The 1964 New York World's Fair took place at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States, during 1964 and 1965. The fair included 139 pavilions with exhibits by 80 nations, 24 U.S. states, and 350 corporations. The exhibits were split across five regions—the Federal and State, International, Transportation, Amusement, and Industrial areas—which in turn were centered around the Unisphere.
The New York World's Fair 1964 Corporation (WFC) oversaw the 1964 fair and leased out the land to exhibitors, who developed their own pavilions. The different sections were designed in various architectural styles. Anyone could rent exhibition space as long as they could afford to rent the land and pay for their pavilion, though U.S. state pavilions could rent land for free. Many nations from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, though relatively few from Europe, exhibited at the fair. The fairground also hosted many large corporations, in addition to eight religious pavilions, a fraternal order pavilion, and other exhibits. After the fair, some pavilions were preserved or relocated, but the vast majority of structures were demolished.
Background Fair The New York World's Fair 1964 Corporation (WFC) was formed in 1959 to organize a world's fair in New York City during 1964. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) refused to formally approve the 1964 New York World's Fair, despite advocacy from WFC president Robert Moses. Moses wanted to save the WFC money by having exhibitors erect most of their own pavilions. Nearly all buildings were to be temporary structures.; Exhibitors designed their own pavilions, and the construction contractors hired members of local labor unions to build the structures. William Everett Potter, who was hired to organize the exhibits, predicted that the pavilions would use relatively novel construction methods such as structural plastics, thin-shell structures, and prestressed concrete. Construction of the first building began in 1960.; The World's Fair officially opened on April 22, 1964,; ; and its first season ended on October 18, 1964.; The fair reopened for a second and final season on April 21, 1965,; closing on October 18, 1965.;
The fairground was divided into five regions, centered around the Unisphere, a representation of the Earth designed by Gilmore D. Clarke and constructed by the American Bridge Company. Exhibits for individual U.S. states and the U.S. federal government were concentrated in the Federal & State Area at the center of the fairground near the Unisphere. The international exhibits were concentrated in the International Area—a group of pavilions surrounding the Unisphere. Industry pavilions were concentrated around the Industrial Area on the eastern end near the Van Wyck Expressway. The Transportation Area was on the western side of the fairground. South of the Long Island Expressway, connected with the rest of the fair only via one overpass, was the Lake Amusement Area. The 1964 World's Fair had 139 pavilions and 34 other attractions on its opening day. Either 121 or 124 pavilions and attractions were free; the rest required an additional payment. The last pavilion to be completed was the Belgian Village, which was not finished until the end of the 1964 season.
No new pavilions were planned for the 1965 season because it would be costly and time-consuming to add any such pavilions. Between the 1964 and 1965 seasons, several exhibitors renovated and modified their pavilions. At least fifty exhibits were upgraded, and five major attractions were added. Some exhibitors increased the capacity of their attractions, while other pavilions received new exhibits or interior renovations. The Florida pavilion took over much of the Lake Amusement Area, which became known as the Lake Area.
Pavilions
The different sections were designed in various architectural styles, and many of the pavilions were designed in a Space Age style. The New York Times described the buildings as a collection of "domes, disks, cubes, spires, pylons, ovoids, arches, triangles, curves and soaring free forms." Elliptical forms and disks were used extensively throughout the fair, and several pavilions used experimental designs, such as the Bell System, GE, IBM, Kodak, and Port Authority pavilions. Most structures were designed so they could be demolished easily after the fair and rebuilt elsewhere. Some of these pavilions, such as the Schaefer Brewing Company Pavilion, were inflatable structures. Most of the state pavilions, and many of the industrial and transportation pavilions, were wheelchair-accessible. However, many of the international pavilions were not fully accessible because these pavilions were often designed in traditional architectural styles.
Anyone could rent exhibition space as long as they could afford to rent the land, and pay for their pavilion. Thus, the space was dominated by large corporations. Private companies spent a combined $300 million on their pavilions, and companies such as General Motors and Ford Motor Company spent tens of millions of dollars apiece. Several companies funded their pavilions by reducing promotional spending elsewhere. The Walt Disney Company manufactured several exhibits but did not itself have a pavilion. There were several religious pavilions scattered across the fairground, in addition to one fraternal order pavilion (the Masonic pavilion). Initially, Moses refused to construct structures for the arts, education, or sciences. The General Motors and Vatican City pavilions were the fair's most popular exhibits.
WFC rules officially prevented the fair's officials from influencing the design or contents of any exhibits, although in practice, WFC officials had a significant impact on the contents of exhibits. For example, developing nations were encouraged to showcase their art and culture, rather than technology, and WFC officials pressured Islamic nations to emphasize their religion.
U.S. state and territory pavilions Twenty-three state pavilions were built. The fair included exhibits from 24 states, including Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the six states in New England. In addition, New York City had its own pavilion, as did the neighborhood of Hollywood, Los Angeles. Nineteen of the state pavilions were in the federal and state section, and three of the other four state pavilions were clustered around Meadow Lake at the southern end of the fair. None of the state governments had to pay rent for the pavilion. State governments still had to pay for their own pavilions, and about half the states and Washington, D.C., did not pay for exhibits at the fair. Pavilions for the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Arkansas, as well as the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, were canceled before the fair formally opened.