Our Neighborhood: The Way It Was • Interesting People • Local History • Events Around Town And More In the image at left are the Trylon and Perisphere, the centerpieces of the 1939-40 World’s Fair held at what is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Both structures were demolished after the fair’s conclusion, and its parts were recycled during World War II. Shown at right, in an image taken from the top of the New York State Pavilion, is the steel Unisphere, the symbol of the 1964-65 World’s Fair, built at the site of the Trylon and Perisphere. It remains a lasting symbol both of the 1964-65 fair and of Queens itself. The 50th and 75th anniversaries of the 1964-65 and 1939-40 World’s Fairs, respectively, will be celebrated in a number of ways throughout Queens this year. (right photo courtesy of Christopher James, Novak archives) Standing in front of the Unisphere last Friday, Mar. 28, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz (fifth from right) and Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (seventh from right) announced several events commemorating the golden and diamond jubilees of the World’s Fairs at Flushing Meadows Park. Among those also pictured are (from left to right) Seth Bornstein, Queens Economic Development Corporation; Queens Botanical Garden President Susan Lecerte; Assemblyman David Weprin; Dan Wempa, New York Hall of Science; Assemblymen Michael Simanowitz, Jeffrion Aubry and Francisco Moya; Fred Dixon, NYC & Company; Patty Clark, Port Authority; and Tom Finkelpearl, Queens Museum of Art. landmark featuring three spaceshiplike towers and the elliptical “Tent of Tomorrow.” Following the ceremony, members of the public will get a FEATURES chance to tour the pavilion, which has fallen into disrepair since closing five decades ago. The towers once held an observation deck and restaurants, and the Tent of Tomorrow featured a giant mosaic tile roadmap of New York State, now badly damaged by the elements of nature. The brief opening of the pavilion 21 • TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 Reliving World’s Fair Memories Host Of Events To Mark Expositions’ 50th & 75th Anniversaries by Robert Pozarycki When they opened decades ago this month, the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs—both of which held at what is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park—offered to millions of visitors glimpses of the “world of tomorrow.” Beginning this month, Queens residents will get a glimpse of those world’s fairs of yesteryear as the borough marks the golden and diamond jubilees of the expositions in the months ahead. During a press conference last Friday, Mar. 28, at the Unisphere— the iconic steel symbol of the 1964-65 fair—Queens Borough President Melinda Katz unveiled a six-month schedule of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the most recent exposition and the 75th anniversary of the 1939-40 fair. Katz, along with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey, are serving as co-chairs of the World’s Fair Anniversary Committee, an alliance of elected officials, agencies and organizations coordinating commemorations of the celebrated international exhibits which provided a universe of memories to its millions of visitors. “Both the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs were seminal events that had wide impacts locally, nationally and internationally,” Katz said. “They also left favorable impressions upon, and generated positive memories for their attendees, and those impressions and memories have lasted until this day.” The borough president expressed hope that the various programs commemorating both world’s fairs this year will “rekindle memories of the fairs among those who attended them and promote the spirit of the fairs among younger people who did not have a chance to attend.” “The many Queens organizations and institutions that have come together under the borough president’s leadership to organize these events over the next six months demonstrate the ascendancy of Queens in recent years and reflect the important role of our great borough in the history of the city and nation,” Markey added. But Katz pointed out the celebration of the two world’s fairs was not merely about marking history, but also continuing an effort to make Queens an attraction for visitors from around the world. “These events will also help in the achievement of my goal to rebrand queens as a tourist destination with world-class cultural institutions and other attractions that people from around the borough, city, nation and world should explore,” she said. The commemoration officially kicks off on Earth Day, Tuesday, Apr. 22, at 10:45 a.m., the exact moment when the 1964-65 World’s Fair opened. A brief ceremony will be held at that time outside the New York State Pavilion—the futuristic -SEE FAIR ON PG. 59-
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