26 The QUEE NS Courier • JUly 10, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com THE COURIER/Photo by Cristabelle Tumola The city approved more than $5 million for the restoration of the New York State Pavilion in its capital budget. NYS PAVILION GETS RESTORATION MONEY IN CITY BUDGET BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] @CristabelleT The Pavilion is millions closer to preservation. A total of $5.806 million is included in the city’s capital budget to begin the restoration of the 1964- 1965 New York World’s Fair icon. The funds will be used to upgrade its electrical system, rebuild the staircases inside the Pavilion’s three towers and repair the concrete platforms supporting the observation decks at the top of each of the towers, according to the borough president’s office. That figure includes $4.2 million provided by Mayor de Blasio, $628,000 provided by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and $979,000 provided by Borough President Melinda Katz. “I am thrilled that Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and the City Council have recognized the importance of taking this first step to help ensure the New York State Pavilion will be enjoyed and admired by Queens residents and visitors for many more decades to come,” Katz said. “Its preservation will aid our efforts to rebrand the Queens as a top-level tourist destination that we call ‘The World’s Borough,’” she added. Community leaders, advocacy groups and elected officials have been fighting for the Pavilion’s restoration, especially as the structure recently marked its 50th anniversary. Located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Pavilion is in need of both external and internal repairs. Last November, the Parks Department released plans to restore it, with cost estimates starting at $43 million. An option to tear it down would cost about $14 million. As part of the effort to save it, in February, Katz declared her support for saving the Pavilion and said she would form a task force, who will meet regularly at Queens Borough Hall to create a plan for its future. The Pavilion was also named a “National Treasure” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation this April, on the anniversary of its opening. The 1939 World’s Fair influenced the Whitestone Bridge… and vice versa In the mid-1930s, Queens had roughly 1 million residents — less than half the current figure — and farms still operated throughout the borough. The entire country was recovering from the Depression, and a second world war was brewing in Europe and Asia. In other words, it was the perfect time to build a gigantic bridge and plan a huge party. The organizers of the 1939 World’s Fair chose New York City with the hope that the extravaganza would ignite the local economy and boost the country’s morale. But there was the problem of how to get to all the fun. In a rushed project that only took about 22 months, the Whitestone Bridge, which links the Bronx and Queens, was completed on April 29, just one day before the 1939 World’s Fair opened. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Robert Moses, the region’s master builder and driving force behind the fair, attended the opening ceremony. Each of the suspension bridge’s towers was erected in 18 days, and the two cables were created and installed in 41 days. There was a little controversy, as 17 houses in Malba were demolished, but Moses affirmed that this was necessary to complete the project on time. He had a point as it was busy from the start. An estimated 6 million autos crossed the span in its first year of operation; many of them were Fair attendees. (It has roughly 45 million crossings per year now.) Over the years, the Whitestone Bridge has undergone some major stability enhancements because it’s located in a highwind area over an open part of the East River. Pedestrian walkways were removed in 1943, while in 2004, lightweight V-shaped wind fairing replaced heavy trusses. In 2007, the original concrete roadway was completely removed in favor of a stronger, lighter steel orthotropic deck. Tower floodlighting was installed, too. In other words, there’s a lot to learn. On July 13, the Queens Public Library’s Whitestone Branch (151-10 14th Rd.) will open “The Bridge and the Fair,” a photo exhibition organized by the Queens Historical Society that celebrates the crossing’s 75th anniversary. All are invited during branch hours. This article is part of a series by the Queens Tourism Council that will run periodically 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, go to www.itsinqueens. com/worldsfair.
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