The Watershed's Moment

While in a few previous posts I have debunked myths surrounding things that allegedly appeared at The Fair but didn't (White Mana Diner and Pegasus), here's a bit of an oddity: something that was supposed to be at The Fair, but wasn't.

It's really REALLY low on the "WOW" factor scale, but the topographical model of New York City's watershed was created for display in the New York City Building; its 540 square feet, however, were too large for its allotted space, and the model wasn't seen by the public until a decade later. And then only once, at the City's Golden Anniversary Exposition at Manhattan's Grand Central Palace. (Interesting New York Times piece about the Grand Central Palace by David Dunlap here.)

After years of neglect, the map was restored, and is now on long-term loan to the Queens Museum. Since it was never seen at The Fair, it cannot rightly be called a Fair relic. But it is a genuine piece of Fair history, and it's fun to be able to see it in its intended location. And in its own way, it's an interesting precursor to the Museum's other "topographical" model--the New York City Panorama, created for the 1964-65 Fair (and much MUCH higher on the "WOW" factor scale).

Staten Island can be seen in the foreground left; Manhattan foreground center; 

and Brooklyn/Queens foreground right.