To read about the history of the New York World’s Fair (and its lampposts) please go to the New Yorker to read my comic about it. The second to last panel has a very romantic surprise, if you’re into that kinda thing. Spoiler alert: he said yes. Then come back here to enjoy this gallery of photos.
The comic references this post I did on Penn Hills, where I first discovered the relocated World’s Fair lampposts. The story ends with plans to have the posts installed at Flying Dollar Airport in the Poconos.
The most prominent structures that remain are the New York Pavilion, aka the Tent of Tomorrow, the observation towers, and the Unisphere. The Tent of Tomorrow hosted concerts and various technological demonstrations. During the 70s, it was briefly reopened as a skating rink.
Recently while I was taking photos of the fair, the New York Pavilion was briefly left open. I ran inside and snapped a few photos. The last time they let people in, they had to wear hardhats and wait for three hours in line. SUCKERS.
Here’s the Pavilion in action in 1964 c/o Shorpy:
And in 2012, before the base was repainted (in 2015)
The interior recently got a fancy paint job and some landscaping done, but below is what it looked like for many years. (the above photo was taken in 2015, below 2011.)
The Observation Towers once held a cafeteria and VIP lounge. The highest tower served as an observatory over the fair.
The towers with people in them, courtesy of the Huffington Post.
To see more photos, go to my New York World’s Fair Flickr set. Read all of my NYC history comics at the New Yorker.
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