Monday, December 03, 2007

Tower of the Four Winds, 1964

It's back to the Fair we go...the New York World's Fair, that is. And here is a beautiful photo (if I do say so myself) of the "Tower of the Four Winds", the 120-foot tall kinetic sculpture that graced the front of Pepsi/Unicef's "It's a Small World". You can see many of the pinwheels and other whirligigs that caught the wind, making them spin and twist in the breeze.


The arched supports were apparently over-engineered and considerably thicker than originally conceived (somebody was worried about wind stress), much to designer/imagineer Rolly Crump's disappointment. He envisioned a much lighter, more elegant structure. Don't worry about it Rolly, it came out pretty cool anyway!

NOTE: Please be sure to check out a new blog called "Vintage Disneyland Goodies" that will feature rare Disneyland collectibles, with emphasis on paper ephemera. It's going to be great! Say "hello" to Jed and welcome him to the blogosphere.
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4 comments:

  1. Matterhorn19595:55 AM

    I agree a beautiful shot of a very whimsical structure. I like how the tower was used only for the World's Fair and appears only on World's Fair merchandise for It's A Small World.

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  2. The Viewliner Limited7:42 AM

    There were a lot of cool things at the NY fair, but this is truly awesome. Thanks.

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  3. spajadigit11:10 PM

    A dying woman gave me her copy of the Official GUIDE book (true story) and that was my introduction to the World's Fair. The entries on ALL the pavilions were pretty neat, but boy, the ones for Disney's brand of attractions were amazing. (Especially the advertisements for them!)

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  4. Jessica3:49 PM

    I am too young to have experienced the 64/65 World's Fair, but I have always loved the Tower of the Four Winds. It is truly a gorgeous structure and I'm just sorry I never got to see it in person.

    It's just a shame it couldn't make it back to DL with the rest of the Fair things, but I enjoy visiting its tribute in the Contemporary at WDW.

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