Remembering the Future: Architecture at the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair

Meet in the cafe at the eastern entrance ( Unisphere side) of the Queens Museum of Art.

World’s Fairs have for years offered the chance for architects to explore new concepts and technologies to create memorable, visceral experiences for a broad public. Structures designed for the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair were emblematic of a turbulent period for both architecture and society. Conceived at the dawn of the Space Age, the Fair opened as the country was coming to terms with civil rights and technological and social upheaval. At the World’s Fair, Modern architecture met Pop Art. On this tour, held on the anniversary of the opening of the Fair, we examine extant architecture from the Fair, including Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion, Wallace Harrison’s Hall of Science, and modern sculpture by Peter Muller Monk, Jose de Rivera, and others, while exploring that memorable, controversial exposition.  

**Please note: This tour requires significant walking between sites. In addition, there is an approximately 20-minute walk from the Willets Point/Mets Station of the #7 subway line to the meeting point through Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Please be sure to plan accordingly. 

Tours will run rain or shine. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour start time. Registration is limited to 15; walk-ups are not guaranteed a spot on the tour. Some tours utilize VOX amplification systems; attendees are welcome to bring their personal earbuds.

Guide: John Kriskiewicz, Assoc. AIA

AIANY and the AIANY Architecture Tour Committee and its tour guides will not be held liable and assume no responsibility for any injury or loss incurred by participants in these programs. Walking tours endorse the initiatives of FitCity—promoting physical activity through design.

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As a reminder, AIA National policy requires participants to attend the entire educational portion of an event to receive continuing education credits.