LAX color tunnels explained

LAX color tunnels should not be confused with Airport Tunnel (Los Angeles).

LAX color tunnels is a term used to describe decorative mosaic decor installed in several tunnels built in 1961 at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).[1] Seven tunnels were created, three remain open to the public.

Designed in the 1950s, the tunnels were envisioned by the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman, to minimize the experienced distance of the NaNabbr=outNaNabbr=out tunnels.[2] [3] The work was overseen by Charles D. Kratka,[4] the firm's head of interior design and they were designed by Janet Bennett, then a young artist on his team.[5] [6] [7] [8] The tiles were produced by Alfonso Pardinas of Byzantine Mosaics in San Francisco.[9]

Tunnels

See main article: Terminals of Los Angeles International Airport. Seven color tunnels were created for LAX,, three remain open to the public:[10] [11]

The tunnel connecting Terminal 3 rotunda with Baggage Claim has been closed since 2020 as part of a terminal reconstruction project. LAX managers say the tunnel and its mosaic will be preserved as part of the project.[12]

The color tunnel connecting Terminal 2 and its baggage claim area was demolished to construct the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility to process arriving international passengers.

Despite CBP installation, Terminal 7's mosaic tunnel was retained. However, it is only used for international passengers arriving in that terminal, along with those of Terminal 6 (both terminals are connected by a tunnel, used exclusively by arriving international passengers of the latter).

In addition to the color tunnels, Terminals 4, 5, 6, and 7 were connected by smaller tunnels between the rotundas. The tunnels between Terminals 4, 5, and 6 are currently open to passengers connecting between terminals. The tunnel between Terminals 6 and 7 is now a "sterile corridor" connecting international passengers arriving at Terminal 6 to the Customs and Border Protection facility under Terminal 7.[13]

Legacy

See main article: Los Angeles International Airport in popular culture. The hallways with their extensive tile-mosaic walls have appeared in a number of films and television programs, sometimes as symbolic funnels or liminal spaces. The tunnels appeared in Jackie Brown,[14] Airplane!, and Mad Men,[15] among many others. In 2013, a Portland, Oregon company called The Athletic produced color-blocked tile-mosaic mural LAX Airport Socks.[16]

Notes and References

    • Web site: Martino . Alison . Alison Martino . May 8, 2020 . Charles Kratka's Mosaic tiles at LAX airport . martino's time machine . en.
    • Web site: Martino . Alison . Alison Martino . August 13, 2014 . LAX Mosaic Tiles . https://web.archive.org/web/20221113011023/http://martinostimemachine.blogspot.com/2014/08/movies-such-as-point-blank-midnight.html . November 13, 2022 . November 13, 2022 . Vintage Los Angeles.
  3. News: Martino . Alison . Alison Martino . Vintage L.A: Flight of Fancy . . November 28, 2022 . https://archive.today/20221128203616/https://alisonmartino.com/?page_id=8813 . November 28, 2022 . AlisonMartino.com.
  4. News: Nelson . Valerie J. . November 25, 2007 . Charles D. Kratka, 85; designer, artist created mosaic tunnel walls at LAX . . November 28, 2022.
  5. Web site: Sandhaus . Louise . Louise Sandhaus . January 26, 2017 . Who designed the murals for the Los Angeles International Airport? . LSD News & Views . en.
  6. Web site: Bennett . Janet . My Midcentury Airport . November 29, 2022 . . en.
  7. Web site: Bennett . Janet . LAX Los Angeles International Airport Mosiacs To Solomons v2 . November 29, 2022 . . en.
  8. Web site: Sandhaus . Louise . March 23, 2017 . Her Story Meets His Story: Janet Bennett, Charles Kratka, and the LAX Murals . November 28, 2022 . Design Observer . Observer Omnimedia LLC. . en.
  9. Web site: Gnerre . Sam . Wall mosaics in LAX passageways lead travelers home . November 13, 2022 . South Bay History – The Daily Breeze.
  10. Web site: July 5, 2016 . A Brief History Of LAX's Beautiful Mosaic Tiled Hallways . https://web.archive.org/web/20160708054220/http://laist.com/2016/07/05/lax_tile_mosaic_hallways.php . July 8, 2016 . November 13, 2022 . . en.
  11. Web site: Kuan . Albert . December 19, 2017 . LAX's Long-Standing History with Inter-Terminal Underground Tunnels . https://web.archive.org/web/20220712133621/https://airlinegeeks.com/2017/12/19/laxs-long-standing-history-with-inter-terminal-underground-tunnels/ . July 12, 2022 . November 28, 2022 . Airline Geeks . en.
  12. Web site: August 2016 . Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Terminals 2 and 3 Modernization Project Notice of Preparation and Initial Study . March 27, 2023 . . 34.
  13. Web site: May 14, 2019 . How To Get Between Terminals At LAX . November 28, 2022 . One Mile at a Time.
  14. Web site: Cowan . Jared . December 21, 2017 . How Quentin Tarantino and 'Jackie Brown' Made the South Bay a Star . November 29, 2022 . L.A. TACO.
  15. Web site: Baskas . Harriet . September 30, 2016 . History of the airport moving walkway . November 29, 2022 . Stuck at the Airport.
  16. Web site: Walker . Alissa . November 2, 2013 . Dress To Match LAX's Colourful Tunnels With These Brilliant Socks . November 29, 2022 . Gizmodo Australia . en-AU.

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