SFO wins "Most Beautiful" airport award for Harvey Milk Terminal 1
San Francisco International Airport has been declared among the world's "most beautiful" for its design of Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which was completed last year.
On Monday, SFO was among six airports recognized in the 2025 Prix Versailles . The awards recognize "signs of exceptional architecture and design" in several types of buildings, .
Airport director Mike Nakornkhet said the recognition "is the ultimate validation of our efforts."
"We designed Harvey Milk Terminal 1 to establish a new global benchmark for the airport experience at SFO," Nakornkhet said in a statement. "This facility was designed to be extraordinary in every way… as a place of relaxation, a place of sustainable design and operation, a place of inspiring artwork and museum exhibits, and a place to share the story of pioneering civil rights leader Harvey Milk."
Named after the LGBTQ+ rights icon, the terminal took four phases and several years to complete. The first phase opened with nine gates in 2019, followed by nine additional gates, signage and a new ticket counter area the following year.
In 2021, seven more gates opened along with museum gallery and a new display of exhibit content honoring Milk's life and legacy. The final phase of the project was finished in June 2024.
Also receiving a spot on the Most Beautiful Airports list this year is Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon for its new main terminal. Other winners include Yantai Penglai International Airport in China, Marseille Provence Airport in France, Roland Garros Airport on the French island of Reunion and Kansai International Airport in Japan.
