became vacant on October 22, 2008, when JetBlue moved to Terminal 5, and finally demolished in 2011.

Design

I.M. Pei, in his design of the Sundrome, used all-glass

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s, unprecedented at the time.

History

Prior to the construction of the Sundrome, National Airlines used a corrugated metal quonset hut as a terminal located between the eventual location of the Sundrome and Terminal 7 from 1948, when the airline first provided air service from Idlewild Airport, as it was then known. National Airlines commissioned the construction of the Sundrome, which opened on November 30, 1969. National Airlines used the Sundrome until its acquisition by Pan American World Airways in 1980.

then expanded into the terminal, referring to it as the TWA Terminal Annex, later called TWA Domestic Terminal, then Terminal 6. It was eventually connected to the

TWA Flight Center The TWA Flight Center, also known as the Trans World Flight Center, is an airport terminal and hotel complex at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. The original terminal building, or head house, operated as a terminal ...

(later called TWA International Terminal and subsequently called Terminal 5; now partially preserved as the TWA Hotel). The connection was by a landside plywood walkway that was interrupted by a terminal driveway. Later, after TWA reduced flights at the airport, the terminal was used by

, ATA Airlines, a reincarnated Pan American Airways (1996-1998), Carnival Air Lines, Vanguard Airlines, and

. On October 30, 2000,

and the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

announced plans to redevelop this terminal and the TWA Flight Center as a new United terminal. On April 29, 2010, the

announced that Terminal 6 would be demolished to allow JetBlue to consolidate its operations at an expanded Terminal 5. Despite an effort by preservationists to protect the building, demolition of the entire terminal was completed as planned in October 2011. The former Terminal 6 site was then used to expand the current Terminal 5 to include international facilities.

References

External links

New York Architectural Advocacy Group DoCoMoMo's History of Sundrome, Summer, 2003

National Airlines Sundowner former flight attendant website, with zippy "Watch us Shine" ad jingle
{{coord, 40.647951, -73.7794, type:landmark_region:US, display=title Transport infrastructure completed in 1970 Aviation in New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport Transportation buildings and structures in Queens, New York National Airlines (1934–1980) Airport terminals Demolished buildings and structures in Queens, New York 1970 establishments in New York (state)