{"id":3005,"date":"2016-08-05T23:55:17","date_gmt":"2016-08-06T03:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.drivingfordeco.com\/staging\/3617\/?p=3005"},"modified":"2017-06-26T07:03:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-26T11:03:11","slug":"new-york-city-art-deco-airlines-terminal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingfordeco.com\/staging\/3617\/new-york-city-art-deco-airlines-terminal\/","title":{"rendered":"Vanished New York City Art Deco: The Airlines Terminal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today with ultra tight airline security such a building couldn’t exist. But back when flying\u00a0was for the wealthy and the most glamorous form of\u00a0travel, a building in the middle of Manhattan matched that glamour. The Airlines Terminal made\u00a0getting\u00a0to the brand new\u00a0New York Municipal Airport-La\u00a0Guardia Field in the borough of Queens easier.<\/h4>\n

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\"Post<\/a>

Airlines Terminal Vintage Postcard. Circa 1941<\/p><\/div>\n

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Located at the southwest corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street, the Airlines Terminal stood on the site of the Hotel Belmont<\/a><\/span> (1906). The Belmont closed its doors in 1930. Torn down in 1931, a beer garden occupied\u00a0the site for a short time in 1933. Other than that\u00a0for most of the decade the site\u00a0remained vacant.<\/h4>\n

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\"The<\/a>

A postcard of The Hotel Belmont.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Demolition<\/a>

The demolition of the Hotel Belmont in the summer of 1931. Photo: Digital Collection<\/p><\/div>\n

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Plans\u00a0for the\u00a0Airlines Terminal building at 80 East 42nd Street became public in September of 1939. Architect John B. Peterkin’s (1886 – 1969) design\u00a0for\u00a0the five-story building is\u00a0best described as\u00a0modern\u00a0classical. The terminal\u00a0consolidated\u00a0the reservations, ticketing and baggage handling for the five major American airlines (American, Eastern, TWA, United and PamAm).\u00a0Other facilities planned for Airlines Terminal were\u00a0a restaurant, stores on the ground level and a 600 seat newsreel theatre.<\/h4>\n

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