Classic jet en route to JFK bar lays over in Times Sq.
BY BILL PARRY
A vintage aircraft had a
whirlwind tour of midtown
Manhattan over the weekend
before settling into its new
home on the tarmac next to
the TWA Hotel which is set
to open May 15. The fully
restored 1958 Lockheed
Constellation, known as
Connie, will be transformed
into a cocktail lounge.
Connie’s spin through
the city, including a
stop at Times Square,
was filmed as part of an
upcoming documentary
The Rebirth of the TWA
Flight Center chronicling
the transformation of the
old TWA terminal at JFK
International Airport into a
512-room hotel.
The aircraft flew into
JFK, then called Idlewild,
while it was in service.
In 1955, Trans World
Airlines constructed an
eight-story billboard of
the Constellation in Times
Square on Broadway and
43rd Street. The billboard
came down in 1960 as
Connie was replaced with a
jet that f lew 300 mph faster
and it went on to serve as an
Alaskan bush plane and a
marijuana transport plane
before it was rescued MCR/
MORSE Development which
restored it to her original
condition and made it a part
of the TWA Hotel project.
“Our Connie is an
important piece of New
York’s rich aviation
history,” MCR/MOTSE CEO
and Managing Partner Tyler
Morse said. “Partnering
with the City of New York to
bring Connie back to Times
Square has been a dream of
mine since 2016, when we
began restoring the TWA
terminal to its original
1962 condition.”
While it sat in Times
Square, Mayor Bill de Blasio
stopped by and toured the
aircraft.
“We’re celebrating
today our history. We’re
celebrating what this means
not only to New York City in
general but to the people of
Queens who are going to have
all these great new jobs,” de
Blasio said referring to job
creation at the TWA Hotel.
A vintage aircraft rolls through Times Square before heading to the TWA Hotel at JFK where it will
serve as a cocktail bar. Courtesy of TWA Hotel
“We’re celebrating, for sure
4,000 new union jobs, goodpaying
jobs.”
The hotel will feature six
restaurants and eight bars
as well as an Intelligentsia
coffee bar. Other amenities
include high-end retail
outlets, 50,000 square feet of
event space, a rooftop pool
and observation deck and
the world’s biggest hotel
gym, a 10,000-square-foot
fitness center.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260–4538.
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