THE 1939-40 World’s Fair may have been more storied and better-remembered (now by few alive today), but the 1964-65 Fair had its whiz-bang moments as well…and I was there, eating Belgian waffles and wearing silly hats just like every other 8-year old in town. NYC has pretty much eradicated much of the 1964-65 Fair, other than its more daring, audacious structures. Here and there, you’ll see traces of the temporary, yet magnificent, buildings that were supposed to be the portals to the Space Age. As in 1939, war and economic meltdown pretty much scotched the more futuristic predictions.
With its fair remnants, some very well maintained, some crumbling, you’ll agree it’s not quite like any other park in town. It was built by NYC master planner Robert Moses expressly for the 1939-40 Fair atop a former vast ash and garbage dump cited by F. Scott Fitzgerald as “the valley of ashes” in his classic “The Great Gatsby.” My ForgottenTour of Fair remnants (which I have often given) in 2014 for the park’s 50th anniversary was my best attended tour with 65 participants.
When the Fair opened in 1964, existing park paths were given patriotic and well, capitalistic names, as you can see on this zoomable Fair map. There was Avenue of the United Nations, Avenue of Europe, Court of the Presidents, Avenue of Automation and so forth. One of them was a second Avenue of the Americas, which led from the park entrance directly to the Unisphere. Many of the etched stone markers are still in place at the paths’ concrete curbs.
After the Fair closed in 1965 nearly all the Fair’s attractions were torn down and the fancy names were discontinued and given prosaic names such as Avenues A through F.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
5/21/25