As The Observer and others have been lamenting for some time now, the day has passed for Jet Age JFK. Terminal 3 is being demolished to make way for more airplane parking to accommodate Delta's expansion of Terminal 4. And now we learn that the same fate has befallen the Sundrome, which was unceremoniously destroyed last year, with no immediate plans for replacement. This leaves only the still-shuttered Terminal 5 as the last remnant of midcentury JFK.

And yet while a piece of architectural history may be gone, it could mean smoother flying for those in and out of JFK, which is really what the airport is all about.

Yesterday, the Port Authority approved JetBlue's plans for what it is calling T5i, an expansion of its three-year-old Terminal 5 to accommodate the carrier's growing international flights (plus a Steve Jobs riff). The project will cost $200 million, create $325 million in economic activity, and add six new gates, freeing up space at Terminal 4 where JetBlue currently operates its international flights from.

“By 2030, more than 160 million people will fly through our airports annually,” Port Authority deputy executive director Bill Baroni said at yesterday's board meeting, when the expansion was approved. “They deserve the best customer experience in the best terminals."

And that is the challenge of airport preservation. Those six new gates will not occupy the space that was vacated by I.M. Pei's Terminal 6. Instead, five new hard stands will be built, the aviation term for parking spots. This is the same fate that befell Terminal 3—it became seven parking spots.

This may seem like an ignominious fate for some remarkable, groundbreaking buildings. Terminal 6 contained the first free-standing glass wall even built, which is to say not supported by a steel structure, just the glass. It was an architectural marvel, forever lost, and now we learn not even to be replaced by another building.

But this is an airport. It is hard enough turning an old factory into a museum, or converting an office tower into apartments, harder still to make that 80-year-old office building feel brand new. At our airports, functional reuse is almost impossible. The planes are too big, as is the security apparatus, and even the functioning of the industry.

Part of the reason JFK needs all that terminal-side parking is because the lean, mean airlines struggling to survive today fly so many more flights, turn so many more planes, than they used to. No more sitting at the gate, or in a hanger—the babies have to move, move, move. And for that, they need room.

"There's a need for parking, certainly," Port Authority spokesman Ron Marisco said.

And so, JFK now has six terminals instead of eight, and never, almost certainly never, will again.

We realized people were coming in via the JetBlue terminal and the street, there were almost too many to count. There were so many TWA vets there—and pilots and attendants from other airlines, past and present.  It was one of those simply "wow"—and for me—recalled high school and college times. I remember the days when each terminal was more beautiful than the other.  I would literally choose to fly TWA over United just so I could go thru those tubes—even if I had to go standby.  The vacation really started once you walked thru those tubes.

Wonder if anyone says that about the new Terminal 5? And if you don't know what our correspondent mean by the tubes, take the slideshow tour to find out. After the soaring roof, they may be the most famous piece of architect Eero Saarinen's masterpiece.

It was mentioned at the event by one Port Authority attendee that the old terminal could be open within the year, and a Port spokesperson told The Observer there was a possibility of that, though "end of year might be optimistic." And even then, the terminal would likely only be open on a limited basis, not daily. Some spaces, like the Constellation Club, are still being finished.

As for the plans for a new hotel tucked in behind the terminal, those are still waiting for take off. "Boutique hotel idea for TWA Terminal is still in works, but taking longer than originally envisioned," the spokesperson said.

All photos by Nicolas Lemery Nantel/salokin.com

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC

Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen.

A great deal of attention has been paid lately to vintage JFK. Thanks to that lovely show Pan Am, we got a glimpse of what Terminal 3 looked like in its glory days, rather than the leaking mess it had become in recent years. It was recently torn down so Delta, which is expanding Terminal 4, could have more space to park planes—no, not a new terminal, just a bare strip of tarmac, a glorified plane parking lot. (Maybe with the airport so congested, that's for the best. Another terminal would mean more planes everyday, wouldn't it?)

Then there is the still stately Terminal 6, JetBlue's home before it took over the new Terminal 5 encircling Eero Saarinen's revered TWA Terminal. Terminal 6 is also coming down, a soaring glass pane and concrete strut at a time. There has been much handwringing over this of late, thanks in no small part to the appearance of Christina Ricci in a blue stewardess' garb, but as is often the case with old buildings, it is too little, too late. And we don't even yet know what is replacing the thing.

That leaves us with the TWA Terminal and the TWA Terminal alone.For those feeling the twinge of nostalgia a little too strongly  right now (present company included), Open House New York has delivered a respite. This Sunday, October 16, Saarinen's swan-like masterpiece will be open to the public from 1:00 to 4:00. Unlike so many Open House events, there are no reservations, so the space is unlimited. Bring the kids, bring a date!

