The Mad Men appeal of Gander's aging airport

The authority operating Gander International Airport may no longer be able to afford operating the central Newfoundland terminal, but design aficionados hope that its MadMen-era design elements can be preserved.

Although it may seem unlikely to those who have never been there, Gander's terminalwhich opened in 1959 to accommodate planes that needed to refuel in flights between Europe and North America is a showcase of furniture, art and architecture of an era when travel was glamorous.

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"I think this is one of the most beautiful modern rooms in Canada," said Alan Elder, a curator for the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau.

"It was a new way of travelling for people, it was still the time of glamour, and I think the building here had to reflect that idea of being cutting edge."

The terminal, though, became largely unused with the advent of jets that permitted transatlantic flights from major cities on either side of the Atlantic. The regional airport authority is now weighing its options.

In the video feature above, Elder leads the CBC's Vik Adhopia through design highlights of the terminal.