LAX color tunnels is a term used to describe decorative mosaic decor installed in several tunnels built in 1961 at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).[1] Seven tunnels were created, three remain open to the public.
Designed in the 1950s, the tunnels were envisioned by the architecture firm Pereira & Luckman, to minimize the experienced distance of the 300–500-foot (91–152 m) tunnels.[2][3] The work was overseen by Charles D. Kratka,[2][4] the firm's head of interior design and they were designed by Janet Bennett, then a young artist on his team.[5][6][7][8][9] The tiles were produced by Alfonso Pardinas of Byzantine Mosaics in San Francisco.[9]
Seven color tunnels were created for LAX, as of 2023[update], three remain open to the public:[10][11]
Tunnel connecting Terminal 4 rotunda with Baggage Claim – equipped with moving walkway (nicknamed "Astrowalk")
Tunnel connecting Terminal 5 rotunda with Baggage Claim
Tunnel connecting Terminal 6 rotunda with Baggage Claim[11]
The tunnel connecting Terminal 3 rotunda with Baggage Claim has been closed since 2020 as part of a terminal reconstruction project. LAX managers say the tunnel and its mosaic will be preserved as part of the project.[12]
The color tunnel connecting Terminal 2 and its baggage claim area was demolished to construct the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility to process arriving international passengers.
Despite CBP installation, Terminal 7's mosaic tunnel was retained. However, it is only used for international passengers arriving in that terminal, along with those of Terminal 6 (both terminals are connected by a tunnel, used exclusively by arriving international passengers of the latter).
In addition to the color tunnels, Terminals 4, 5, 6, and 7 were connected by smaller tunnels between the rotundas. The tunnels between Terminals 4, 5, and 6 are currently open to passengers connecting between terminals. The tunnel between Terminals 6 and 7 is now a "sterile corridor" connecting international passengers arriving at Terminal 6 to the Customs and Border Protection facility under Terminal 7.[11][13]
The hallways with their extensive tile-mosaic walls have appeared in a number of films and television programs,[9] sometimes as symbolic funnels or liminal spaces. The tunnels appeared in Jackie Brown,[14]Airplane!, and Mad Men,[15] among many others.[2] In 2013, a Portland, Oregon company called The Athletic produced color-blocked tile-mosaic mural LAX Airport Socks.[16]
