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What Is To Be Done With The New York State Pavilion?
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Jan 27, 2014
Modified Jan 27, 2014
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By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Jan 27, 2014
Modified Jan 27, 2014
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Rising from the heart of central Queens, the three futuristic towers and dilapidated tent that make up the New York State pavilion from the 1964 World's Fair have been steadily deteriorating for the past thirty years, as the city has long neglected one of the few remaining landmarks of Flushing Meadows World's Fair Past. But a new round of discussions have begun to get the pavilion back into usable condition—or at least stop it from falling down.
On Sunday, the Parks Department hosted one of three meetings to discuss with the public options for the pavilion, which they estimate will cost $52 million to restore, or $14 million to demolish.
Demolishment was far from the minds of People for the Pavilion, an organization which is looking to revitalize the pavilion. On Saturday, they hosted a brainstorming session to gather ideas about what can be done with the pavilion, which has been used as a movie set, a roller rink, and a concert venue since the World's Fair concluded in 1965.
Here's a pretty groovy video from Saturday's event, made by filmmaker Matthew Silva, who is currently working on a documentary about the pavilion:
The Parks Department will hold another round of listening sessions tomorrow at Queens Theatre in The Park, adjacent to the pavilion.
Tagged
demolition
flushing meadows park
new york state pavilion
preservation
queens
world's fair
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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