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Terrace on the Park

1964 New York World's FairBuildings and structures in Queens, New YorkFlushing Meadows–Corona ParkQueens, New York building and structure stubsWorld's fair architecture in New York City
Terrace on the Park Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC
Terrace on the Park Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC

Terrace on the Park is a banquet hall in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The building was constructed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to serve as the heliport for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The building was designed by chief architect Allan Gordon Lorimer, engineers John Kyle and Ray Monte, and planning chief E. Donald Mills.It is located to the south of the New York Hall of Science. The bulk of the building is suspended in the air by four supports. It has a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. The outside walls of the main floor are mostly accessible windows that allow guests a clear view in every direction. Prior to re-opening as a banquet hall, the Beatles' helicopter landed there prior to their Shea Stadium concert in 1965, the venue was used for Park concessions upon the dedication of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1967. Following a five-year renovation that was completed in 2017, the venue was brought up to contemporary event standards.The building is currently owned by the privately held Crystal Ball Group, which operates the building as a catering hall for weddings, proms and other events. The firm pays the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation annually in the amount of 20% of its gross receipts or $2.5 million, whichever is greater.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Terrace on the Park (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Terrace on the Park
111th Street, New York Queens

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N 40.744722222222 ° E -73.850833333333 °
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Terrace On the Park

111th Street 52-11
11368 New York, Queens
New York, United States
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Terrace on the Park Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC
Terrace on the Park Flushing Meadows, Queens, NYC
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United States Pavilion
United States Pavilion

The United States Pavilion (also known as the U.S. Pavilion and Federal Pavilion) was a pavilion at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. Themed to the "challenge to greatness", it was designed for the 1964 New York World's Fair by Leon Deller of the architectural firm Charles Luckman Associates. The building was a hollow square surrounding a garden court. Inside the building were two auditoriums, a dark ride–style attraction, several exhibit spaces, and a library. In addition, the pavilion had a hall of presidents during the 1965 season. The United States Pavilion was first proposed in January 1960, but the United States Congress did not provide an appropriation for the project for two years. The U.S. government hired Luckman for the project in 1962, and U.S. President John F. Kennedy attended the building's groundbreaking ceremony on December 14, 1962. It opened on April 23, 1964, and operated for two seasons of six months each, attracting five million visitors during its first season alone. The structure became part of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in 1967, but it remained abandoned for several years due to a lack of upkeep. The building was extensively vandalized, and numerous attempts to renovate and restore the pavilion proved unsuccessful. The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) proposed demolishing the building in 1974; following protracted disputes, it was ultimately razed in 1977. Arthur Ashe Stadium was built on the pavilion's site in 1996. The structure was 84 feet (26 m) tall, standing upon four stilts, with a frontage of 330 feet (100 m) on each side. The structure had a translucent facade of multicolored plastic panels, and it was accessed by pyramidal staircases leading into the garden court. The exhibit spaces contained objects relating to American history and culture; they included the Challenge to Greatness, the Exhibit Hall of the Great Society, and two scientific-exhibit halls. The hall of presidents displayed artifacts from 13 U.S. presidents, while the library had study areas and numerous activities. The basement included a 600-seat theater that screened a short film, as well as a 200-seat multipurpose auditorium. Occupying the second floor was the American Journey ride, where visitors watched a short Cinerama film from slow-moving vehicles. Luckman's initial design for the pavilion was not well-received, but the final design and the exhibits themselves received positive reviews.

Unisphere
Unisphere

The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens. The globe was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke as part of his plan for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, the Unisphere was conceived and constructed as the theme symbol of the World's Fair. The theme of the World's Fair was "Peace Through Understanding", and the Unisphere represented the theme of global interdependence, being dedicated to "Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe". The Unisphere measures 140 feet (43 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in diameter. It sits atop a 20-foot-tall (6.1 m) tripod base with over 500 steel pieces representing the continents, as well as three steel rings representing the first artificial satellites orbiting Earth. Around the Unisphere is a reflecting pool measuring 310 feet (94 m) in diameter. The base is surrounded by 48 pairs of fountainheads, which were intended to conceal the tripod supporting the globe. Clarke devised plans for the Unisphere while aboard an airplane in 1960. New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses, who had already rejected two plans for iconic structures at the 1964 Fair, approved Clarke's proposal in early 1961. After further refinements, the Unisphere was constructed by American Bridge Company, a division of U.S. Steel, from March to August 1963. Over 51 million people visited the Unisphere during the World's Fair, after which it became a permanent attraction of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. In the 1970s, the Unisphere was not maintained and became visibly dirty; it was restored in the early 1990s. The Unisphere was made a New York City designated landmark in 1995 and, after another period of disrepair, it was restored in the early 2010s.