LAX gets a facelift
LAX was once considered a pioneering facility in the early days of the jet age, the famous Theme Building, built to resemble a flying saucer that has just landed is testament to this period of advancement and modernism. The building features a circular restaurant below four concentric spider-like legs, in-keeping with the space-age theme of the building, this restaurant is called Encounters.
Opened in 1961 the building is a historical site and designated as such by the city council, yet is was allowed to age and deteriorate, along with the rest of the airport, over the decades until Los Angeles residents began rating the airport as among the worst in the US.
For many, LAX began to feel like a facility one might find in the third world, old, out-of-date and cramped, with a lack of amenities and good restaurants.
Almost $1 billion later, the Theme Building has been renovated, the steel supporting columns strengthened and the interior revamped, along with many other parts of the airport.
In the Tom Bradley International Terminal, for instance, 10 million passengers pass through 12 gates each year, but many planes need to be served by busses due to a lack of gate capacity and there have traditionally been long lines at check-in due to an outdated infrastructure. The airport lounges and waiting areas were also in need of renovation.
$700 million later and this terminal has received its first major overhaul since the 1984 Olympics. There are new boarding gates to service the bigger airliners such as the A380, there is inline screening of baggage, the baggage carousels have been overhauled and the interior design generally has been revamped, creating a more airy, spacious terminal that does not feel claustrophobic.
This is the first part of a huge project to add 1.5 million square feet of space onto the international terminal, according to Las Angeles new media, the entire redevelopment of the airport is expected to cost $2.3 billion. The food court in the international terminal has also been completely redesigned, opening up the space from what was once a dingy room after customs.
With half the project complete, and talk of renovations for the domestic terminals, LAX looks set to take its place among the best airports in the country once more.
Comments
More Los Angeles News
RSS-
Four of Top 10 Beach Bummers Are in LA County
Swimmers and surfers in Southern California enjoyed cleaner beach water this year, likely due to one of the driest winters on record in the region, according to Santa Monica-based Heal the Bay’s 2012-13 study released ...
-
Powerball Jackpot Grows To $50 Million
A customer holds $140 worth of Powerball tickets that he just purchased on May 17, 2013 in San Francisco, California. People are lining up to purchase $2 Powerball tickets as the multi-state jackpot hits $600 million. (credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty ...
-
Redlands Sergeant Honored For Bravery In Untold Story Of Dorner Shootout
REDLANDS (CBSLA.com) -- A Redlands Police Sergeant was honored with the Mayor’s Award Tuesday for his bravery during the February gun battle with ex-cop Christopher Dorner in Big Bear. Mayor Pete Aguilar presented the honor to Sergeant Stephen Crane at the Redlands City Council meeting Tuesday, thanking him for his service. ';It’s hard for me to talk about it obviously,'; ...
-
Mother Of 4-Year-Old Special Needs Student Sues LAUSD Alleging Teacher Slapped Her Child
GRANADA HILLS (CBSLA.com) -- The mother of a four-year-old special needs student is suing the LAUSD alleging a teacher slapped her child in the face. It’s a story you will only see on KCAL9. Kristin Knight, who lives in Grenada Hills, spoke to KCAL9′s Serene Branson. ';There was a slapping sound. It was a hard hit to may son’s face,'; says Knight. She told Branson ...
-
Fishing boat sinks in freak storm off coast of Baja California
The U.S. Coast Guard said last month that the owner and crew of a chartered fishing boat involved in an accident in the Sea of Cortez two years ago were negligent. The accident, which took place in 2011, involved a group of 27 U.S. fishermen and 16 Mexican crew members who were on an annual boating excursion during the July ...
-
Driver in Infamous SoCal Pursuit Turns Life Around
The woman involved in the 2009 pursuit seems to her like another person, leading another life. Mankin was hesitant to share her story and bring up the "embarrassment" and "shame" of that ...
-
Eric Garcettis mayoral victory attributed largely to Wendy Greuels result in San Fernando Valley
Eric Garcetti heads to his vehicle after holding a press conference at El Centro del Pueblo in Echo Park on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Garcetti won a runoff on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 to become L.A. first elected Jewish mayor. (Andy Holzman/Staff ...
-
Kings In LA For Pivotal Game 5 Against Sharks
Goalkeeper Jonathan Quick #32 of the Los Angeles Kings takes a drink of water from a Gatorade bottle against the San Jose Sharks in Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on May 18, 2013 in San Jose, California. The Sharks defeated the Kings in overtime 2-1. (credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ...
-
Man 30 Pulled From Burning Truck After Gas Tank Punctured In Crash
POMONA (CBSLA.com) -- Police rescued an unconscious man from the wreckage of a pick-up truck engulfed in flames Wednesday. Thirty-year-old Brallan Sedano, of La Puente, was driving a 1996 Chevrolet motor vehicle when he was involved in a collision on in the 700 block of East Holt Boulevard in Pomona at approximately 11 a.m., according to local authorities. The crash punctured the truck’s ...