Can't wait? Take a tour with The Observer right now >>

Charles Kramer, an architect at Beyer Blinder Belle who oversaw the renovation of the terminal last decades, and James Steven, manager of JFK facilities at the Port Authority, will lead a talk starting at 1:00.They will be discussing the renovation and efforts to rehabilitate the space with commerce—as well as fielding angry questions about Terminal 6, The Observer imagines.

Those latter two have a lot in common. When people point to the destruction of Terminals 3 and 6 as a loss of historic airline architecture, the Port points to Terminal 5 as plenty. Not only is it the most iconic of the terminals, but the authority has had a hell of a time redeveloping the thing.

It's given up on getting Jet Blue to use it as a fancy check-in area, which, let's face it, even the biggest architecture buff would probably bypass in the interest of getting to the gate five minutes faster. The latest plan is to turn Terminal 5 into a luxury hotel of some sort, maybe run by Andre Balazs, Donald Trump, or some other boldface developer. It might well be the coolest Ramada Inn ever built, but considering there have been no developments in the plan for almost a year, one wonders if it is not dead, especially with innovative Port Authority director Chris Ward headed for the exits.

And so we are left with our world-renowned folly. If you'd like to get a look inside this weekend, check ohny.org for details.

Well, it looks like we could not have been more wrong, as The Journal revealed yesterday that Andre Balazs--already said to be making a play for the Chelsea--toured the site, wedged between Saarinen's original Terminal 5 and JetBlue's crestent-shaped new one.

SLIDESHOW: Welcome to the Hotel Eero Saarinen? >>

And today comes the news that none other that Donald Trump, or at least his representatives, looked into the project, as did European pod-hoteliers Yotel and Starwood, owners of the Sheraton and W brands.

The Journal is quick to point out that it's by no means certain any of these companies will be involved, but it is still good news for the Port, which is desperate to see something take hold on the site. And there is still the matter of receiving a litany of approvals, including from the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the FAA.

The Observer remains reluctant to make a reservation, awesome as such an inn would be, but with hotels willing to try anything to recover from the recession, this sems like a good place to start.

SLIDESHOW: Welcome to the Hotel Eero Saarinen? >>

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo

SLIDESHOW: Inside the Coolest Hotel Lobby in the World. >>

Now, the Port Authority has an ambitious plan to revive the Saarinen building as a boutique hotel, according to The Journal.

Now, the agency hopes to find a developer who will build a small hotel in the space between the old TWA terminal and the new JetBlue building. The interior of the TWA space would serve as an entry way and lobby for the hotel with restaurants and shops.

"You can have perhaps the hippest, coolest-looking front office to a boutique hotel that serves a very special and unique air traveling market," said Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward. "It's not a big airport hotel. It's going to be a niche-market boutique-style hotel with about 150 rooms."

It seems like the perfect plan, an inn in the heart of the city's busiest airport. Especially with all the delays suffered these days, passengers will probably be wanting for easy, reliable accommodations. And the high-architecture boutique model has been a huge success at places like The Standard and the Cooper Square Hotel.

Yet partly what makes the boutique model, pioneered by Ian Schrager in the 1980s, so successful is that it allows people to enjoy the hotel without actually staying their. It is hard to imagine anyone riding the A-Train and then the AirTrain for the privilege of bottle service or a dip in the jetfuel-misted pool. Indeed, the Port Authority has tried to transform the old terminal before, creating some sort of mini-mall, with limited success. And as The Journal points out, there will be landmarks and aviation approvals necessary, which could hamstring a design.

If this thing ever gets built, it will be a miracle--not only to have happened but to visit, as well, this being one of the most magnificent architectural forms in the world. That said, any plan seems like it will be stuck at the gate for some time.

SLIDESHOW: Inside the Coolest Hotel Lobby in the World. >>

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo

Behind a massive DJ booth on stage, the two producers who make up Justice, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, looked every bit the Frenchmen they are clad in leather jackets and puffing away on cigarettes, while tweaking knobs that sent the songs veering from chunky and grungy to tinseled and glossy. (Have two grown men ever had a bigger crush on late-70s Michael Jackson? On the popular track "D.A.N.C.E.", a London’s children choir sings M.J. references over a seriously coked-up bass line and sleazy synthesized hook.)

It’s hard to say how many of the 3,000 neon-wearing concertgoers were chemically altered, but at least one petite, 26-year-old blonde girl was snorting blow from the recessed filter of her Parliament cigarette. Justice’s man-sized, crucifix-shaped light at the center of the stage blinked to the beat, as she jumped up and down.

“Do you like Parliaments?” she said, winking at a young man next to her. He said no.

The concert hit its peak when they performed a remix of "We Are Your Friends." “We! Are! Your Friends!” the 3,000 neon-wearing Francophiles sang on queue. “You’ll! Never! Be! Alone! Again!” The 26-year-old girl, now in the VIP section, chanted really loudly.

Justice plays again tonight at Terminal 5.