New Competition to Reimagine World’s Fair New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows

Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and People for the Pavilion announced an international visioning competition to reimagine the beloved World’s Fair New York State Pavilion in Flushing-Meadows Corona Park. Left mostly to the elements, the Pavilion has undergone recent maintenance thanks to extremely active community interest over the past several years. The Pavilion was briefly open to the public in 2014, received a $3 million paint job in 2015, and was the subject of the documentary “Modern Ruin: A World’s Fair Pavilion.”

The ideas competition will be open for entries until July 1st, 2016 and is open to non-architects and non-engineers. There is a cash prize for the first three winning entries. The competition will be judged by both the public for a fan favorite and a panel of local leaders and architecture experts. The contest asks:

How do you reinvent an architectural icon for the 21st century? How can you inspire people to see potential in a structure that has been off limits for decades? And how do you activate a public space in a way that is sustainable for future generations?

The aim is make the pavilion “once again a focal point of community life in New York City.” Starting on Sunday though June there will be community events connected to the competition at The Queens Museum and at moving locations, where Hibridos Collective will build a pop-up “People’s Tent of Tomorrow.”

Next, read about the secrets of Flushing-Meadows Corona Park.