Part II: Commemorating the 1939 World’s Fair’s 85th Anniversary Showcasing American Meets International History Remembering Short-Lived Icons Through Postcards
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by Michael Perlman
“The World of Tomorrow” was a dominant theme of the 1939 – 1940 World’s Fair, which attracted millions of New York residents and tourists to Flushing Meadow for a celebration of technological innovations and cultural history like no other in Queens. It spanned the period of April 30, 1939 to October 27, 1940, and over 44 million spectators attended during the warmer months. It took three years to build at an estimated $155,000,000, which is $3,396,116,429 today.
Since most brilliantly designed pavilions were unfortunately planned as temporary structures, very few physical remembrances exist today. However, memorabilia, including linen and real photo postcards, can acquaint current generations with the Fair’s mastermind architectural design and ideals, with hopes of a future World’s Fair. Some people attended the 1964 – 1865 World’s Fair, but not as many are around to tell the story behind the 1939 – 1940 World’s Fair.
Last week’s column featured several pavilions and the significance of the Fair, which commemorated the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first president by dedicating itself to the task of building a “Better World of Tomorrow.” It presented a clearer view of the time for tomorrow’s preparation with prevailing forces and ideas, in addition to machines. Also highlighted were the centerpieces known as the Trylon and Perisphere monuments, which were a 700-foot spire and a 200-foot in diameter sphere, respectively. This week’s column will explore more forgotten treasures.
A serene retreat with a body of water that indeed reflected upon America’s heritage could be found at the Colonial Court of States, south of the Lagoon of Nations. This assemblage was home to displays of the States of the Union. It featured products spanning the industries and commerce of several states, in addition to magnificent representations of their scenic wonders.
The Court of Peace at Constitution Mall consisted of the Federal, State, and foreign sections, where 60 nations were represented in the foreign section and 21 had pavilions, and each was represented in the Hall of Nations. Twenty-two states and one territory were represented in the Court of States. The greatest attraction was a replica of Independence Hall, which featured the Pennsylvania exhibit.
The Florida Building, with its graceful Moorish and Mediterranean tower, stood proudly on the western shore of Fountain Lake. It was intended to embody the style of the original Spanish settlers of the peninsular. It also symbolized the sunshine frequently associated with Florida. Exhibits explored the citrus industry, phosphate mines among the state’s other natural resources. It served as a representation of Florida’s charming destination for a vacation. It uniquely featured a consistently modifying sky for its ceiling. A number of events were held at the pavilion, including concerts and entertainment such as the “Girls of Tomorrow Fashion Show” with a selection of “Miss Florida at the Fair.” The June 29, 1939 edition of The Sun read, “Palm trees are in bloom on the shore of Fountain Lake. The trees are in the Exotic Garden of the Florida Building. A heavy sheath of blooms hangs from the cocos plumosa at the south end of the patio, and inside the building, blossoms shoot out from the fish tail palms.” An engaging sight was New York World’s Fair President Grover Whalen enjoying his orange juice while Ponce de Leon, portrayed by Bill Carter, looked on with approval at the Fountain of Youth at the Florida Building.
The Italian Pavilion was regarded as an architectural masterpiece. Spectators encountered a sculpture of the Goddess of Roma rising above a double colonnaded façade with an over 200-foot cascade of water, Italy’s “white coal,” foaming down grand steps into a pool at the base of a monument bearing homage to Guglielmo Marconi. In 1895, he made history by using radio waves to transmit signals spanning several kilometers, which erected a foundation for wireless telegraphy and radio. Goddess Roma is a 33-foot replica of the ancient sculpture that stands on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, which personifies the Roman state. In the evenings, the pool benefited from a new vitreous glass and underwater lighting, which was among the thrilling attractions.
This pavilion accommodated products of Italy, in addition to the progress of recent times, while highlighting the development of its colonial empire. An elegant fashion show was held three times per day. Models were gowned in lanital, a fabric comprising 25 gallons of milk or seven pounds of the “wool of tomorrow.” “Futurismo,” a manifesto introduced in 1909 by Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, was exhibited.
“The pavilion contains a heroic bronze statue of King Victor Emanuel, exhibits of silk, pottery, glass, books, paintings, food, wines, social welfare advances, perfumes, copies of antique statues, machinery, submarine cable, rubber goods, ceramics, textiles. You’ll see sumptuous fabrics, extraordinary motors, splendid books, a miniature reproduction of the new railroad station at Rome, merchant marine models, and maps and pictures presenting Rome in historic periods,” read the New York Post on June 15, 1939.
Making our way to the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Building, a Fairgoer must have felt it was electrifying, with lustrous rays and triple-height Art Moderne display windows showcasing innovations, which braced a plaza with angular facades. It was designed by the prolific architects, Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings, who founded a firm in Chicago in 1936. In 1939, they were joined by John Merrill, Sr. Today, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is regarded as one of the most significant firms worldwide.
This pavilion offered a behind-the-scenes experience of the Westinghouse Company’s numerous activities, revolving around the technological exhibits in electrical and mechanical science. A 150-foot illuminated tower signified the location of a time capsule offering pertinent data on present day civilization.
