The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced the completion of the new Atrium Business & Conference Center at LaGuardia Airport. The center will open to the public on Thursday, Oct. 19, and will include conference rooms, business center services, and several new lounges. Floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the center reveal sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline and the airport’s runways. The Atrium Business & Conference Center will be programmed and operated by MCR, the award-winning hotelier that operates the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
On display to the public for the first time in nearly 10 years will be Richard Lippold’s world-renowned sculpture, Orpheus and Apollo. The sculpture was originally displayed on the Grand Promenade at Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall, where it hung from 1962 until 2014 when it was removed during the reconstruction of what is now David Geffen Hall. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Port Authority worked together to restore Orpheus and Apollo and facilitate its installation at LaGuardia Airport, where it joins the airport’s collection of public artworks that create a unique sense of place for travelers.
“Rather than being stored away in crates for an indeterminable amount of time, Richard Lippold’s wonderous sculpture has been fully restored and will now make its second debut at LaGuardia Airport, where it will be seen by millions,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “In a region known as the art capital of the world, Orpheus and Apollo will provide a fitting welcome to visitors from around the nation.”
“The new LaGuardia Airport has already established itself as a world-class airport. We today announce the opening of a business and conference center that will be an important capability for business travelers using LaGuardia,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “We are delighted that as part of the architecture of the business center, the airport is also able to put on display an iconic, celebrated sculpture that hung in Lincoln Center in Midtown Manhattan for more than 50 years. Richard Lippold’s Orpheus and Apollo masterpiece will symbolize to travelers the region’s commitment to the arts and provide another striking moment to the already world-class passenger experience at LaGuardia.”
“As longtime partners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, MCR is proud to open the Atrium Business & Conference Center,” said Tyler Morse, chairman and CEO of MCR. “The aviation community now has a state-of-the-art space to meet at LaGuardia Airport, the first new airport built in 25 years. We welcome the public to grab a glass of wine or coffee in the Atrium and marvel at the gleaming Orpheus and Apollo sculpture, a symbol of New York City’s vibrant art and culture.”
The Atrium Business & Conference Center at LaGuardia will further enhance the world-class travel experience created by the successful $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia Airport, which is the region’s premier destination for business travelers. Nearly 30 percent of travelers using LaGuardia identified as business travelers in 2019. That number has steadily increased since the precipitous decline caused by COVID-19 in 2020, reaching 25.5 percent in 2022. The new center will allow business travelers to conduct meetings and attend conferences at the airport, an increasingly popular function at airports around the world, including the MCR-operated TWA Hotel at JFK. Since opening in May 2019, the TWA Hotel has hosted 10,000 events, ranging from large holiday parties to small board meetings.
