April 17, 2022

East Side Airlines Terminal


Today we revisit a posting made in August, 2020 regarding the news that there will soon be East Side Access to the LIRR. Service would begin in December, 2022, and according to the news online, that still holds. Not only will the train supply direct service to Long Island, it will also stop at JFK airport. Genius.

It was reminiscent of the exalted East Side Airlines Terminal, which opened in 1953. An offshoot of the original Airlines Terminal, it issued airline tickets, baggage claim forms, arranged for ground transportation, etc.

It also promised rooftop parking and convenience ‒ for Tudor City residents, it was a mere three blocks away.

A look at the place around 1955. Occupying an entire block, it leant a decided nautical feel to the neighborhood. The greenery at left borders the entrance to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. At upper right, the tips of The Woodstock and No. 5.

The company did well for the first 20 years, then it began its decline. Finally reduced to a bus depot in 1985, it was sold for $90.6 million to developers who turned it into The Corinthian, a luxury apartment house.

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