J: “So these are real flying saucers and the World’s Fair was just a cover-up for their landing.”
K: “Why else would we hold it in Queens?”
–“Men in Black,” 1997
That may be a knock on Queens, but if it’s the aliens’ preferred borough, I’m proud to call it my home.
However, I am not a native New Yorker. Growing up in New England, decades after the 1964 World’s Fair, I really didn’t know much about it, apart from the fact that the Flintstones did NOT enjoy their time there.
I’d be mad, too, if I were denied a burger.
I also didn’t know the towers featured in Men and Black were still standing, and that you could actually visit them. I remember years ago driving by them and shouting “It’s the spaceships!” How exciting to see them in real life! Now, I see them on my way to Target to pick up toilet paper–but the excitement is still there.
And it turns out, they aren’t flying saucers (as far as we know), but observation decks, remnants of the New York State Pavilion.
After moving to Queens, one of the first things on our ‘to-do’ list was to visit the site of the NY World’s fairs (1939 and 1964) at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. It was fun seeing the towers that I knew from “Men in Black” up close. But what was the round structure next to it? If only I could go inside and investigate.
This past weekend, I had that opportunity, thanks to Open House New York.
Below are my photos from that day.
My interest in the pavilion was piqued earlier this year after I watched a documentary on the New York State Pavilion, Modern Ruin: A World’s Fair Pavilion by Matthew Silva, at a screening at QED Astoria. It was a great history lesson on the pavilion and its many lives: the World’s Fair, a concert venue, and even a roller rink.
It’s a shame the site has been abandoned and ruined by the elements, but efforts have been made to restore it (a new paint job, covering the Terrazzo map floor with gravel). Perhaps some day it can have another life. A contest was held to imagine new uses for the space. See the winning proposal here.
This escalator can be seen in the film, “The Wiz.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t experience any close encounters at the site — maybe the Baltians don’t need their ships any more. But as they point out in “Men in Black,” many aliens take on earthly disguises (pawn shop owners, pugs, Al Roker); I did see this little guy taking careful watch from one of the posts…
Enhance:
If you’d like to learn more about the Pavilion, visit this site.
earth girls are cheesy 