Saarinen described the terminal as a huge continuous hammock suspended between concrete trees, which is close to literally what it is. Two colonnades of piers lean outward against the pull of the roof; between them run steel cables carrying precast concrete panels, so the roof sags in the middle and lifts at both edges. There are no columns in the hall. The section does the work signage usually does: arriving traffic comes in under the low side, the ceiling rises toward the airfield, and the glass wall delivers the runways. Saarinen also proposed to abolish the walk to the aircraft, with mobile lounges driving passengers out to planes on the apron — an idea that survives at Dulles and almost nowhere else. He died in September 1961, fourteen months before the dedication. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill extended the building from 600 to 1,240 feet between 1996 and 2000, the length Saarinen had drawn in the first place.
The terminal's site was assembled by federal condemnation. In September 1958 the government sent condemnation letters to the 87 landowners of Willard, an unincorporated Loudoun County community of small farms built up since emancipation by formerly enslaved families and their descendants — among them the Corum, Johnson and Holmes families — and described in contemporary press coverage as largely Black. Between January 1959 and April 1961 those 87 owners deeded about 9,800 acres to the government at an average of $500 an acre; Shiloh Church, the community's central congregation, received $4,000 and relocated its building and graveyard to nearby Conklin. Construction took roughly 26 square miles in total, absorbing parts of neighbouring Chantilly, Pleasant Valley, Sterling and Ashburn as well. Some landowners formed a citizens' association to negotiate together, but it disbanded, and several who hired lawyers saw them take a third of any award above the condemnation price. Willard does not appear on a map today.
Wikidata Q136544402 · Commons: File:Washington Dulles International Airport at Dusk.jpg · Photo: Joe Ravi · Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0