New York World's Fair, September 1964
It seemed like a good time to delve back into the folder full o' 1964 New York World's Fair images (these are all from September). I hope you agree.
Sure, you've seen the U.S. Rubber Ferris Wheel (or "U.S. Royal Giant Tire") before, but if you're like me, it's always worth another look. It lifted guests 80 feet up, presumably for some sweet views of the Fair. It just occurred to me that I don't recall ever seeing any photos taken from one of the gondolas, which is a bit surprising.
If you waited in line for General Motors' "Futurama" exhibit (and why wouldn't you?), you would have gotten a look at the company logo, mounted on the giant angled canopy. Futurama was one of the most spectacular - and popular - exhibits at the Fair.
Not far from the Eastman Kodak Pavilion (just visible to the right) and Pepsi pavilions (and the Schaefer Center, where you could get a cold beer) you would have found one of the giant inflatable "moon berries" (that's what I calls 'em, anyway) where a Brass Rail restaurant could be found. It was hard to eat food off of a brass rail, but in 1964, Americans were game for anything. Notice the arched area, the "Pan American Patio".
And finally, you know it, you love it, it's the New York State pavilion, with its "Tent of Tomorrow" roofed with stained glass (colored plastic), and the two observation towers. It was very considerate of them to provide a ladder on the outside of that one tower, in case King Kong wanted to climb to the top.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the New York World's Fair!
14 comments:
I want one of those giant moon berries for an inflatable lawn decoration.
I wonder what was in that little red cart in the last pic? Roasted peanuts? And look at all that trash piled up to the right of it. Maybe that trashcan was already full. I've seen that happen at Disneyland. "Oh, the trash can is full. Well, I'll just start a pile of trash next to the trashcan!"
The New York State pavilion is currently undergoing some kind of partial restoration, but I don't know how it's going to be used when they are done.
Thanks for the visit to the fair, Major!
Oooh! Excellent NY World's Fair photos today! I'm definitely saving the first one! So exciting and majestic looking.
The GM logo is... interesting, but not terribly exciting, unless you're really into GM... or neon. The photo does have an artsy look to it.
Best view of a moon berry we've seen yet! I'm keepin' this one, too. I wonder if Macy's had anything to do with the inflatable berries?
I also added the last photo to my World's Fair folder. Exciting shapes, lots of color, and the iconic towers. It's been mentioned here a couple of times that the NY pavilion is being restored (hi, Tokyo!); anyone have any word on the progress, if any?
Tokyo!, it looks like the sign on that red cart says "Hot Pretzels".
This was an especially nice visit to the Fair. Thanks, Major.
JB, of course! Hot Pretzels! I wonder where the attendant is? Maybe he/she tripped over the large trash heap, and is now lying unconscious behind that row of Christmas trees.
I didn't realize the gondolas on the Big Ol' Tire had sliding windows. That's a thoughtful feature that took the climate into consideration.
Drupelets!
I've seen exhortations to "buy American" before, but never to "pan American." I get it that foreign companies exhibiting at the Fair would want to tout their products, but dissing the host country's industrial output seems really rude.
So glad that the "Tent of Tomorrow" never caught on. There is no way I could strap that thing onto my backpack.
The giant Royal ( I always thought it was UNIROYAL(??) Ferris wheel is sporting a “turbine” style wheel cover - the most popular style during the 60’s . My parents 1965 Chevy Malibu had turbine wheel covers … they were BEAUTIFUL!! I remember studying the pleasing design while my dad would be working on the car and the wheel covers were off. I would look
At it closely and think “ somebody had to design and then sculpt this !!” I’d love to do a “Tomorrowland” room with a giant enlarged turbine wheel cover on a focal wall all done it white …. Someday ….
I've always liked the giant tire, although I think they really wimped out by not building the rest of the car. ...and genetically engineering a race of giants to drive it. But something would have probably gone wrong and civilization would have been destroyed and blah, blah, blah...
Cap'n Crunch needs Moonberries. And they should glow in the dark. And be that big.
The "Tent of Tomorrow" looks cool, except it also looks like they had some stuff sitting around that they didn't know what to do with... "Hey! Pile it all over here!"
