Richard Southwick, Partner at the international architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, tells the fascinating story behind the preservation, restoration and reinvention of Eero Saarinen’s architectural masterpiece, the TWA Flight Center at J F Kennedy International Airport, now called the TWA Hotel.

Saarinen described the head house form as being like the “Leonardo da Vinci flying machine", according to his associate Kevin Roche. 

Hailed as the “Grand Central of the Jet Age,” the TWA Flight Center welcomed hundreds of thousands of travelers to JFK Airport from 1962 through 2001. Since then tens of thousands of people have been touring the building.

We talk about the beautiful design of the building, the genius of Eero Saarinen and Richard’s favorite role models as well as his top three projects over his successful career.