| Aerial view of the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, New York City. The “Trylon,” a 700-foot (210 meter) tower, and the Perisphere, a “city of tomorrow” entered through an electric walkway, overlooked 7 geographic zones with many corporate sponsored exhibits. The Trylon and the Perisphere face a large statue of 1st United States President George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799). Many reflecting pools flanked the different zones. Construction began with landfill and leveling in 1936 and was well underway in 24-hour shifts in May 1938, but the site was little more than an open field, with wire frames for the Trylon and the Perisphere. The Trylon and the Perisphere, 7 miles from lower Manhattan, could be seen from the Empire State Building. United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945) opened the World’s Fair on April 30, 1939, regardless, with some areas still in progress. He used the occasion to call for world peace. The 2nd and last season of the New York World’s Fair closed on October 27, 1940. Unfortunately, events in Europe were descending into a 2nd World War, and budget overruns ended up leaving the World’s Fair as a financial failure. The Trylon and Perisphere were dismantled by mid-1941. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2079.jpg |
| Image Size | 646.66 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 3000 x 1800 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 30, 1939 |
| Location | |
| City | New York |
| State or Province | New York |
| Country | United States |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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