OpenHistoricalMap/Projects/Worlds Fairs/New York

Two World's Fairs were held in Queens, a Borough of New York City on Long Island.

The 1939 fair was arguably more artistically successful but impacted by the onset of WWII in Europe, as exhibitor nations were overrun by the German military; neither fair was financially successful.

Both fairs were located in Flushing Meadows, with fairly similar but not identical footprints; some elements of the 1939 fair were reused for the 1964 fair such as the NYC Pavilion.

The 1964 fair is notable for a major effort by Walt Disney and his team to show off their capabilities; rides such as It's a Small World, Carousel of Progress, and the Hall of Presidents are direct descendants of displays that Disney debuted at the 1964 fair.

Link to the location

Sources

Maps

• 1966 USGS Aerial of Flushing
• 1965 Event Map
• 1939 Event Map
• Online guild to the Fair

Pages

• 1939 Fair Wikipedia page
• 1964 Fair Wikipedia page
• Horace Harding Boulevard aka World's Fair Boulevard
  • Shows as World's Fair Boulevard in the 1939 site map, but was never officially renamed. Replaced by the LIE in 1950, long before the 1964 Fair was even considered.
• New York State Pavilion
• New York City Pavilion (modern Queens Museum)