Seeing Tomorrow For The NYS Pavilion - Landmark & Restore This Icon!

Preservation campaign painting by Doug Leblang of the NYS Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair

~ Rego-Forest Preservation Council requests NYC Individual Landmark status, restoration, and creative reuse for the iconic New York State Pavilion. 

~ Below is an article written by Michael Perlman, a Forest Hills Times Columnist and Rego-Forest Preservation Council Chairman: http://www.foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/24482353/article-Envisioning--tomorrow-for-the-Tent-of-Tomorrow

The 50^th anniversary of the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is nearly three months away, but the symbolic New York State Pavilion, which could be celebrated as one of Queens’ most cherished sights, exhibits weathered architectural elements behind fenced off perimeters. Its significance is largely unknown to younger generations. 

    “People For The Pavilion,” an organization led by visionaries Matthew Silva, Christian Doran, and Salmaan Khan, held the first presentation, question and answer session, and reception at the adjacent Queens Theatre on January 25, attracting an audience of over 200. The organization is dedicated towards the NYS Pavilion’s preservation, and recognizes its value as an iconic piece of New York City history and its potential as a vibrant space for surrounding neighborhoods and the greater community. 

 To capture its future potential and history, Matthew Silva, a technology and video production teacher founded a Facebook group and page, and began producing a documentary called “Modern Ruin: A World’s Fair Pavilion.” It will feature interviews with Fairgoers, operators, and architects. The trailer has been released, and Silva is now raising funds through Kickstarter to see it through.   

NYS Pavilion preservationists attend the People For The Pavilion event, Jan 25, 2014

Famed architect Philip Johnson designed the Modernist NYS Pavilion, which celebrated innovation. It consists of the Tent of Tomorrow, which exhibited the world’s largest multi-colored plexiglass suspension roof and a terrazzo Texaco road map of New York State. After the Fair, it operated as a concert venue attracting the likes of Led Zeppelin, and was also a roller skating rink. Fairgoers would also take an elevator to the top of the Pavilion’s three Observation Towers, which offered panoramic views of the city, as well as frequent Theaterama (now the Queens Theatre). The NYS Pavilion acquired its role in the spotlight on a segment of “The Flinstones” and in “Men in Black.”  

Even The Flinstones made a stop at the 1964 World's Fair!

 

After conducting structural studies, the Parks Department released figures in December, with options of restoring the NYS Pavilion for a new use at $72 million, stabilizing it as a ruin for $43 million, or demolishing it for $14 million. A combination of these findings and the event fueled locals’ determination to see a future for the NYS Pavilion. Suggestions for creative reuse outpoured. 

Notable film historian Tom Stathes envisions bringing his "New York Cartoon Carnival" to the Pavilion. He explained, “I showcase my early animation series mostly in Brooklyn, and would love to have more local spaces such as the Pavilion available for some of my outdoor screenings. I'd be more than willing to coordinate a fundraiser as part of my series, with the group seeking to preserve this important structure.”

   

“When I look out from the Queens College library, I see the Pavilion’s blinking light and remember my childhood,” said Enzo Longo. He envisions it as a public venue for discovering cultures and new technologies. “Almost everyone in Queens is either an immigrant or a descendent that can connect with this World Fair's theme.” He would like to see “Shakespeare in the Park” at the Pavilion, and a literary site where nearby high school and college students can discover its connection to the valley of ashes in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.” “New York is a fertile place to enact some New Deal lessons, so let’s employ people with a living wage to restore the Pavilion,” he said. 

Friends Michael Torre and Mary Rose Kaddo visualize live music and a beer garden at the Tent of Tomorrow during the milder months. Torre stated, “Queens’ main political leaders need to care about landmarking. This is an accessible world-class site, which should bring a positive attitude to our borough.”

Howard Fein felt very encouraged by the event’s turnout. He said, “It shows that people really care. The site has an emotional connection to those who remember it as the Pavilion, and its unique architecture has captured the imagination of those too young to remember the 1964 World’s Fair.”

 

 The panel expressed its mission of securing NYC Individual Landmark status for the NYS Pavilion as one of the first steps, and The New York Landmarks Conservancy collaborated with People For The Pavilion to help accomplish that. Director of Development Scott Leurquin referred to the NYS Pavilion as the Fair’s architectural star. Crediting the site’s National Register of Historic Places status, he said, “We will provide guidance and support in securing City Landmark designation.” He continued, “The Conservancy urges the Parks Department and elected officials to work together to make sure that the site is properly repaired and reopened to the public. Adaptive reuse is not only feasible, but can lend itself to a host of activities.” 

The symbolism of sun despite cloudy times at the Tent of Tomorrow

May new generations have the chance to re-enter an icon!

New York State Pavilion Documentary & Preservation Cause Underway

Painting of the New York State Pavilion of the 1964 World's Fair by Artist Doug LeBlang of Forest Hills, NY, December 2013: http://dougleblangartist.com

Remember when New Yorkers rallied with “Save Penn Station” signs, only to witness each strike of the wrecking ball? How about when other monumental buildings such as Grand Central Terminal and Carnegie Hall were on the brink of demolition, until the heroic acts of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Isaac Stern respectively proved otherwise? It is difficult to grasp how sites, once applauded for their architectural and cultural distinction are all too often neglected, abandoned, and demolished. 

