42nd Street Airlines Terminal

42nd Street Airline Terminal
Interactive map of the 42nd Street Airline Terminal area
General information
Architectural style
Art Deco[1]
LocationNew York City, New York, United States
Coordinates40°45′07″N 73°58′42″W / 40.7519°N 73.9783°W / 40.7519; -73.9783
OpenedJanuary 26, 1941[2]
Demolished1978
Design and construction
ArchitectJohn B. Peterkin[1]

The 42nd Street Airlines Terminal, on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, was the first of three airline terminals constructed in New York City. It was located at the site of the former Hotel Belmont.[3] During this period of aviation, reservations, ticketing and baggage handling took place at this facility for the airlines American, Eastern, TWA, United and Pan Am. Passengers would be transferred by bus to LaGuardia Field, Newark Airport, and later to the New York International Airport.[1][2]

The changing economics and increasing popularity of air travel eventually led to the creation of new air terminals in Manhattan: the East Side Airlines Terminal near the Queens Midtown Tunnel and the West Side Airlines Terminal near the Lincoln Tunnel. In 1954 this facility, which had become restricted to ticketing only, was renamed the Airlines Building. The declining importance of the facility led to its demolition in 1978, to become the site of the Philip Morris Building at 120 Park Avenue.[1][4][5]

The pair of eagles that sat atop the terminal, which had been designed by sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan, were subsequently relocated to the Best Products headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.[1] As of 2026, Best Products' headquarters were being demolished to make way for a mixed-use development anchored by the GreenCity Arena, but the eagles will be preserved onsite or elsewhere.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 L'Abbate, Anthony; Arena, Chris (August 5, 2016). "Vanished New York City Art Deco: The Airlines Terminal". Driving for Deco. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Airlines' Terminal Goes in Operation". The New York Times. January 26, 1941. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  3. ↑ "The Lost Hotel Belmont – 120 Park Avenue". Daytonian in Manhattan. October 27, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Gannon, Devin (June 23, 2017). "The history behind 42nd Street's lost Airlines Terminal Building". 6sqft. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Philip Morris Says Airlines Terminal Building on E 42nd Will Be Replaced by Office Tower". The New York Times. August 2, 1978. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Best Products headquarters – minus iconic eagles – approved for demolition, setting stage for potential arena-anchored development". Henrico County, Virginia. March 20, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.

Further reading

  • Peterkin, John B. (March 1941). "The Airlines Terminal" (PDF). Pencil Points. Vol. XXII, no. 3. pp. 143–162. Retrieved October 3, 2024.


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