A long dark remnant of the 1964/1965 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park lit up in a rainbow of colors this month. The festive lighting wasn’t part of a new holiday display, but a test of new lights at the New York State Pavilion. The light test was part of the ongoing $24 million project to preserve the historic World’s Fair Pavilion Towers. The restoration project broke ground in 2019 and is expected to finish in the Spring/Summer of 2023.
NYC Parks/ Daniel Avila
The New York State Pavilion was built for the 1964/1965 World’s Fair and is comprised of the “Tent of Tomorrow” and three towers of varying heights. Noted architect Philip Johnson designed the impressive circular structure. A 50,000-square-foot roof of multi-colored fiberglass panels once covered the pavilion, while a map of New York State made up of terrazzo tiles covered the floor. The tallest tower, which was also the tallest point in the fair, served as an observation deck. The two shorter towers housed cafeterias.
The New York State Pavilion lights that were tested this month pay homage to the structures’ original designs. The multi-colored lights that will illuminate the ring of the Tent of Tomorrow are reminiscent of the multi-colored roof that once covered it. The colorful lights will allow the historic structures to stand out against the night sky.
NYC Parks/ Daniel Avila
The scope of the restoration project includes extensive preservation work in addition to the cosmetic enhancement of dynamic architectural lighting. Workers will also waterproof the tower bases, replace stairs, conduct electrical upgrades, and perform structural conservation work on the observation towers. These efforts constitute the first major effort to restore the site since it was abandoned.
Learn more about the New York State Pavilion and other existing and lost remnants of New York City’s two World’s Fairs on Untapped New York’s Remnants of the World’s Fair walking tour of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park!
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