-
California nurses go on weeklong strike
On May 17, over 3,100 nurses and technicians in the California Nurse's Association (CNA) began a strike scheduled to last seven days at five out of eleven Northern California Sutter Health hospitals. Some 1,400 nurses at two Hospital Corporation of America-affiliated San Jose hospitals will join the strike May 23 and 24. A sixth hospital in San Leandro called off the strike after Alameda ...
-
Council Gives Green Light to $40M Leimert Park Rail Stop
Metro officials say the $40 million council-approved package may not be enough to get the job done. However, businesses in the Crenshaw area are excited for the new customers the line may bring. Ted Chen reports from Leimert Park for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on May 22, ...
-
Injured volunteer seeks payment from rescued California hiker
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A volunteer searcher who broke his back while looking for a teenager who was lost in Orange County wilderness says he deserves restitution if the teen is convicted on drug charges. Nick Papageorge, 20, said after Nic Cendoya's arraignment was postponed Wednesday that his medical bills could total $350,000, City News Service reported. Papageorge searched Trabuco ...
-
L.A. Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti meets supporters Wendy Greuel concedes
Eric Garcetti heads to his vehicle after holding a press conference at El Centro del Pueblo in Echo Park on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Garcetti won a runoff on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 to become L.A. first elected Jewish mayor. (Andy Holzman/Staff ...
-
Torrance adopts budget that requires no cuts
< 200){ requestedWidth = 200; } Buoyed by the highest tax revenues in five years, Torrance will add two new police officers as part of a balanced budget adopted by the City Council. Unlike previous years, the $171 million operating budget adopted Tuesday required no cuts, City Manager LeRoy Jackson said. The operating budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year, which funds ongoing expenses such ...
-
UC Irvine Chemists Come Up With Urine Test For Men To Check For Prostate Cancer
IRVINE (CBSLA.com)-- Chemists at UC Irvine announced Wednesday that they have created a urine test that allows men to check for prostate cancer. The chemists published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The prostate exam would employ a simple urine test that can be done at home — much the way women can now test to see if they are pregnant. ';Our goal ...
-
Hello J-Lo Jenny From The Block Opens Cell Phone Chain
NEW YORK (AP) -- ';Jenny from the Block'; wants the block to buy Verizon phones from her. Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says she’s opening a chain of 15 cellphone stores and a website under the Viva Movil brand. The aim is to sell Verizon phones and services to Latinos. The first store will open in New York on June 15. Stores are reportedly set to follow in Miami and Los ...
-
Price Of Luxury Homes Booming In Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) -- It looks like Powerball arrived in California just in time. The average price of a luxury home in Los Angeles County rose 7.1 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared to the first three months of last year, according to a study released Wednesday. Luxury homes, of course, are already out of the reach of most homeowners. And according to the study they are ...
-
Police Searching Backyard Of Glendora Home In Cold Case Investigation
GLENDORA (CBSLA.com) -- Police were digging in the backyard of a home in Glendora Wednesday in connection to a case of a woman missing since the ...
-
Metrolink Commuters Delayed After Amtrak Train Crashes Into Vehicle In OC
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO (CBSLA.com) -- Close to 700 Metrolink commuters were delayed Wednesday after after an Amtrak train en route to Los Angeles slammed into a disabled vehicle on the tracks near San Juan Capistrano. The collision occured just west of the Orange County city at approximately 4:30 p.m. No one was in the vehicle and none of the 95 people on board the Amtrak train from San Diego ...
-
AEG Sought Protection Against Cancelled Jackson Shows
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) -- Months before a contract was signed with Michael Jackson, AEG was looking to protect its investment against the possibility of cancelled shows in the singer’s planned tour. KNX 1070's Margaret Carrero reports that testimony Wednesday revealed that AEG began inquiring about non-appearance insurance for Michael Jackson months before they reached a tour ...
-
Fake Disney Heir Allegedly Doles Out Stolen Park Passes
Raffle winners thought they're scored passes to Disneyland but when they arrived to the gate learned they'd been scammed allegedly by a man posing as a Disney heir. Pictured, fireworks explode over The Sleeping Beauty Castle in Anaheim in May ...
-
San Fernando Valley home prices jump in April
The median price of a San Fernando Valley house jumped 21 percent during April in response to declining sales of foreclosed properties, a research center said Wednesday. Last month the median house price rose to $460,000 from $381,000 a year earlier and it was up from $451,000 in March, said the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at Cal State Northridge. Sales remained sluggish amid ...
Los Angeles Feature
-
LAX gets a facelift
Los Angeles International Airport has decided to go under the knife again; the sixth busiest airport in the world is in the final stages of a multi-million dollar face lift of its international terminal, aimed at bringing the airport back up to world class standards in design and service and now there is talk of even further redevelopment for the domestic terminals as well.
LAX was once considered a pioneering facility in the early days of the jet age, the famous Theme Building, built to resemble a flying saucer that has just landed is testament to this period of advancement and modernism. The building features a circular restaurant below four concentric spider-like legs, in-keeping with the space-age theme of the building, this restaurant is called Encounters. Read more
News from around our Network