My parents went to the New York World's Fair. My sister and I had to stay home in Tucson. Uncle made sure we didn't get into trouble. We have some slides of the exhibits somewhere. We got a slide show when they got back. The giant tire was akin to the monolith in the movie 4 years later.
I love the giant tire, imagining the design meeting where that was pitched, second only to ok’ing the moonberries.
That last picture is pretty cool, architects pulled out all the stops for this event. That yellow canopy looks like it could slide down the columns and rest on the ground.
The Fair should have had Disney design their trash cans too, apparently. The Trash Can of Tomorrow!
Thanks Major!
JG
TokyoMagic, I want to live in a moon berry! Some say that if you live in a moon berry, you will never age or get sick. It does look like that red cart says “Hot (Something)”. Popcorn? Piling trash is a sign of respect, I always like it when the neighborhood kids pile trash on my car. I don’t think the restoration to the New York State pavilion is going to make it suitable for visitors - it’s pretty far gone. But I’d love it if they DID do that.
JB, I agree that the GM logo is a bit dull - maybe for the time the minimalism was “modern”. The moon berries were a real stroke of genius, just make a bunch of those balloons, and you always knew where you could catch a bite to eat. I haven’t checked up on the progress of the New York pavilion for years, I’m assuming that not a lot has happened since 2020.
TokyoMagic!, OH YEAH, “pretzels”. The way that cart is tucked away, almost behind the trashcan, it makes me think it might have not been open for business that day.
Chuck, how is a guy supposed to spit out of a Ferris Wheel gondola if the windows don’t open? It does seem odd to want to “pan American”, but it was the 60’s after all. A turbulent time. Also truculent. But not succulent. I’ve always thought it was weird that they called that thing the “Tent of Tomorrow”, alliteration be damned. There’s nothing tent-like about it. How about the “Giant Coffee Table of Tomorrow”?
Mike Cozart, the giant tire makes me think of the case that I use to store my Hot Wheels (and a few Matchbox cars), I loved that thing. Wish I still had it, in fact. I’ll bet that ’65 Malibu was a peach. Do you think those old wheel covers were hand-sculpted? I guess that was long before the days of computer-controlled milling machines. I hope you someday do the Tomorrowland room!
Stu29573, Chrysler built their giant car nearby, I guess they didn’t want it to be a case of escalation. Soon the cars would be so big they’d collapse in on themselves and cause a black hole. Oh, glow in the dark food, how can we make this happen? Now THAT’S the future I want to live in. Just a dash of Plutonium?
DrGoat, I used to joke with my mom that she could have taken us to the World’s Fair. Of course I wouldn’t have remembered a thing about it by now. You stayed with your Uncle, which sounds like a good alternative to the Fair, I’ll bet he was fun.
JG, I was actually wondering what other concepts the US Rubber Company had for a pavilion? A giant eraser? I’d love it if they could restore that “stained glass” canopy, and also the large terrazzo map of the state that was beneath the canopy (that terrazzo has completely crumbled). But I’m not holding my breath. Yes, more futuristic trashcans please!
The paint for the repainting of the New York State pavilion is paid for by contributions. I donated . But the labor is done by apprentices in the Bridge painters union. the color is called "American Cheese " yellow.
Major-
Every time I hear [or see] the word 'truculent' - which admittedly is quite rare these days - I always think of Sidney Sheldon's Academy Award-winning original screenplay for The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer... "Feeling a bit truculent today, doctor-? Physician... heal thyself-!"
Thanks for sharing more images from the '64 Fair.
I think the GM logo is understated intentionally…. As the show building’s massive entry fin is its identification. The Ford pavilion’s “sign” was no more intrusive. The idea is that you don’t need a marquee on The Eiffel Tower , Grand Canyon …SPACE MOUNTAIN. The problem designers face it working with large committees or untrained people … who will inevitably say “ where does the sign go!??”
dennis, the Bridge Painter’s Union! Interesting! And “American Cheese Yellow”, I love it.
Nanook, let’s bring “truculent” back! I know I saw “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” decades ago, but it’s all a haze now. I just thought it was weird that young Shirley Temple was pursuing Cary Grant so aggressively!
Major-
That 'story line' does seem a bit "taboo" - especially these times-! But that screenplay is just rip-roaringly funny; and dripping with brilliant sarcasm.
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