For three years, more than 400 tradespeople led by Turner Construction Company showed up every weekday — nevermind freezing rain and heatwaves — to construct two new hotel wings, install penny tile, gingerly replace one-of-a-kind windows and coat their beloved landmark in a fresh coat (or five) of paint.
The former TWA terminal traded airliners for a fleet of heavy machinery.
Building character: An NYC force transformed TWA's former terminal
Raising the Roof
Watch as two, six-story hotel wings holding 512 guestrooms take shape behind the iconic Eero Saarinen landmark.
A Mighty Crew
The TWA Hotel's craftspeople put heart, soul and a whole lot of muscle into every last weld. Click through to see some of the faces who made the magic happen.
Building by the Numbers
12
Miles of LED Lighting
33
Staircases
35
Trades Working Onsite
52
Subcontractors
174
Firms Working on the Project
450+
Daily Construction Workers Per Day
1,000
Cubic Yards of Concrete Poured for Connie's "Tarmac"
3,000
Construction Jobs Created
20,000
Square Feet of New Penny Tile Installed
74,000
Cubic Feet of Sand Donated to the National Park Service for Spring Creek Park
600,000
Square Feet of Project Space
A Hotel Rises
Dark since 2001, Eero Saarinen's landmark has undergone many stages of construction in preparation for its bright future as a hotel. Flip through to see some snapshots, including the day the lights came back on!
October 2016: And we're off! The restoration of Eero Saarinen’s landmark begins.
February 2017: Bulldozers begin to dig four flights down to create an events center. The sand is donated to restore a local shoreline.
February 2017: As an excavator hums, the landmark awaits an addition for its new fitness center.
July 2017: Workers prepare for the installation of underground plumbing in the cellar.
The Sunken Lounge during construction. Photo courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle.
July 2017: Teams secure the foundation for one of the two hotel guestroom wings.
September 2017: While digging the events center, 4,000 gallons of water per minute are pumped out of the site.
October 2017: Cranes lower the rebar down for installation on the foundation wall of the events center.
The lobby of the TWA Flight Center under construction. Photo courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle.
November 2017: The hotel guestroom wings stretch higher into the sky.
November 2017: As cranes deliver materials to the workers below, the west wall of the south hotel wing is formed.
December 2017: Before the installation of underground plumbing, structural work is completed in the cellar.
January 2018: New concrete forms the loading dock surrounding the future elevator banks.
January 2018: In preparation for pouring concrete, workers form the deck of the south hotel wing's first floor.
January 2018: Custom cut windowpanes for the former terminal — each one a different size — arrive!
January 2018: Painters prime the exterior of the landmark building.
January 2018: The north hotel wing tops off and the south tower begins to emerge.
January 2018: Windows are installed in the landmark building.
February 2018: The north and south hotel wings rise, flanking the Saarinen building.
February 2018: Installation of the 4.5-inch-thick glass curtain wall continues.
May 2018: Workers hoist a window panel into position at a hotel guestroom wing.
July 2017: Framing commences for the rooftop pool.
July 2018: Hallways are framed and sheetrocked inside both hotel wings.
July 2018: Looking good! One of 512 guestrooms gets sheetrocked.
August 2018: The hotel's power plant nears completion on the roof of the north hotel building.
September 2018: Inside the hotel wings, guestrooms and public spaces are built.
December 2018: Just-poured asphalt lets off a little steam.
December 2018: Let there be light! The hotel wings brighten thanks to an off-grid, onsite power plant.
Inside the 512-Room TWA Hotel
Eero Saarinen’s iconic 1962 landmark is reigniting the magic of the Jet Age.
See Snapshots of TWA Hotel
Scroll through photo galleries of the TWA Flight Center, hotel amenities, guestrooms, event spaces and museum exhibitions.
Book an Event or Small Meeting
TWA Hotel’s 50,000 square feet of event space holds up to 1,600 people.