Philip Johnson's New York State Pavilion Open One Day Only

Okay, I know this isn't 1939, but I had to share it.

Last Tuesday, April 22 was the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the 1964 Fair. To mark the occasion, the New York State Pavilion was opened to the public for one day only, and only for a few hours.

So I played hooky from work, and we went and stood in line for hours just to be able to go inside for 15 minutes (turns out 15 minutes was more than enough time!) We got there at about 9:15 (for an 11 am opening), pleasantly surprised that there were fewer than 100 people ahead of us.

BUT...by the time we actually got to go inside (after enduring a really unconscionable delay of 45 minutes or so), there were "literally" thousands of people in line!

Though not too terribly high on the "WOW" factor, the view from inside is pretty cool; it's an angle you don't get to see everyday, obviously.

And I know the volunteers mean well, but, to be honest, I don't think the re-painting helps a whole lot. It certainly doesn't add anything; the somewhat garish new coats of paint are a jarring contrast to the rest of the dilapidated structure. The effect feels rather like someone's trying to disguise the fact that the whole thing is just one giant ruin.

Another nice surprise was that they had two fragments (and I do mean fragments) from the pavilion's mosaic floor, which depicted a giant map of New York. I think I read somewhere that what remains of the mosaic (or maybe it's terrazzo?) was removed (or covered over?) in order to preserve it so that it can be restored one day.

Long Island; Route 27 Leading into Montauk

By the way, yours truly was born two months and a day before the fair opened. But I didn't go to the fair; they left me home!

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.

The New Queens Museum

Here's a general view of the interior of the newly renovated Queens Museum. Notice the "of Art" has been dropped from its name; this is due in large part to the recognition that the museum building and its collections have an historical relevance as well as an artistic one.

The City of New York IV: I Have Seen the Future

It was with a fair amount of trepidation that I walked from the Shea Stadium (as I will forever refer to it) subway stop on the 7 train through Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to see the recently renovated and re-opened Queens Museum, aka The New York City Building.

I needn’t have feared! As far as this Fair enthusiast is concerned, the New York City Building is better than ever!

Gone from the east façade (the “Fair” side of the building) is that hideous silver drum, that darkroom-type revolving door that hadn’t been used as an entrance for years, anyway. (Photo Here) The original open-air colonnade remains mostly enclosed, but the new unobtrusive and unobstructed wall of glass gives visitors and Fair buffs a much better idea of the structure’s original appearance. So much so that I don’t even mind the panels that have transformed the west façade into a fiber optic light show. The west façade, facing as it does Grand Central Parkway, was never really intended to be the main prospect, anyway; it’s a view many museum visitors still will not notice, unless they arrive by car. 

And what’s really kind of amazing is that while the interior has been expanded with what looks like an enormous barrel-vaulted ceiling, you get no hint of this standing on the ground outside; the roofline remains visibly unaltered, further preserving the original 1939 façade as much as possible. 

Kudos must go to Grimshaw (the architectural firm responsible for the renovation and re-design) partner-in-charge Mark Husser, who said recently in an interview with Architectural Record:

“Our goal for the design was to reinforce the mission of the museum within a historic building that has an architectural quality of its own.”

NY Public Library

Then there’s the uncovering of an original building feature, one that I found terribly TERRIBLY exciting (seriously—my heart skipped a beat!). Stopping briefly in the men’s room, I was immediately struck by what I was certain was an original design element: two sections of blue and orange wall tile. I could, of course, be mistaken, but it LOOKED old, and, as it was not carried throughout the entire room, gave the fragmentary impression of a remnant, rather than a new, conscious design decision. A quick stop at the NYPL’s Web site confirmed my hunch: the photographic evidence speaks for itself, I think. Of course, I shall have to confirm this in the interests of accuracy--Grimshaw Architects did not immediately return my phone call--but I feel fairly confident that my hunch is correct.

Next time we’ll take a look inside the museum…