T.F. GREEN STATE AIRPORT




An artist's rendering of the new PVD before its completion in 1961 - a tall central structure with a low concourse fronting the apron. All three first-generation jets (the Boeing 707, Douglas DC8 and Convair 880) are parked on the apron.

Providence's Theodore Francis Green State Airport dedicated its new jet-age terminal on August 13, 1961, a few years before jet service at PVD was initiated. The terminal was a predecessor of many of today's newer 'linear' terminals: a one-level plan with ticketing and bagggage claim in a main building, and a long concourse facing the airfield.


The airside of the PVD terminal after completion in 1961.


An aerial view of T.F. Green in the mid-1960s, showing the 1961 terminal at left.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


A postcard showing the airside of PVD shortly after its completion.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel

Through the 1960s and 1970s this design was more than adequate for the airlines serving Providence - American, Mohawk (which merged with Allegheny in 1972), Northeast (acquired by Delta the following year), Eastern, National and United. By the 1980s, however, deregulation had brought a number of new airlines (People Express, Air Florida, Piedmont and TWA, for example) and planners realized it was time for expansion.

In 1981 the first addition to the terminal was constructed - a second-level satellite protruding from the middle of the terminal. Eastern and United moved into the four new gates, which were equipped with PVD's first loading bridges. Jetways would be installed at the rest of the ground-floor gates over the next few years.


A diagram of PVD from 1981, right after the completion of the new elevated satellite.
From a United Airlines service guide courtesy of Tom Moore


An aerial view of PVD from 1985, showing the new satellite and the existing concourses. Jetways would be installed at these gates in the latter half of the 1980s. Reprinted from Airport Forum magazine


Another postcard view of PVD in the early 1980s, showing the completed satellite.

Despite the addition (as well as a parking garage added in the late 1980s) it was clear that the existing terminal was no longer adequate for the traffic passing through Providence. Congestion at Boston's Logan Airport had made PVD a viable alternative, and as passenger numbers began to rise in the early 1990s, officials began scouting for a site for a replacement terminal complex.


An early-1990s postcard of PVD showing the terminal's final configuration. Note the new parking garage built (rather inconveniently) off to the side of the terminal area.Courtesy of Tom Moore

The problem was space. The airfield was surrounded on all sides by residential development, much of it affluent and staunchly opposed to airport expansion. Planners decided to grow 'inward' by constructing the new terminal on top of the old one.

It was to be a long and drawn-out process. Trailers were brought in and connected to the terminal to serve as temporary gate areas, while an auxiliary baggage claim hall was tacked on to the south end of the complex. Once the temporary additons were in place, the northern end of the terminal was demolished to make way for construction.


A satellite view of PVD under construction in 1994. The old concourse and satellite are gone, replaced by trailers strung together to form a makeshift boarding hall (although rudimentary, it does have jetbridges.)


Two postcards of PVD, taken as the new terminal neared completion. A small piece of the old facility is still standing, although most operations are now handled through the growing network of connected trailers. Postcards courtesy of Tom Moore

The new terminal was partially opened in October 1996, with the rest of the facility coming on line the following year. The old terminal (and its associated trailer extensions) were removed, leaving no trace of the old complex. PVD has seen enormous growth since the new building was opened, capitalizing on the inconvenience of BOS to become one of New England's primary airports.

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