30 The QUEE NS Courier • may 1, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN’S SEEDING, GROWTH AND TRANSPLANTING Today, it’s roughly 39 acres of rose, bee, herb and perennial gardens and a hot spot for weddings, morning tai chi, educational programs and free summer concerts. But the Queens Botanical Garden actually began as a much smaller green space at a different location. During the 1939 World’s Fair, the Gardens on Parade exhibit, which consisted of distinct flower beds, various trees and even rock arrangements, took up about five acres in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. More than 50 displays — ranging from an oldfashioned plot to veritable, tropical Edens — were created by the Horticultural Society of New York, the Society of American Florists, the New York Botanical Gardens, the New York Florists Club and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. After the fair, local residents refused to lose the exhibit, formed the Queens Botanical Garden Society Inc. and officially took over stewardship of the patch. All was good until the World’s Fair organizing committee started planning the 1964 event, and members realized that they needed the space for pavilions and other structures. So the garden was relocated across College Point Boulevard to its current spot. Some of the original trees were moved and live on today as little-known vestiges of the 1939 Fair. On Tuesday, May 6, QBG will open Harvesting our History: The Story of Queens Botanical Garden, a mix of photos, memorabilia and documents conceived, designed and produced by Morrill Support, Ed and Joyce Morrill, founding members of QBG’s Gallery Committee. The show integrates pivotal moments that led to QBG’s creation, while displaying the drama and excitement of the two large-scale international fairs. The images and text displayed on the long wall of the gallery mark important QBG milestones and project future aspirations. Printed on 15 permanent panels, the exhibit will have future use for educational and historical purposes. Though it opens on May 6, Harvesting Our History’s opening reception is on June 8, 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibit will be on view through September 28 in QBG’s Gallery. Viewing hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is free with admission ($4 for adults; $3 for seniors; $2 for students and children; free for QBG members). This article is part of a series by the Queens Tourism Council that will run periodically in the Queens Courier until October in commemoration of the 75th and 50th anniversaries of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, which took place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. For more information on Harvesting our History and other events, go to www. itsinqueens.com/worldsfair. WORLD’S FAIR PANEL DISCUSSION TO EXPLORE ITS DESIGN LEGACY BY KATRINA MEDOF inspired and explore how that creativity in design, engineering and construction can be rekindled today. International engineering company Thornton Moderating the panel will be the company’s chairman Tomasetti organized a panel discussion about the and CEO, Thomas Z. Scarangello, who visited 1964 World’s Fair that will be held on Wednesday, the World’s Fair as a child. May 7, at the American Institute of Architects New Charles H. Thornton, a founding principal of York Chapter Center for Architecture. Thornton Tomasetti, will participate in the discussion. The panel discussion, entitled “50 Years Later: While still a graduate student, he helped develop What is the Design Legacy of the 1964 World’s Fair?” the elliptical bicycle wheel tension roof structure will examine the innovation that the World’s Fair featured at the World’s Fair’s New York State Pavillion. He also worked on the 1964-65 pavilions for Kodak and Travelers Insurance. Other panel members who helped design and build the 1964 World’s Fair will include Vincent DeSimone, Ken Hiller, Frank Marino and Alan Ritchie. The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at 536 LaGuardia Place in Manhattan. To register for the free event, visit http://cfa.aiany.org/ and click on “Calendar.”
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