Running head: THE WORLD FAIR 1964-1965 1

The World Fair 1964-1965

Janelly Silverio
Molloy College











THE WORLD FAIR 1964-1965 2

The World Fair 1964-1965
A world's fair is a gathering of people from many parts of the world, at which they
demonstrate their products and their arts, and promote their homelands (Heller, 1999).
Worlds Fairs have been begun in ancient times when traders would throw occasional
encampments at central crossroads, and entertainers would find a ready, festive-minded
audience (Heller, 1999). Because there are many worlds fairs throughout time, for the sake
of this paper I will only concentration on the 1964-1965 worlds fair in New York City. The
1964 World's Fair was held in Flushing, New York and the theme was "Peace through
Understanding". 650 acres of pavilions were set up in public spaces and displayed exhibits
from people around the world (1964 6/14). It also intended to generate business for the city
by increasing tourism (Russo & Cullinan, 2014, p.220).
Different Countries, cities, corporations, and private groups set up shop to display
their ideas and accomplishments to more than 50 million visitors. (1964: The New York
World's Fair, 2014). The goal of the world fair was not only to entertain people but also to
allow them to explore a world outside of their own and embrace in the different cultures,
inventions, and scientific advancements of the time (ExpoMuseum World's Fair History,
2013). Shamefully, running such an extravagant fair is very costly and had to stop being
done. The good thing is that the spirit of the fair did not die; it continues to live on in Disney
Worlds EPCOT theme park. The theme park uses different rides and water fountains with
the same educational entertainment theme and multi-cultural international exhibits created by
the worlds fair (Samuel, 2010).
Although the 1964-1965 world fair did not generate the kind of financial benefits for
the city that its organizers were hoping for, in the end 51 million from around the world
THE WORLD FAIR 1964-1965 3

attended and there were numerous accusations of financial mismanagement after the fair
ended (Russo & Cullinan, 2014, p.221). The fair lost a lot of money, and unable to pay back
the financial bankers their investment, caused them to begin legal disputes with its creditors
which ended in 1970(The Story of the Fair, 2010).
Most of the Fair was destroyed within six months after the Fair closed. Luckily, few
of the pavilions survived. The Austria pavilion became a ski lodge in western New York; the
Wisconsin pavilion a radio station in Neillsville, Wisconsin; the US Royal Tire-shaped Ferris
Wheel is now a road sign along a Detroit, Michigan Interstate highway; the Pavilion of Spain
relocated to St. Louis and is now a part of a Marriott Hotel; the Parker Pen pavilion offices
for the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake-of-the-Ozarks, Missouri, the Johnson Wax disc-
shaped theater is part of the S.C. Johnson office complex in Racine, Wisconsin; the Christian
Science pavilion a church in Poway, California (The Story of the Fair, 2010).
And Lastly New York, New York was left with the improved Flushing Meadows
Park, now known as the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park because it became the home of the
US Tennis Association and the US Open tennis tournament, along with the Unisphere at the
center of the park that symbolizes Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an
Expanding Universe" (Von Pressentin Wright, 2008, p.497). The city also received a Science
Museum showing the panorama which was created for the world fair covering more than
9.355 square feet and containing more than 895,000 buildings, the panorama was built to a
scale of 1 inch to 100 feet and includes every building in New York constructed in 1992
(Russo & Cullinan, 2014, p.221). The world fair also gave New York a Space Park
displaying the rockets and vehicles used in America's early space exploration projects (The
Story of the Fair, 2010).
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For New York, the world fair was very important! It was the time where the future
looked bright and possibilities were lurking around every corner (The Story of the Fair,
2010). The worlds fair brought many great places to New York but in my opinion the most
important thing that it brought was diversity and togetherness of people from all around the
world. The fair gave the closed minded people the opportunity to experience different
cultures and learn about different topics being embraced by the world in the future. It brought
individuals from every part of the country together to partake in this wonderful celebration.
At the end of the day, it didnt matter where you come from because in reality, it was a small
world after all.














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References
1964 New York World's Fair 1965 - The Fair - The Story of the Fair - Page One. (2010).
Retrieved September 15, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.worldsfairs.com/Worlds_Fairs/Expos_Q%26A.html
1964: The New York World's Fair. (2014, June 2). Retrieved September 15, 2014. Retrieved
from http://www.nywf64.com/fair_story01.shtml
ExpoMuseum / World's Fair History. (2013.). Retrieved September 15, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.expomuseum.com/history/
Heller, A. (1999). World's Fairs and the End of Progress: An Insider's View. World's Fair,
Incorporated.
Samuel, L. R. (2010). End of the Innocence: The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.
Syracuse University Press.
Russo, M.S. & Cullinan, M. (2014). Essential New York. Ars Omnia Press.
Von Pressentin Wright, C. (2008) Blue Guide New York. Somerset Books Company.