Once again I am delving into a folder of rather old scans from the New York World's Fair that I never posted. But that doesn't mean that they are bad!
For instance, I love this shot of one end of the General Motors "Futurama" building - it looks like the saucer section of the U.S.S. Enterprise (Captain Picard's spaceship, that is). The structure is just plain massive. Lots of people took photos of the 10-story canopy at the opposite end of this 3 acre building, but this end, not so much. Official press describes this as "...a domed pavilion in which General Motors automobiles and other products are displayed. Atop the pavilion is a rotating time-and-temperature indicator".
Chrysler's pavilion was also mighty impressive, with the giant "1,000,000 horsepower engine" in the distance - one of many wonders to be seen. The odd tower structure just to the right of the giant engine is a 35-foot tall "Autoparts Gazebo". To the right, the red "parasol" sweeping up to an 82-foot tall tower is part of the SKF Industries building, while the white building to our extreme right is the Transportation and Travel Pavilion. The lamps in the foreground make me think of golf balls, teed up for a giant.
If I don't post a photo of the Unisphere, they will take me away. Luckily it looks great!
We're looking across the placid Pool of Industry (with the Fountain of the Planets erupting) at the Bell System pavilion - another massive structure... 400 feet long, covered with lightweight Fiberglas and [resting] on just four pylons. Look how tiny the people appear! Next to it rises one of the tallest structures at the Fair, a 140-foot microwave tower through which TV shows originating at the Fair are transmitted.
I have lots more photos from the 1964 New York World's Fair to come.
Yay....a trip today, to the World's Fair! I love that unusual shot of the Futurama building. In the same pic, it looks like one of the kids standing on the edge of that pool, is possibly trying to push another kid in. He's excited about something and pointing to the water.
ReplyDeleteAnd in that second photo, just to the left of the SKF Industries building, is the "Forms In Motion" sculpture. It looks sort of like an airplane or spaceship. And that sculpture is still standing today, on the former fair grounds site.
Pic#1 The first thing that came to mind was a spaceship of some sorts. It's a beauty.
ReplyDeletePic#2 I was going to say that those lamps make me think of white ball head pins used for pinning fabric.
Pic#3 The Unisphere is to the 1964 World's Fair what Sleeping Beauty Castle is to Disneyland. It's such an iconic symbol. Still my favorite has to be the "Trylon and Perisphere from the 1939 World's Fair.
Pic#4 The name "Pool of Industry" sounds like a toxic dump site. The image really does give a sense of the grand scale of what was the 1964 World's Fair.
Looking forward to more of these awesome photos from the 1964 New York World's Fair. Thanks, Major.
Check out the red stroller in the right side of the Unisphere photo. It looks like a sports car. I think any kid would dig that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the unusual views, Major. Looking forward to seeing more!
Chuck, those strollers were courtesy of Hertz Rental Cars. They looked like little Corvettes. I was jealous that I was too big to fit in one!
ReplyDeleteDennis- Levittown, Long Island, N.Y.
Thanks, Dennis! Always appreciate your info on the NYWF!
ReplyDeleteRedshoes Babushkagirl and her BFF Grown-up RealLife Nancy enjoy a day at the Fair!
ReplyDeleteIt's gonna be a great big beautiful tomorrow. That's how I remember the fair. Some of the stuff came to pass, some didn't, but for us kids anything was possible. Cars that looked like space ships, everyone living together in peace on the Unisphere, and Jetsons like buildings everywhere. That kid at the waters edge reminds me of my brother David, getting people wet was kind of his thing. I understand that some of the fair still remains in Flushing to this day. It would be fun to go back and see, now that I am an old man. Thanks to all those people who documented the fair on film, and Major for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTokyoMagic!, if I could go back in time to visit the Fair, I would of course want to see the Disney-designed attractions. But “Futurama” is way up there too, what an incredible exhibit and ride. Maybe those kids are looking spare change thrown into the water, and are dreaming of going in and getting it. Thanks for the info about the “Forms in Motion” sculpture, did you just know that off the top of your head?
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, sure, those lamps do look like the old pins with glass heads. And I do love the Trylon and Perisphere… I just don’t have many slides from the ’39 Fair! That was the very beginning of color photography for the masses, and I’ll bet it wasn’t cheap. Ha ha, now that you mention it, “Pool of Industry” does sound like the water was full of who-knows-what. Don’t get any on you, it will eat through your flesh.
Chuck, there was an episode of “Pickers” - the only episode I’ve ever seen - in which they found one of those World’s Fair strollers in some guy’s barn. What a cool find!
Dennis, yes, I should have mentioned Hertz. It’s surprising how often those turn up in random photos from the Fair. Not as often as nuns do, but still a lot.
Melissa, I wonder if those young ladies worked at the Fair? Probably not, I suppose.
Jonathan, there was something special about that ’64 Fair… even though Kennedy was gone, there was a feeling of optimism about the future and how America’s biggest corporations were going to help us lead better lives through the wonders of science and technology. Then I guess Vietnam heated up, and… well you know. I didn’t push people into water, but I had a talent for falling in to water that everyone else managed to avoid.
There's a relationship between SKF and Disney - you could grab a hadful of ball bearings (their product) from that pavilion. Imagineers soon found small holes in Lincoln at the Illinois pavilion. Apparently, kids (or adults) were shooting the animatronic with the ball bearings to see if it really was a man. Disney convinces SKF to limit the ball bearing give away to one per customer.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Pool of Industry is just a part of the Flushing Creek that is not covered-you can see on a map where is connects to the East River and Meadow Lake. It's actually tidal since it's so close to the ocean, and they took advantage of that. There are pathways that are exposed at low tide that were used to set up the fireworks for the nightly shows that would disappear when the water rose a few hours later.
Looking at these today, and thinking about all the changes to EPCOT's Future World, is making me a bit nostalgic in the melancholy sense of the word. I should just be happy that the great, big, beautiful today has brought us the technology to revisit the old future like we do here.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen in films and photos, I loved Walt Disney's contributions to the 1964 New York World's Fair, but it was GM's FUTURAMA that intrigued me more than any other exhibit. I've always had a thing for futuristic cities. I still wish we got Walt Disney's E.P.C.O.T.
ReplyDeleteDean Finder, I remember hearing the story about the ball bearing before, but forgot (or never knew?) that they got the ball bearings at the SKF pavilion. It seems hard to believe that people thought that Mr. Lincoln was a real person - it was an amazing achievement for 1964… I guess folks couldn’t even imagine such a thing at that time. Also, thanks for the info about the Pool of Industry, which I never knew, in spite of looking at plenty of maps and aerial photos.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, it is a bummer that guests don’t seem to be interested in being educated as well as entertained; maybe it’s a factor of ramped up competition (Universal, mostly) forcing them to have more rides.
K. Martinez, I’d even love to see things like the IBM show, or the Chevron ride (through a stylized assembly line). But yes, Futurama looks like it blew everything else away. I’m unsure if Walt’s EPCOT would have really worked, but it was an audacious idea.
I think Disney to sell the story that people aren't interested in EPCOT Center-style attractions, but science museums and other edu-tainment venues are doing better than ever. It's more likely that Disney execs aren't the type who understand or like those attractions and would rather just repackage Disney's own characters than develop partnerships with industry.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I did know that about the sculpture. There are a few other sculptures from the fair that still exist on the grounds today, but the only other one whose name I remember is the "Rocket Thrower."
ReplyDeleteMy friend's dad, Walt Barrows, was an executive for SKF and we were so excited to go into the executive lounge at the SKF Pavillion.
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