Advertisement

1964-65 World's Fair Remnants Outside NYC

Discover a futuristic tepee in Wisconsin, a concrete Spanish masterpiece in St. Louis, and more NYC relics across the nation!

1964-65 World's Fair Remnants Outside NYC
Become a paid member to listen to this article

While on a walking tour of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri, I was surprised to stop at a building that originally stood in New York City. Now an IMO's Pizza restaurant, the concrete structure was first the Spanish Pavilion at the 1964-65 World's Fair. I soon discovered that this anomaly was not as rare as I thought.

The world came to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1939-40 and 1964-65 for the World's Fair. Most of the fair structures were meant to be temporary and torn down at the close of each event, but many (thankfully) found new use. While the former fairgrounds in Queens still retain many remnants—which you can see on our expert-led walking tour—here we take a look at a few remnants that made it outside of New York to other parts of the nation!

On January 22nd, author Gloria Nash will share even more Worlds Fair remnants in New York City and beyond during a virtual presentation on her new book, Looking Back at the Future: Photographing Vintage Leftovers of New York's World’s Fairs.

Looking Back at the Future Virtual Book Talk

January 22nd at 12 PM ET: Free to Untapped New York Members at the Fan tier or higher!

Book Here

Walt Disney saw the 1964 World's Fair as an opportunity to design and test out new technologies that could be incorporated into attractions at his amusement parks. He partnered with sponsors including Ford, General Electric, and Pepsi-Cola to fund these experiments. In total, there were four Disney attractions at the 1964 World's Fair.

Perhaps the most widely recognized attraction is the "its a small world" boat ride which debuted at the fair along with its instantly-stuck-in-your-head theme song. The ride was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and created to benefit the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). After the fair, the diverse array of singing animatronics in cultural garb was moved to the Disneyland theme park in California where it continues to operate today (minus the Tower of the Four Winds sculpture that stood outside at the Fair).

Another World's Fair attraction that lives on as a classic amusement park ride is the Carousel of Progress. This attraction was originally part of General Electric's Progressland. The show featured a rotating theater populated by life-like human animatronics that fairgoers sometimes thought were real actors. These convincing robots would act out scenes of domestic life, highlighting how technology changed with each new generation. At the close of the fair, Disney packed up the pavilion and moved it to Disneyland where it operated for six years. In 1975, the ride moved once again, this time to the new Magic Kingdom in Florida's Disney World where you can see it today.

2. The Spanish Pavilion, Saint Louis, MO

The Spanish Pavillion from the 1964 Worlds Fair in Queens, now an Imo's pizza in St. Louis

The Spanish Pavilion was dubbed the “Jewel of the New York World’s Fair” by Life magazine. Designed by Spanish architect Javier Carvajal, the two-story concrete structure was encased in projecting pre-cast wall panels sized four feet wide and seven to nine feet tall. Inside there was a 780-seat theater, three restaurants, and exhibition halls filled with the masterpieces and treasures of Spain, including paintings by El Greco, Goya, Velazquez, and Picasso. Solid walnut-wood ceiling blocks and authentic Spanish tile floors were special interior design features. Outside in the courtyards and patios, flowering landscaping and sculptures delighted the eye as the air around the pavilion was filled with the sounds of Spanish guitar riffs and the clapping hands of flamenco dancers.

When the fair ended, St. Louis Mayor Alfonso Juan Cervantes persuaded the Spanish government to gift the building and its contents to his city as part of a downtown revitalization project. The midwest city was a Spanish colony for nearly half a century in the 1700s and a plaque at the site of the pavilion today notes that it was once the location of a Spanish fort. Now located next to Busch Stadium and just a few blocks away from the Eero Saarinen designed Gateway Arch, you can grab a slice of pizza while you’re there since it's an IMO's Pizza restaurant, a local St. Louis chain.

3. The Uniroyal Giant Tire, Allen Park, Michigan

Uniroyal Giant Tire in Michigan
Photo by Steven J. Frey, Learn more on Steven's website: www.GiantTire.info

Now a symbol of Motor City, this roadside attraction along I-94 started out as a ferris wheel at the 1964 World's Fair. Created by United States Rubber Co. (now Uniroyal), the giant tire had 24 red gondolas that fairgoers could take a 10-minute ride in for 50 cents. After the fair, the fiberglass and steel structure was transported to Michigan on over 20 trucks. It has stood in Allen Park as a symbol of Detroit's automotive heritage since 1966. You can learn more about the history of the giant tire in a book by historian Steven J. Frey.

4. Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine,Wisconsin

Photo by Kathy Black, All Rights Reserved

The Johnson Wax Pavilion was one of the most futuristic looking pieces of architecture at the 1964 World's Fair. It featured a floating golden disc supported by six concrete columns. The columns converged above the disc to create an arch reminiscent of the company's double diamond log. The pavilion was designed by the same firm that designed the S.C. Johnson logo, Lippincott & Margulies.

Inside the alluring golden disc, fairgoers were treated to a screening of an 18-minute film titled To Be Alive! Directed by documentarian Francis Thompson and Alexander Hammid, the film would go on to win the 1966 Academy Award for Documentary (Short Subject), and you can still watch it in the theater today.

While the floating golden disc is no longer in Queens, it can be found at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed S.C. Johnson headquarters on Racine, Wisconsin. After the Fair, the disc was relocated and reconfigured into a new building designed by Taliesin Associated Architects to align aesthetically with the Wright-designed campus. The Golden Rondelle Theater is part of the company's regular campus tours and To Be Alive! is screened every weekend, more than 60 years later!

5. Wisconsin Pavilion, Neillsville, Wisconsin

Photo by Kathy Black, All Rights Reserved

Twenty-four American states were represented with pavilions at the Fair, including Wisconsin. Architect John Steinmann designed a Googie-style tepee meant to represent both the state's Native American history as well as its forward thinking. A tile mural depicting the Wisconsin's native inhabitants rings the conical building.

When the fair ended, the pavilion was purchased by a Wisconsin resident, but unforeseen costs forced him to sell. Central Wisconsin Broadcasting (WCCN) bout the building and had it reconstructed in Neillsville, Wisconsin. WCCN built a basement level and partially split the interior into two floors. Since it 1966, the former Fair remnant has served as a radio station and gift shop stocked with local products. Stop in for a some Wisconsin cheese!

💡
Join Gloria Nash for a virtual talk on January 22nd where she'll reveal even more World's Fair remnants from both NYC fairs!

Looking Back at the Future Virtual Book Talk

January 22nd at 12 PM ET: Free to Untapped New York Members at the Fan tier or higher!

Book Here
Advertisement

Great! You’ve successfully signed up.

Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.

You've successfully subscribed to Untapped New York.

Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.

Success! Your billing info has been updated.

Your billing was not updated.