
It's an airport that's been frozen in time, with bold architecture that must have seemed space age at the time.

These photographs, which originally appeared in Curbed, of the TWA Terminal at JFK offer a glimpse of the golden age of travel, transporting guests back to what travellers would have experienced in 1962.

Photographer Max Touhey was granted access to capture the closed-to-the-public building just ahead of its transformation into a boutique hotel.

Scroll down for video

The lid has been temporarily lifted on the preserved TWA Terminal at JFK, with fascinating images by photographer Max Touhey transporting you back to what travellers would have experienced in 1962, as reported by Curbed

Touhey captured a round capsule departures board at the TWA terminal, as reported by Curbed

The flight centre was the last project of architect Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American designer known for his love of curves, and was completed posthumously in 1962, for the now defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA).

The futuristic building was designed to replicate a bird's spread wings mid flight in reflection of the company's directive, which they stated was to 'capture the spirit of flight.'

Construction on the airport hub lasted six years starting in 1956, and upon completion it was celebrated as an architectural masterpiece that represented a shift in air travel in which middle-class Americans could now afford to fly.

'We wanted passengers passing through the building to experience a fully-designed environment in which each part arises from another and everything belongs to the same formal world,' Mr Saarinen had said about his philosophy behind the design.

The terminal design reflects a bird's spread wings mid flight in reflection of the TWA company's directive, which they stated was to 'capture the spirit of flight' as captured by Max Touhey for Curbed

The flight centre was the last project of architect Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American designer known for his love of curves. The photograph, by Max Touhey, first appeared in Curbed

Plans for the hotel are well underway, with a team preparing a digital 3D model of the airport having taken extensive measurements in June. Photograph courtesy of Max Touhey and Curbed

High-flying: Airline hostesses for TWA are pictured welcoming people aboard a flight back in 1966

Flashback: Two first class seats aboard a TWA jet from London to Washington in the 1960s. One occupied by a caesium beam timepiece accurate to one-millioneth of a second used in the USA's space programme. This clock was being returned to America from South Africa and as it must not be allowed to stop it is connected to a power point in the aircraft during the flight. The other seat is occupied by one of the clock's escorts

Pat Till Twa Air Hostess Who Was Voted Miss Heathrow Airport 1964 With 2nd Place (left) Christine Longthorp, 20, and Linda Stafford, 21

Touhey's photo project was a one-off experience as the TWA terminal has been mainly shut to the public since 2001.

In recent years the building underwent a $20million renovation and opened its doors to design buffs, eager for a peek at the architectural jewel, for just a weekend in 2012.

The Curbed website features about 98 fascinating photos of the terminal plus a time-lapse video which tours guests through the empty halls, brightly coloured carpets and futuristic chairs.

Plans for the hotel are well underway, with a team preparing a digital 3D model of the airport having taken extensive measurements in June.

Golden Age: Architect Eero Saarinen said he 'wanted passengers passing through the building to experience a fully-designed environment

End of an era: The terminal was built for TWA but the airline went bankrupt and was purchased by American Airlines in 2001

After a $20 million renovation project, the building maintained its ambiance of the sixties, including this retro bar

Times gone by: Construction on the airport hub lasted six years, beginning in 1956, and upon completion it was celebrated as an architectural masterpiece

The flight centre was the last project of architect Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American designer known for his love of curves, and was completed posthumously in 1962, for the now defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA)

In recent years the building underwent a $20 million renovation and opened its doors to design buffs, eager for a peek at the architectural jewel, for just a weekend in 2012