History of New York Guidebook, Essay Example

The 1964 New York World’s Fair is the 3rd main world’s fair to take place in the New York City. It hailed itself as both universal and international exhibition and its theme was “peace through understanding,” which was a dedication to man’s accomplishment in making the world a global village in an increasing universe. The exhibition was mainly dominated by American companies. A twelve-story high model of the earth made of stainless steel symbolized the theme of the fair. It was organized to run for two semi-annual seasons, the first one starting on 22nd April- 18th October 1964 while the second one on 21st April-17th October 1965. In 1964 the charges for adults was $2 while in 1965 the charges increased to $2.50. On the other hand, the charges for children below 13 years of age were $1 for both periods.

The 1964 Fair grounds were a blur of continuous motion. The gondolas hung above the visitors from the Swiss Sky Ride, Greyhound Escorters carried the tired visitors, a mono-rail moved smoothly in the Lake amusement spot, a giant tire Ferris wheel rotated, and helicopters landed on the helipad Port Authority (New York Times). As seen in the image below, the Corona Park was divided into five areas namely international, industrial, transportation and lake amusement and federal and states. Restaurants were in large numbers.

The fair is said to have run for a double six-month period in the year 164 and 65. The event brought together over 51 million people. The major theme of the event was ‘Peace through Understanding.’ As seen below, one of major attractions at the fair was the Unisphere, a stainless steel image resembling the earth, and stood tall as high as twelve stories. As seen below, the image indicates the Tatra Dancers from Poland posing in front of the artwork.

The Unisphere

Robert Moses who was in charge of the fair flew to the Paris BIE headquarters to explain the case of the New York World’s Fair. However, never used to “no” as the answer, he was at loggerheads with the BIE officials and expressed his condescension for the organization in the media and hence ended its connection with the USA. The BIE requested the member nations not to attend the fair. As a resultmany of the members did not participate. In spite of many nations’ failure to participate, the fair still had a good number of individuals who attended. Although the target by the organizers was 70 million people, more than 51 million individuals attended the New York World’s Fair. This event is well remembered as a showcase of American culture and technology of the mid-20th-century.

Moreover, Moses was both the spokesperson and a sort of financial stakeholder of the event. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where the Fair was held, was one of his numerous urban renewal plans in the 1930s, changing it from a marsh and garbage dumpsite into a massive public park. He was hoping that the 1964 Fair would bring in profits necessary to accomplish his vision for the area. However, the first session was not promising in terms of revenues, the event was on the edge of bankruptcy, and organizers utilized the 1965 advance sales to help rectify the 1964 situation. In spite of the financial constraints, the event still managed to run to the end of the 1965 session. The event was a success despite the unhealthy bottom lines and lack of certification (Nywf64.com).

Industrial Area

A platform for Companies

More than 45 pavilions could be noticed closest to the Van Wyck Expressway in the section of the Fairgrounds. They surrounded a pool that was held in an every night fireworks show. The industrial area was utilized for collective advertisement and marketing for corporate America in addition to Kodak’s Pavilion rooftop built resembling the surface of the moon, and the egg-shaped IBM Pavilion of Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames. Here, the visitors seated on the ground were lifted speedily into a theater. This Industrial area was anchored by General Electric’s Pavilion Progress ground. It was awesome to view this area. Visitors previewed telephone technology at the Bell System display, which is a common place in the modern times. The Chunky Candy Corporation pavilion planted what was in that period, a state-of-art transparent exhibit of candy production process in full view of visitors, where they could view all the production steps in an automated candy manufacturing process. This pavilion also involved an interactive sculpture continuum built by Oliver O’Connor Barrett. The biggest hit was The Pepsi-Cola PavilionUnicef-Disney creation of “It’s a Small World,” accompanied by a song comprised of many languages, which became forever stuck in individuals’ minds.

International Area

A Global Village

In spite of the Fair’s theme being “Peace through Understanding,” and was aimed at promoting international cultures, some of the leading countries, including Italy and Britain, refused to display because the New York Fair was not certified by the BIE. However, the Fair’s builder, Moses, was lucky to secure blessings from two popes to permit Michelangelo’s Pietà to the exhibition all the way from St. Peter’s Basilica, and hence Vatican pavilion was one of the most well-liked exhibits. Other attractions that were popular in the area include the El Greco paintings noted at the Spanish pavilion that also included flamenco sangria and dancers. The area was spectacular. At the scene of Michelangelo’s Pietà every visitor was hushedquiet in respect to the sculpture and one could here whispers saying how beautiful it was.

Federal and State Area

Land of Lincoln

Land of Lincoln was the home section of the event. It was the area where a twelve-story Unispere sat encircled by the state pavilions. New England’s six states were clustered in one exposition, while the US government had its pavilion, where President Lyndon Johnson spoke to commence the Fair. This region was defined by two pavilions. Illinois pavilion used Disney’s animatronic knowledge to bring Abraham Lincoln to life reciting his well-known speeches and speaking directly to visitors. The New York state pavilion designed by Philip Johnson was an open-air oval construction with a circular theater in addition to three spacecraft-like towers, which brought the participants to a watching area in external elevators.

What primary sources reveal about the time and place of the event

The visit to the place during the period of the New York World’s Fair can reveal that America or New York City was experiencing great times in development of technology and construction. Moreover, the streets were well planned; there were many cars and trains, theaters, manufacturing areas, automated systems, and many more. Moreover, the American culture that was displayed during the period was that of the mid-20-century. All these factors brought together show that New York City or America was a developed region and was ready to continue developing as witnessed in many of the exhibit concerning constructions and technology. Therefore, a visitor will be able to note that most of the technologies and structures that are witnessed today in America are an improvement of the ones that were there during the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Work cited

Nywf64.com,. ‘1964 New York World’s Fair 1965 – The Fair – The Story Of The Fair – Page One’. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.

Stanton, Jeffrey. “Showcasing Technology at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair’.”New York 1964 World’s Fair (2013).

Inhabitat.com,. ‘New Documentary Sheds Light On Philip Johnson’S Forgotten 1964 World’S Fair New York State Pavilion’. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.

New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/04/20/nyregion/worlds-fair-1964-memories.html?_r=0>.>.

Daily News. Remembering the New York World’s Fair 50 years later. Retrieved from <http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-world-fair-1964-gallery-1.1328696?pmSlide=1.1328690>.