Besides exploring postcards, an ad series was titled “The Middleton Family at The New York World’s Fair” and featured a sepia tone “Scientists of the World of Tomorrow” comic strip and a vivid cameo illustration of spectators’ interactions at exhibits. An excerpt read, “The Junior Science Laboratories at the Westinghouse Building leave a deep impression with the Middleton family – especially Bud, who has now decided to abandon his ambitions to lead a swing band in favor of an electrical engineering career. You too, will enjoy seeing and talking with these scientists of the future. They are school children, 12 to 18 years old, whose projects in varied branches of science are carried on with the help of the American Institute of the City of New York. Don’t miss this feature of the Westinghouse exhibit in the World of Tomorrow.”
“The name that means everything in electricity” was a slogan of Westinghouse. Another ad of the series portrayed the pavilion as a “Fair within a Fair.” It read, “The Singing Tower of Light,” with its amazing nocturnes of color and music, beckons fair-goers to a world of wonders within the Westinghouse Building. Here are the Great Halls of Power and Electrical Living; the Playground of Science; the Junior Science Laboratories; the Micro-Vivarium; the air-conditioned Little Theater; Elektro, the Moto-Man, and countless other attractions. No tour of the New York Fair is complete without a view of this colorful electrical background, against which all science and industry play their parts.”
Modeled after a radio tube, the R.C.A. Exhibit Building screened television programs, which was a novelty. This unique design was also an achievement of Skidmore and Owings. David Sarnoff, president of the Radio Corporation of America, announced the advent of television in the first commercial broadcast from its building at the Fair on April 20, 1939. “Today we are on the eve of launching a new industry, based on imagination, on scientific research, and accomplishment,” said Sarnoff, as reported by AP. Ceremonies were frequented by a group of businessmen and professionals who inspected the newly launched commercial receivers, which were to go on sale that week. Simultaneously at Rockefeller Center’s RCA Building, an audience watched the ceremonies. “It is with a feeling of humbleness that I come to this moment of announcing the birth in this country of a new art so important in its implications that it is bound to affect all society. It is an art which shines like a torch of hope in a troubled world. It is a creative force which we must learn to utilize for the benefit of all mankind,” Sarnoff continued.
Television models were displayed, including an attachment that reproduces pictures and plugs into a radio set for sound, as well as a large console combination TV and sound radio receiver, utilizing a 12-inch kinescope tube. The TV attachment would sell for $175 on average, whereas the complete sight and sound receivers would range from $300 to $600.
Then on April 30, 1939, when the World’s Fair opened, NBC presented its first TV broadcast featuring President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Fair, where he focused on the importance of national unity, as well as scientific progress.
Another postcard featured the Lagoon of Nations from the air at night, where illuminated fountains were surrounded by Art Moderne buildings. The play of fountains and light was a nightly spectacle that intrigued visitors. Fairgoers could take a “World Cruise” and see the best that each nation could offer. The June 18, 1939 Washington Post edition read, “You disembark at the Lagoon of Nations about 9 PM for the play of fountains and flames, a symphony in water, fire, color, and sound. No fee is charged. The display can be seen from the courts fronting on the pool oval and from the steps of the French and British pavilions, and of course from any of the restaurants facing the lagoon. ‘Garden of Eden,’ ‘Isle of Dreams,’ ‘The Hunt,’ ‘Fire Dance,’ and ‘Round and Round the Mulberry Bush’ are a few of the spectacular shows the fountains will play for the visitors to the Fair.” It then explained that each exhibit is free, with an exception of “Garden on Parade.” Grandeur came one’s way as they dined at an international restaurant, or one could settle for lunch in a picnic mode at a hot dog and soft drink stand for a dime or two. It was suggested to follow an exhibits map and a guidebook.
The $275,000 Art Moderne Food Exhibitors Building featured intricate murals that spanned its recessed and rounded facades, immediately drawing one’s eye. A postcard read, “This exhibit covers an acre and one-quarter on the Main Esplanade. Its exterior is a brilliant red relieved by red and white murals. Dominant architectural feature is a great circular hall sixty feet high, broken by massive pylons. This building will contain a restaurant, and a dining terrace will be located on an interior court.” It was designed by Aspinwall & Simpson and M.W. Del Gaudio.
The Parachute Jump, an attractive 170-ton steel tower, is synonymous with Coney Island by today’s generation, but it originated on the 1939 World’s Fairgrounds. At nearly eye level, the structure read, “Ride The Chutes.” After the Fair concluded, it would have a new lease on life by being transported in 1941 due to a purchase by George C. Tilyou’s family, associated with Steeplechase Park. It would typically attract half a million eager riders annually, and a popular sighting was WWII servicemen taking their significant other on the ride. After the park’s closure in September 1964, the Parachute Jump ceased operation. In 1989, it was designated a NYC Individual Landmark.
A linen postcard captured its illuminated World’s Fair glory at night, complete with parachutes descending, which today’s visitors do not have the liberty of experiencing, but only admiring its structure. The 1939 World’s Fair offered an amusement area, where the 250-foot steel structure was deemed an icon. The postcard read, “Eleven of the chutes, each seating two passengers, are to be hoisted by steel cables to the top of the tower, and then released to give the passengers the experience of ‘bailing out’ from a winging plane. Insurance of ‘happy landings’ is afforded by ‘stretchers’ which keep the chutes distended, umbrella-like, and vertical guide wires which permit drops straight earthward without swaying. Shock absorbers eliminate the impact of landing. The tower is to be the second tallest structure in the Exposition. Contract with International Parachuting, Inc. for this diversion device for Fair visitors was the first one to be signed for an amusement concession in the Fair.”
