Thursday, May 19, 2011

New York World's Fair

It's time for another trip to the Fair!


This aerial view looks down on the Eastman Kodak pavilion. On top there is a cube (resembling one of Kodak's "Magicube" flash cubes) displaying giant color prints, which were change on a regular basis. The building itself was all wavy curves. Behind it you can see the Tower of the Four Winds and Pepsi's "It's a Small World".


We're still at the Eastman Kodak pavilion; here's an unusual fountain that rained water down into the pool below. Those sculptures resemble giant dandelion puffs.


Here's the huge Belgian Village (with a sign that says "Now Open"). Considering the short life of the fair, the builders of this area did a remarkable job. The theme was supposed to be a Flemish village circa 1700; there were cobblestone streets and even faux dirt and soot on the buildings to make the place feel authentically ancient.


From the top of one of the New York pavilion towers, we're looking down on the "Bourbon Street" area. The industrial steel sheds that made up this area were barely disguised. Still, there were restaurants, Mardi Gras parades, street artists, and plenty of live jazz music. In the lower right, the Westinghouse time capsule was displayed. If you're around in about 5000 years, you can go watch our alien overlords open it.


9 comments:

Vintage Disneyland Tickets said...

I want one of those giant Kodak color prints, I wonder what they did with them?

Great set of NYWF pics, thanks! The "Bourbon Street" aerial is extra nice!

Katella Gate said...

There's a nice write up on the time capsules left at the World's Fair on Wikipedia (or as I call it, the Oracle of Erroneous Opinions)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westinghouse_Time_Capsules

gerG said...

"The Daydreamer" filmed its live-action segments in this Flemish village. The film was released June '66, so they either filmed in the village just before the bulldozers arrived in Nov. 65, or in the earlier closed time from Nov. 64 - March 65. (the Fair was completely closed from Nov. to March.)

Jump to 6:10, and you can see the village!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvMKp-Sj5Zo

210Frwy said...

Wonder if there were any buildings from the 39 fair that survived to the 64 fair?

Anonymous said...

210FRWY-The New York City Pavilion and the Billy Rose Aquacade both were used in 39 and 64 Words Fair. The N.Y.City Pavilion is still open,featuring the gigantic scale model of all of New York City! The model gets updated every few years and looks great! Dennis, Levittown NY

Major Pepperidge said...

gerG, that's awesome! I still remember "The Daydreamer". For some reason that song, "Does Anybody Have Some Luck To Sell" or something like that, is still clogging up brain cells after all these years. Also the old guy from the Cracker Jack commercials.

Nancy said...

i never realize the scope of something till i see it from above. i always think Disneyland for instance isnt THAT big when im walking around but when you see it on Disneyland USA its like holy cow, i walked THAT much today?

i like how this Fair encompassed the highway in a few places, how cool was that for two years to drive past the Ford pavillion every day! if not for those cars (cool taxi) driving by, the Flemish village looks to me as tho it came right out of Disneyland's Canal Boats

thanks for another AWESOME visit to the Fair! ;)

JG said...

@KG, you mean you don't believe wikipedia?

"Did America give up because the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"*

Nice pics Major.

*Points if anyone can name the actor, character and movie.

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