Overview

Walk back in time to New York's World's Fairs to ride the Parachute Jump or eat a Bel-Gem Waffle. Celebrate the 60th and 85th Anniversaries of two popular World's Fairs designed by elite architects and artists whose larger than life displays promised a future of joy and peace. Organizers decided both fairs were failures but for ninety-six-million visitors they were unforgettable triumphs. Ten-year-old Gloria was a frequent visitor to the 1964-1965 Fair. Fifty-years later she returned to Flushing Meadows Corona Park where she was inspired to photograph and write this pictorial book. The day after the fairs closed most pavilions were demolished. This book is about a few leftover relics in the park, and some that relocated around the country. Sixty remnants are in the book, photographed in glorious color and accompanied by historic text with personal remembrances. There is a comprehensive list of addresses for all known remnants, and a map showing two suggested walking tours in the park to view leftovers from both fairs. For World's Fair mastermind Robert Moses this park was the prize, yet for millions of fans of all ages, it is the fairs that live on in their hearts and minds. Contemporary America no longer needs to hold World's Fairs, compelling all of us to preserve the historic legacy of World's Fairs' and joyful memories of ninety-six-million visitors who traveled from all over the world to Queens for a glimpse of the future.

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9781940046020

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GLORIA R NASH grew up in Manhattan and Rego Park, where interests in mid-century styles were nurtured by frequent visits to the 1964-1965 World's Fair and a Howard Johnson's Restaurant built for the 1940 Fair. While living in California and Las Vegas, she wrote a newsletter, For Here or To Go, reporting on vintage roadside food and beverage advertising collectibles. Returning to New York she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, then earned an M.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Education. At the same time, authors wrote about Gloria's resilience to challenges and 9-11. After retiring from work as a therapist and math teacher she learned to build websites as a medium for selling collectibles. Her heart called out to photograph and write about preservation of America's vanishing roadside architecture, restaurants, and signs. When her 90-year-old mother lost her vision, Gloria left Manhattan to care for her in Queens. When the pandemic curtailed long distance travels she visited local sites for the first time. After a fifty-year absence she visited Flushing Meadows Corona Park which began a two-year adventure of photographing, researching, and writing this book to celebrate the 60th and 85th Anniversaries in 2024 of the 1964 and 1939 New York World's Fairs. Currently Gloria is writing Part 2 of this pictorial series and also a manual to easily build websites.

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