Peter Brandt photographs of the TWA Flight Center
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Abstract
The collection includes 47 8x11 inch photographs by Peter Brandt of the TWA Flight Center at Kennedy Airport. 10 of the photographs are in color; all are captioned on the back and include the photographer's stamp; and most are of the terminal's interior, with some exterior views.
Biographical / Historical
Peter Brandt is a German-born photographer who arrived in New York City in 1982 to work in commercial fashion and advertising photography. He retired in 2008 to focus on his own projects. In 2004, he was commissioned to document the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy airport.
Designed in 1956 by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, the TWA Flight Center was completed in 1962 -- a year after the architect's death. It operated until 2001, when TWA was purchased by American Airlines. Both the interiors and exteriors of the Saarinen terminal were designated a historic landmark by New York City in 1994, and in 2005 the National Park Service listed the Trans World Flight Center on the National Register of Historic Places.
In December, 2005, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began constructing a new terminal facility for JetBlue Airlines behind and partially encircling Saarinen's original building. Peripheral portions of the original facility were demolished to make space for a mostly-new terminal designed by Gensler. JetBlue's new terminal (T5) opened in 2008.
Peter Brandt's photographs provide a visual record of the original Saarinen terminal as it appeared before renovations began in 2005.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes 47 8x11 inch photographs by Peter Brandt of the TWA Flight Center (also known as the Trans World Flight Center or TWA Terminal) at Kennedy Airport. 10 of the photographs are in color. All are captioned on the back and include the photographer's stamp. Most are of the terminal's interior, with some exterior views.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: Peter Brandt photographs of the TWA Flight Center, PR 304, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Peter Brandt, 2011
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was processed by archivist Susan Kriete, who also prepared a preliminary finding aid. This finding aid and catalog record was completed by archivist Larry Weimer in October 2021.