Unforgotten: New York State Pavilion

[@richardbrienza3167]

🎉I skated there back in the 70s. It was great lots of memories

[@dandalessandro6852]

I attended the '64 Fair with my family as a young teenager. The image of the well-lit towers and colorful pavilion are still vivid in my memory today. To look at it today, even in its partially restored shape, bares no resemblance to the activity and eye-pleasing visual effect it offered at that time. So sad that it was neglected for so long.

[@musama8771]

I live next to this place, I wish this is still used for something

[@kennethkolpan5026]

I remember it well. I was a tour guide at Pavilion back in the day.

[@MatthewStrainz]

I snuck in there and it’s really nice when you see it inside

[@bethlanders6608]

i was there when they allowed us to go inside and it was amazing

[@philpots48]

I'd like to see restored as it was in 1964.

[@rca4440]

Glad the pavilion is getting some well-deserved love.

[@jdrlcswcom632]

Just as we work to preserve this iconic landmark we must remain mindful of the urgent need to avoid gentrification of Corona, Flushing, Jacksonheights and Woodside. This is a vibrant culturally diverse community please be sure whatever renovations are made that the POC community isn’t displaced.

[@nickyoung630]

I honestly hope it becomes New York’s Space needle!

[@josephconsoli4128]

I was not yet born when my family went to the fair (my mother had gone to the '39 too), and every time we passed the pavilion on the Grand Central, a comment would be made. It led me having a fascination with the building. Next to the Space-Needle, it's the most iconic "mid-century" structure in existence. It and the Unisphere are the symbol of Queens like the parachute jump (another '39 world's fair structure) is to Brooklyn. I remember going with my brother into the park about 1980. It was sketchy, no doubt, but the pavilion was open and completely original. The first tower still had it's clear panels enclosing it. We took a bunch of photos with my brothers zoom camera that I still occasionally look back on.

[@realamerican5016]

Talk about a no-brainer fix that Park up it means so much to people I don't understand why they have not done so yet.

[@thewizboy]

The Structure was featured in 1978 Film THE WIZ movie with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. It was used as Graffiti City Munchkin Land in the Land Of OZ. I LOVED seeing it in THE WIZ !

[@donarnold8268]

Thank You! Posting on Facebook!

[@SuperJuniorquintero]

My boy went down the steps next to the towers back in 1980, and he told it was damn sketchy. When I was a kid I didn't even dare to attempt that myself.

[@johnstrika9170]

It would have been nice if you gave some credit to those of us who gave our time, for FREE, to rehab and repaint the Pavillion

[@chop3625]

NY happens to be an f’n disgrace. Can’t even preserve & protect a couple very meaningful buildings. Those beautiful times deserve better.

[@bob1505]

This video does not jive with my understanding of what happened to the floor of the pavilion. Our elected officials are so bad at managing our resources that the elect to defer maintenance to the point of destruction. The fiberglass fabric that served as a roof for the structure aged and decayed to such an extent it began to fall to the floor below. Terrified of bad press and law suits the building was quickly closed to public access. At the time it was used for roller skating. Some blamed skating concessionaire for the damage. The skating concession took pains with the floor coating it with polyurethane to preserve it as they believed it was a darn nice floor to skate on and worth preservation. A contractor was hired to mitigate the problem with the fiberglass roof succumbing to the law of gravity. The contractor was instructed to assist the remainder of the roof to likewise succumb post haste at minimum cost. The remaining sections of the roof were cut free and allowed to free fall striking the terrazzo floor below. No provision was made to protect the floor before the demolition. Some time after, soil was spread over the floor to provide some protection. The university mentioned did some excellent restorative work on a few sections of floor. Completing repair to the entire floor would have been a monumental effort as so much damage occurred during roof demolition. Only the cables that supported the fabric remain. New York City is a master class in blame avoidance. The only people that care about these structures are citizens that have given of themselves freely to preserve them.

[@ub1953]

My unforgettable "summer of "69 " saw LED ZEPPLIN; MUDDY WATERS; STEPPENWOLF for like $3 a show there...

[@survivalcraftstudio]

Lel i wanna go

[@larry1824]

Wish crime went would drop. Last time I went a cop walked over with me be as someone was popped the night before!!!!!