June 27, 2013
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New Tom Bradley International Terminal draws rave reviews By Gary Walker Like proud parents showing off a child who is a star athlete or an accomplished scholar, Los Angeles city leaders wore smiles from ear to ear during a sneak peak of the newly minted Tom Bradley International Terminal June 20. Los Angeles International Airport officials say the $1.9 billion initiative, the largest public works project in the history of Los Angeles, will put the city squarely in line with other top-flight airports across the nation. At a media preview of the international terminal, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined officials from Westfield as well as the architect who designed the new terminal, Curtis Fentress of Fentress Architects, and other airport representatives to showcase the terminal’s new features, including its more than 60 new dining and retail shops and several interactive multimedia features. The mayor and Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey beamed as they addressed the press and several invitees to the red carpet ceremony, and spoke in glowing terms of all of the people and entities responsible for what they believe is a passenger-oriented structure that will place LAX among the best airports in the nation. The design of the terminal, named in honor of Los Angeles first black mayor, reflects what many of those involved see as quintessential Los
Angeles: screens with cascading waterfalls, an open, airy atmosphere and a flowing roofline that bring to mind waves breaking at one of the city’s multiple beaches. Across from the mezzanine, one of the multimedia screens featured a surfer riding the crest of a wave. “You’re almost at a loss for words when you look around here,” said Villaraigosa. “It’s emblematic of Los Angeles in so many ways.” Lindsey also talked about the terminal’s design and praised Fentress and his team for their work. “If not for Curt and his vision, we would not be in such an amazing structure,” she said. Fentress, a well-known architect based in Colorado whose portfolio includes airport terminals, government buildings, convention centers and museums, sees his LAX design as blending the city’s best features with modern day technology. “The successful LAX of the 21st century will be a consummate host to the world, both seamlessly integrating into its context and embodying the spirit of Los Angeles in such a way that it will become a new, modern landmark by which the region is recognized worldwide,” he said. Giving the international terminal a muchneeded overhaul is perhaps the key component of a larger puzzle to modernize LAX, a plan that was conceived in 2009 and is now almost ready to bear fruit. “It’s the cornerstone of our modernization (Continued on page 8) Photo by Jorge M. Vargas jr.
High school long jumper Courtney Corrin’s jump is shown in sequences from run-up to take-off. She was the top prep jumper in the nation in only her freshman year.
Photo by Westfield
NOW THIS IS A WORLD-CLASS AIRPORT!
LAWA Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Westfield Co-Chief Officer Peter Lowy take in all the new features as they stroll through the refurbished Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Jumping into record territory Playa Vista athlete continues success after winning national long jump crown By Vince Echavaria Courtney Corrin captured virtually every major title a high school long jumper could hope to achieve this season — and that was just her first year. Corrin, 15, a Harvard-Westlake School freshman who has grown up in Playa Vista, has leaped to distances no other high school girl her age has ever reached – marks that most boys her age would brag about. Jumping at the renowned Mt. SAC Relays this spring, she set the all-time girls freshman class record in the long jump at 20-feet-11. That feat was followed by a California Interscholastic Federation State Championship with a mark of 20-feet-9 and ¼ inches and a national championship at the New Balance National Outdoor meet in Greensboro, NC, where she edged out the second-place finisher by (Continued on page 6)