Now a debate is unfolding, to determine whether the New York State Pavilion, a symbol of the 1964 – 1965 NY World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park should be restored for a new use at $72 million, be stabilized as a ruin for $43 million, or undergo demolition for $14 million.

As the Fair approaches its 50^th anniversary in 2014, the NYS Pavilion is largely fenced off from the public and plagued with rust, algae, weeds, and occasional graffiti. Situated at the geographical center of Queens, its potential exceeds a relic earning a glance from the Grand Central Parkway.

Meet 28 year-old Matthew Silva, a technology and video production teacher of East Northport, who founded the nearly 1,700 member Facebook group, “People For The New York State Pavilion.” The group’s mission is “To share thoughts and images of and about the NYS Pavilion, and to establish a community of activism for the effort of making it a usable and thriving space for New York.” 

Documentary Producer & Founder of People For The Pavilion, Matthew Silva (on left), Photo courtesy of Mitch Silverstein 

 The NYS Pavilion, an experimental-spirited Modernist creation of reinforced concrete and steel by the famed 20^th century architect Philip Johnson, consists of the Tent of Tomorrow, three Observation Towers, and Theaterama (now the Queens Theatre). “It is the Eiffel Tower of Queens, and it wouldn’t feel like Queens if you drove on the Grand Central Parkway and didn’t see those towers in Flushing Meadows Park,” said Silva. 

May the sun shine again at the Tent of Tomorrow, December 2013 Photo by Michael Perlman

Flushing Meadows witnessed over 51.6 million visitors during the 1964 World's Fair & the NYS Pavilion was its symbol. Now the site has a "Do Not Enter" feel due to political inactivity. Let's reverse that! December 2013 Photo by Michael Perlman

The Fair’s theme was “Peace Through Understanding,” evident in the landmarked Unisphere and pavilions which rejoiced international culture and innovative American products of electronics, livelihood, and transportation. The master builder was Robert Moses, 58 countries were represented, and 51,607,307 visitors were recorded.

Silva would occasionally pass the NYS Pavilion as a child, and wondered about its use. Two years ago, he assigned the 1964 World’s Fair to his 8^th grade students. “I gave them the challenge of re-purposing the NYS Pavilion. We studied Penn Station’s demolition and how the High Line was almost demolished, but turned into a brilliant park.” That was also when he created his Facebook group.

To tell his story, he began producing a NYS Pavilion documentary in February 2013. “When I saw the NYS Pavilion in the sunset en route to a show in Manhattan, I said this has an opportunity to be a destination, rather than a shadow in the sky which you pass at night.”  

Today, the Towers’ futuristic elevators have been stripped. In addition, the colorful fiberglass panels on the Tent of Tomorrow’s largest suspension roof in the world have been cracked and removed. The famed 130 ft x 166 ft terrazzo Texaco road map has extensively corroded, and in 2008, the University of Pennsylvania School of Design Graduate Program in Historic Preservation began removing 13 surviving terrazzo panels out of 567 for restoration. 

So much for predictions... The Tent of Tomorrow barred from public eye, December 2013, Photo by Michael Perlman

Very appropriately, “Modern Ruin” is the working title of Silva’s 70 to 90 minute documentary, which will feature interviews with Fairgoers, locals, architects, critics, authors, a woman who operated the Tent of Tomorrow as a roller skating rink, and people who attended concerts at the site. He hinted about unreleased archival material, such as photos of the Tent of Tomorrow’s terrazzo Texaco road map being produced in the factory. The documentary’s trailer will be released this week.

Over the course of his outreach, he discovered his ambition to advocate for the site’s preservation and reuse. “Philip Johnson was such an advocate for the arts and architecture, so as New Yorkers, we need to reciprocate that affection and advocate for his work.”

 

The site was listed on the State & National Register of Historic Places in 2009, which could open the door for restoration-based funding, but since it has not been designated a city landmark, the site is not barred from demolition.

The site’s potential is diverse, and can be a boon to jobs, tourism, education, recreation, and Queens and international history. “Let’s try to imagine a time when the NYS Pavilion will be lit up and host events. People can see a show, attend a wedding, meet friends, and see views of all boroughs from the Towers,” said Silva.

As a team player who is turning “People For The Pavilion” into a 501c3, Silva maintains faith in the Pavilion’s future. “It would be a real tragedy if the Pavilion stood for 50 years, only to be demolished. When it’s re-purposed, people may wonder how they ever lived without it, just how they feel about the High Line.”

“The story will be about a small group of people who rallied to turn it into one of the greatest thriving icons of Queens,” he said. First, the group plans on organizing an ideas competition in 2014, and will be extending outreach to universities, architectural firms, and preservation organizations. 

Join www.facebook.com/groups/NysPavilion and follow @NysPavilionFilm and @msilvafilm on Twitter. Bookmark www.aquarelapictures.com 

The neglected state of the NYS Pavilion's Tent of Tomorrow, December 2013, Photo by Michael Perlman

The neglected state of the NYS Pavilion's observation towers, December 2013, Photo by Michael Perlman

Decades-worth of our city officials rusty actions results in a rusty NYS Pavilion, December 2013, Photo by Michael Perlman

Nature peeks through the Tent of Tomorrow, symbolizing fruitful opportunities ahead, December 2013, Photo by Michael Perlman