# What's at the 1939 World Fair Site in NY? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338 "2003-01-03T01:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/1 "2003-01-03T01:56:40Z")
Are any of the buildings left? I thought the Unisphere in Queens was from the '39 fair, but I’ve learned that it is actually from the 64-65 fair. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/2 "2003-01-03T02:30:34Z")
According to [this site](http://www.lihistory.com/specguid/fair.htm): > [@](#): > > All that’s left is the New York City Building, now the Queens Museum of Art, the ice rink and two Art Deco flagpoles. It didn’t help that they built th '64 fair directly on top of it. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/3 "2003-01-03T05:01:32Z")
The [**Time Capsule**](http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~mnunes/capsule/westing.htm) will be there till 6939… ---
**Author:** ![I\_am\_Sparticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@I\_am\_Sparticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_am_Sparticus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/4 "2003-01-03T08:04:08Z")
Treasure Island. The Golden Gate International Exposition was also called the World’s Fair, and held on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay 1939 - 1940. Not to be confused with the NY World’s Fair of 1939. [http://www.nashbridges.com/ti/tihistory.html](http://www.nashbridges.com/ti/tihistory.html) ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/5 "2003-01-03T13:41:47Z")
My father worked at Flushing Meadow-Corona Park for 2 decades (starting when the park was build in the 60s after the fair), and so I visited it many, many times. The Part west of the Grand Central became the Flushing Meadow Zoo (now with a fancier name), and the Hall of Science (still there in the NW corner) is trying to reposition itself as Queens Science centre, ala Liberty Science Center. The Arthur Ashe Tennis Center takes up a lot of land near the LIRR/Subway entrance, and there’s a small golf course by there also. Large number of soccer fields and ball fields scattered throughout. So, in general, it’s mostly grassy park-land, and playing fields, with a number of big attractions here and there - you really wouldn’t realize there were two Worlds Fairs there if you didn’t already know it (you might comment on some of the ugly 60s style utility poles and fixtures here and there). ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/6 "2003-01-03T13:59:04Z")
Part of the sidewalk near the ramp to the LIRR station indicates that the time capsule is buried underneath that spot. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/7 "2003-01-03T20:15:36Z")
Did they make no attempt to move the Trilon and Perisphere somewhere else–to a museum or something? If not, criminal! ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/8 "2003-01-03T23:25:54Z")
A lot of the World’s Fairs weren’t built to last. For instance, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago had [amazing neo-classical architecture](http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/arch.html). But instead of marble on the exteriors, it was really a form of plaster of paris called staff. And a lot of the buildings were built on wood frames. It was all torn down except the one permanent building. (I’m not sure if this was the case with the 1939 fair though.) There’s a Modern Marvels documentary on World’s Fairs that History Channel runs occasionally, if you’re interested in this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/9 "2003-01-03T23:36:23Z")
DC Comics had a series, _All-Star Squadron_, which was set during WW2 and featured virtually every character the company had at the time. Their headquarters was in the Trilon/Perisphere, left over from the '39 fair. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/10 "2003-01-04T21:22:56Z")
Bryan, that series was precisely what I had in mind when I wondered about the Trilon/Perisphere. Anyone really know of their final fate? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/11 "2003-01-04T22:03:09Z")
…and it’s still here. > [@](#): > > Originally built for Tennessee’s 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The above quote from: [http://www.nashville.gov/Parthenon/index.htm](http://www.nashville.gov/Parthenon/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/12 "2003-01-05T01:50:00Z")
Alas in real life the Trylon and Perisphere were demolished by the spring of 1941… the Unisphere now stands on the exact spot. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/13 "2003-01-05T19:51:00Z")
And there’s my answer! Thanks, audit1! ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/14 "2003-01-07T00:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pseudotriton ruber ruber \* > \*\*Part of the sidewalk near the ramp to the LIRR station indicates that the time capsule is buried underneath that spot. \*\* No, that can’t be. The capsules are located about 100 yards west of the New York State Pavillion, more or less alongside the Grand Central Parkway. [**This Link**](http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/ny64fair/map-docs/westinghouse.htm) gives a bit of information, it alas does not have a current picture, nor do I have one scanned. [**The Map**](http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/ny64fair/map-docs/fair64-mainmap.htm) shows Westinghouse on Section 3, whereas the LIRR station is over on Section 5. [**1964-65 World’s Fair**](http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/ny64fair/) is a pretty cool site. An interesting companion site is, of course, [**1939 World’s Fair**](http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/DISPLAY/39wf/frame.htm). Also, until about 1997 or so, the Aquacade, an ampitheater on one of the lakes with swimming and diving pools was still standing. I had a chance to explore it as an urban ruin before it was torn down. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/15 "2003-01-07T03:26:40Z")
I had a pin from that… But I lost it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/16 "2003-01-07T07:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by postcards \* > **…[1964-65 World’s Fair](http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/ny64fair/) is a pretty cool site…** Thank you very much for that link. I had some VERY vague memories of the 64-65 fair from my childhood. My clearest memory has always been of something that I remembered as an “atom smasher”. I started clicking around on the site and ended up [here](http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/ny64fair/map-docs/generalelectric.htm). The first picture looks vaguely familar, and the middle one, of the “Carousel Theater” I suddenly remembered as though I had seen it yesterday. And at the bottom… The “Atom Smasher”! I clearly remember looking down on that dome and hearing a loud bang. At the time I thought it was an atom being smashed (I think my parents told me that). It turns out it wasn’t smashing atoms, it was fusing them. Cool! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/17 "2003-01-07T07:35:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clayton\_e \* > \*\*I had a pin from that… But I lost it. ☹ \*\* I’m pretty sure that my parents still have some guidebooks and maps. And I know that my dad has a license plate in nearly mint condition. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-at-the-1939-world-fair-site-in-ny/146338/18 "2003-01-07T23:44:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by davidm \* > \*\*I’m pretty sure that my parents still have some guidebooks and maps. And I know that my dad has a license plate in nearly mint condition. \*\* That’s pretty cool, a friend of mine has some of the maps from it, he showed me where his grandfather helped build a few of the buildings.