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UNISPHERE: Miracle in the Meadow

 J.M. Syken

Course Outline

In this course, we will examine the background and events leading up to the design, construction and completion of Unisphere – centerpiece of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair held in the Flushing Meadow. To fully understand the edifice, we will review the background of fair/exposition centerpieces starting with the Eiffel Tower in 1889 through to the Trylon and Perisphere – centerpiece of the 1939/40 New York World’s Fair (Unisphere would occupy the same location a generation later).

Furthermore, we will examine in-depth and detail the engineering and architecture involved in designing Unisphere. In particular, we will review the use of computers without which the design of Unisphere would not have been possible. As well, the unique materials and erection methods used by the United States Steel (USS) Company will be the subject of much discussion. Also, the rehabilitation of Unisphere and its permanent place in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will be reviewed.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Intended Audience

This course is intended for architects, engineers, contractors and other design/construction professionals.

Benefit to Attendees

The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the creation of one of the world’s greatest achievements of structural engineering/sculpture: Unisphere.

Course Introduction

For the planners of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair, a key element in the plan for a successful fair; one that would meet or exceed its predecessor a generation earlier (the 1939/40 NYWF), there had to be a “Theme Center” that would be instantly recognizable and symbolically represent the overall theme of the fair: Peace Through Understanding in a Shrinking World and an Expanding Universe. That alone was not an easy task to resolve, but add to it the burden of one of the most successful and well-remembered theme centers of any previous world’s fair – the Trylon and Perisphere, theme center of the very fair being emulated (and in the very same spot to boot) and the task seemed insurmountable. When Robert Moses became fair president in 1960, he made the selection of an appropriate theme center his top priority. Designs by prominent figures such as Walter Dorwin Teague and architect Paul Rudolph were considered but rejected by Moses. In the end, it would be an old, reliable colleague – in fact the landscape architect for the 1939/40 fair; Gilmore D. Clarke, who would come up with a simple but elegant design for a large scale structural sculpture representative of the earth, its land masses (with mountain ranges in exaggerated relief) and orbit rings (representing early space flights) that won the day. Though the idea was simple and true to the “space age” ideals of the fair, engineering and erecting a “Unisphere” would be a monumental task since nothing like it had ever been built before. With the United States Steel Company acting as sponsor, designer, fabricator and erector, the task was made easier than it would otherwise have been. Their vast experience and engineering expertise made possible – with the help of computers, the “Biggest World on Earth’ – Unisphere.

Course Content

The Unisphere: Biggest World on Earth (1964): http://archive.org/details/Unispher1964

UNISPHERE: Miracle in the Meadow - PowerPoint Presentation (300 slides, PDF, 11 MB)

Please click on the underlined hypertext above to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

It was “The Miracle in the Meadow” - a stainless steel globe in a scale never before realized, that instantly became the international symbol of a world’s fair that was not even officially sanctioned by the governing body of international expositions; the Paris based BIE (Bureau of International Expositions). The BIE-sponsored international boycott of the 1964/65 NYWF did not deter a determined Robert Moses who saw in the fair his chance (in the twilight of his career as “Master Builder” of New York City) to complete Flushing Meadows-Corona Park – his last and to-be greatest park, with the anticipated profits from the fair. The fair was a financial bust and in 1968 Moses was forced out of power, but the park remains and so too does the theme center of the fair the park hosted: Unisphere. It’s the most easily recognized landmark in all of New York City and the most famous landmark in the Borough of Queens. In recognition of Unisphere’s contribution to the 1964/65 NYWF and its permanent place as a Queens landmark, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) determined (on May 10th 1995) that Unisphere and its surrounding pool and fountains constitute a designated landmark due to their: special character, special historical and aesthetic interest and value as part of the development, heritage and cultural characteristics of New York City. Amen to that.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisphere

http://archive.org/details/worlds_fair_report_with_lowell_thomas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTFB6Qxs7o
(Film - Lost in Time: The Crystal Palace - 27:19)

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.