National Register of Historic Places

1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion

Flushing, Queens County, New York
Listed
November 20, 2009
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
09000942

About this property

The New York State Pavilion is a pavilion at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York. Constructed for the 1964 New York World's Fair, it was designed by the architects Philip Johnson and Richard Foster, with Lev Zetlin as the structural engineer. The pavilion consists of three reinforced concrete-and-steel structures: the Tent of Tomorrow, observation towers, and Theaterama. It is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York State Pavilion was first proposed in January 1960. After the New York state government agreed to host an exhibit at the World's Fair in early 1962, work on the structures began on October 8, 1962. It opened on April 23, 1964, and operated as a World's Fair attraction for two years. NYC Parks took over the structures in 1967 and leased out the Theaterama as a performing-arts theater in 1969. The Tent of Tomorrow briefly served as a concert venue and roller rink in the 1970s, while the observation towers never reopened. After briefly reopening in the 1980s, the Tent of Tomorrow was abandoned into the 21st century. Following years of preservation efforts, the Tent of Tomorrow was repainted in 2014, and the structures underwent rehabilitation starting in 2019. The Tent of Tomorrow is an elliptical structure measuring 250 by 350 feet (76 by 107 m) across, with a cable suspension roof and a terrazzo highway map of New York state on its floor. There are three observation towers, the tallest of which is 226 feet (69 m) high. The Theaterama, a drum-shaped reinforced concrete structure, has housed the Queens Theatre performing arts center since 1989. The New York State Pavilion was used for TV and movie sets over the years, and it has had generally positive architectural reception.

Location

Flushing, Queens County, New York
40.83738, -73.84080

Categories

ARCHITECTUREARTEDUCATIONENGINEERINGENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Nearby Battles

Battle of Pelham
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2.6 mi
Action at Pell's Point
1776Revolutionary War
2.9 mi
Battle of Pelham (Pell's Point)
1776Revolutionary War
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Questions about this property

When was 1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion listed on the National Register?

1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 2009.

What type of historic resource is 1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion?

1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for 1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion?

The period of significance for 1964-1965 New York World's Fair New York State Pavilion is recorded as the civil_war era.

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