nywf64.com – New York World’s Fair 1964
Your day at the Air & Space Museum begins
You stroll with your family past the Unisphere, along the radial pathways and under the tall trees of the former World’s Fair grounds in Queens, toward the Entrance Tower of the Air & Space Museum at the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Here you’ll board your Sky-Streak elevator to begin your day of discovery and adventure. The Pavilion, originally built to showcase the State’s pride in playing host to the world at the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair, is once again a source of pride for New York’s citizens.
What was once a dead and decaying eyesore is now a glittering glass-enclosed ellipse displaying the triumphs of American aeronautic and space history. This world-class Air & Space Museum has quickly become one of the city’s favorite destinations for residents and out-of-town visitors alike. Your guidebook mentions that the the New York State Pavilion’s Air & Space Museum became a reality thanks to a working partnership between private industry, civic-minded individuals and groups, the Parks & Recreation Department, the Borough of Queens and the City and State of New York. A lasting testament to what public foresight, civic pride and volunteerism can accomplish.
It seems like you’re walking through the sky!
After being stalled for thirty-five years, Sky-Streak elevators once again whisk up the outer column of the tallest tower, stopping at the 120 foot high entrance level. Here a glass Sky-Bridge allows you to pass through a portal into the upper interior of the Museum, into the “Tent of Tomorrow.”
| |
A spiraling glass Sky-Walk ramp leads downward to the mezzanine level past suspended space capsules and historic aircraft. What once was a huge expanse of air, open to the elements, has become usable and dramatic exhibit space in a climate-controlled environment. A new roof of light-blue translucent panels provides a backdrop for the suspended exhibits. The view of the Unisphere and the Park in springtime, seen through glass-curtain walls, is breathtaking. It’s as if you’re walking through the sky! The restoration has retained renowned architect Philip Johnson’s original design while creating a dramatic display area that is protected from the elements.
The ravages of time have destroyed the original terrazzo floor that once featured the map of the State of New York. In its place is a new terrazzo floor with the Constellations and Solar System set in deep blue against a dazzling white. You step from the escalator onto the sparkling floor into the Museum’s main display area.
Exhibits at the ground and mezzanine levels highlight New York’s rich history as an aeronautic center – home to many of the world’s great airlines in the golden age of air travel. The Museum’s location between the city’s large airports seems a natural choice for this museum.
Here, a giant screen, a Jumbotron, displays films of historic space launches, film clips of aviation pioneers from America’s rich aeronautic past and the live telecast of today’s exciting Shuttle Launch destined for the International Space Station — the same Station you just saw a working model of.
Tour a mock-up of a section of the Boeing 777, the world’s most advanced airliner. Or learn about the aerodynamics that keep the giant double-decker Airbus A-380 aloft with its 880 passengers.
A corridor beckons to explore “Control Simulator.” Take another Sky-Streak elevator ride to the second tallest tower to experience the workings of a simulated airport control tower as arriving and departing airliners glide into and out of nearby LaGuardia Airport. It is a dramatic hands-on finale to your spectacular museum experience. And before returning to earth again, take in a view of the Park and a quick stop for lunch in the top tower – highest vantage point on Long Island and home to “The Orbit Malt Shop” with a design right out of The Jetsons!
Perhaps you remember fondly that same view as a child. Of the wonderland of pavilions and “Space Age” structures at New York’s last great World’s Fair in 1964 or 1965, grateful that this legacy of the Fair was preserved so that your children can experience the same sense of wonder and awe at the exhibits of today’s Space Age.
Publication author
