Wednesday, April 19, 2023 – ONE BUILDING THAT SIGNIFIES A LONG AGO FAIR AND WHAT WAS PRESERVED

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19,  2023


ISSUE  969

Queens’ Iconic

New York State Pavilion

Will be

Illuminated Every Night

6SQFT

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Daniel Avila

Designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964 World’s Fair, the NYS Pavilion is a concrete and steel structure, consisting of three observation towers, an open-air elliptical ring, and a theater.

The Tent of Tomorrow measures 350 feet by 250 feet with sixteen 100-foot columns suspending a 50,000-square-foot roof with multi-colored panels. The tent also held three towers, measuring 60 feet, 150 feet, and 226 feet, respectively.

The two shorter towers held cafeterias for the World’s Fair and the tallest held an observation deck. The Pavilion also included the “Theaterama,” a space that exhibited pop art by renowned artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. The space was used as the Queens Playhouse from 1972 until 1985.

“Perhaps the most iconic landmark in our parks system, the NYS Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a reminder of our city’s historic past, and a beacon towards the future,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said. “As we light the Towers and Tent of Tomorrow ‘Parks Green’ in celebration of the completion of this stabilization and lighting work, we look forward to further renovations on the Pavilion to help ensure this landmark continues to inspire and delight visitors for decades to come.”

In addition to the dynamic lighting, the Pavilion received several structural and electrical improvements. Deteriorating suspension cables on all levels of the towers and Pavilion were replaced and the tower stairs were repaired to allow access for maintenance.

All of the original 1960s conduits were replaced along with the installation of new electrical equipment for a planned NYPD Mobile Command Center. The concrete towers and historic piers were replaced as well, and the tower’s blue globe lighting was restored to its original form.

In December 2018, the Pavilion received a $16.5 million FEMA grant for repairs after Hurricane Sandy. The funding would be used to replace electrical units at the Pavilion’s World’s Fair Park and to create new flood protection systems to prevent damage from future storms.

After years of plans to restore the Pavilion, work broke ground on the project in November 2019. The work was expected to be completed in March 2021, as 6sqft previously reported.

Work on the next phase of the restoration is still in its planning stages, but is expected to further bolster the structure’s stability and eventually allow for guided tours of the towers in the future, according to Untapped New York.

“This is a major milestone in the effort to once again make the NYS Flushing Meadows Corona Park Pavilion a popular public space,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., said.

“Along with brightening our skies, the lighting of the Pavilion will brighten the hearts of Queens residents both young and old, especially those who have fond memories of attending the 1964 World’s Fair. Thanks to this important restoration work, new generations of residents and visitors will be able to make memories when they visit this iconic and brilliantly illuminated structure.”

EDITORIAL

I lived blocks from the 1964-5 World’s Fair and could never understand why the NYS Pavilion was preserved in a state of  deterioration for years.  It is now having more funding poured into it and never seems to be complete and even be a least bit attractive. There were many more worthy pavillions to preserve and we will watch this one become an example of incomplete and expensive “restorations.”
Perhaps the green lights signify the funds being spent.

Judith Berdy

CORRECTION

THIS IS COLER RESIDENT VICTOR. HE WAS IMPROPERLY IDENTIFIED AS VINCENT YESTERDAY. OUR APOLOGIES.

WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

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TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

MEMBERS OF THE EFFLER FAMILY SWIMMING
IN THE EAST RIVER DURING 1914-1919 RESIDENCY ON THE ISLAND

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

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THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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