5. The Art Deco Terminal is Now a Museum
When Floyd Bennett Field was still a functioning airport, it boasted an incredible terminal in the art deco style. It housed everything from “The Aviator Bar and Grill” to a radio broadcasting studio and even a cocktail area with a balcony for viewing the airfield. It was built during the height of the flying boom, a time when one still wore a suit or a dress on the plane, when flying was considered luxury not necessity.
However, when the airfield shut down in the 1940s, the terminal fell into disarray. The walls were cracked and the paint was peeling, that was until the National Park Service took control of the airport in the 1970s. They renovated and restored the beautiful terminal, all while keeping its original charm, and turned it into a museum honoring the history of the airport.