Workers are almost done dismantling the 317 feet long, 23 feet wide stained-glass exterior to the American Airlines’ vacant Terminal 8 building. The red, blue and white wall, comprised of 900 panes of glass, was designed by artist Robert Sowers and was completed in 1960; at the time it was the world’s largest stained-glass window and the first to heavily incorporate stained glass in a secular building, an aesthetic that soon became fashionable.

The 48-year-old terminal is to be demolished to accommodate storage for snowplows and other equipment. American Airlines has been operating out of a new terminal built for $1.3 billion and, according to a spokesperson, “really tried” to save the stained glass wall. But in the end, the company balked at the estimated $1 million cost to remove it and install it elsewhere. It was previously announced that some of the glass would be ground into keychains, while other panes will be distributed to museums or incorporated into the new terminal. A nonprofit group will collect the remainder to restore and sell them.

In other JFK airport news, yesterday the Port Authority officially announced plans to sink $20 million into restoring the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Terminal at JFK airport. JetBlue is currently building a new Terminal 5 in a crescent around the 1962 original; their website says JetBlue customers will have the option of checking in via the “gull wing” shaped Saarien terminal.

Photos of the old Terminal 5 left and interior of JetBlue's new Terminal 5, under construction, right, via Jaunted.

The Port Authority expects to reopen the old terminal (above, left) in the fall, around the same time that JetBlue opens their new terminal (under construction, above right), which will feature free Wi-fi, an indoor playground, large skylights, and restaurants. First the Port Authority needs to remove asbestos and repair the interior and exterior of the Saarinen terminal, which hasn’t been used since TWA closed in 2001. Once that’s done, it’s hoped there will be interest from outside operators to use parts of it as a lounge, restaurant, retail shopping, museum, hotel or a spa.

The Municipal Art Society, which is part of an advisory committee for the Saarinen renovation, has objected to the possible demolition of the trumpet-shaped flight departure lounge that was cut out and moved aside to make room for construction crews. The Port Authority says it would need an extra $10 million to preserve the lounge, but the society’s senior vice president says that cost is inflated and has taken the case to the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington.

Top photograph of the stained glass removal from the NY Times.