Originally, the New York State Pavilion had a brilliantly colored fiberglass roof and a supersized Texaco road map done in polished terrazzo.Under the massive tent hosted concerts mezzanine a treasure trove of exhibits showing the wonders of New York State. After the fair closed, the pavilion was kept as a permanant landmark to the new Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
it's portentials as a cultural destination were boundless...
Photos courtesy of Anonymous, PTU
The elevators never carried passengers again after the fair closed, and are now completely ruined beyond repair.
The bright colorful roof was smashed to pieces in the 1970's, allowing rain and snow to fall on the terrazzo for 30 years,utterly
destroying it. Rust, corrosion, and bird droppings have disintegrated the treads on the stairwells, making them deadly dangerous. Lack of funding during the 1970's financial crisis in New York brought about the removal of all police and security to the site. This in turn made it a haven for vandals, who spray painted and smashed everything they could reach, and threw rocks and shot BB guns to smash the things they could not reach. A legacy of the New York World's Fair, a gift to the people, meant to be cherished and enjoyed for generations to come, yet this is how it looks today!
But all is not lost yet! With the exception of the elevators and stairwells,which need to be completely replaced, most of the other decay is cosmetic, and can be reversed. Once again people would be able to zoom up the towers to be rewarded with one of the best views of the New York City skyline. Visitors to the US Open would get a view of the event that at present they could only dream of. Plus the potentials of the Tent of Tomorrow as a cultural destination are boundless. It is the intention of this website to inspire public awareness in the history and plight of this remarkable landmark, which in 2007 has been placed on the list of the world's most endangered historical structures.