Preservationists Turn to Crowdfunding to Save Historic Pan Am Worldport

The Worldport after its closing in May

Last month, Delta Air Lines and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced plans for the demolition of the historic Pan Am Worldport at JFK International Airport, known now as Terminal 3. The terminal heralded the dawn of the Jet Age in the United States. Since the announcement, a group of preservationists has rallied in an effort to save the terminal.

The group, called Save the Worldport, is using Indiegogo, a crowdfunding site, to raise funds for the cause. The campaign will run through July 14, and it’s already raised over $5,000.

Save the Worldport believes that the best strategy to preserve the iconic saucer-shaped terminal is to raise the public’s awareness on the issue. The money the group raises will be used to purchase a full-page ad in the New York Times in an attempt to gather more support, stop the demolition, and find alternative uses for the Worldport.

These efforts parallel strategies used by advocates for the preservation of the old Penn Station 50 years ago that led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965. Save the Worldport argues that history is in danger of repeating itself and that New Yorkers will regret the demolition of another iconic transportation building.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)