It's August and vast swathes of Art Contrarian readership are probably off on holiday. So I think I'll indulge myself in this post ...

The world's fair held in New York City in 1964 and 1965 attracted fewer people than the renowned 1939-1940 New York fair (Wikipedia entry on the 1964 fair here). As was the case with other major fairs, Olympic Games facilities, and other major construction projects tied to a tight completion deadline, the New York fair had its share of problems before its 1964 opening. These, plus the fact that it was not blessed by the Bureau International des Expositions, created some bad publicity.

But the main problem was, the fair wasn't that interesting. The '39 fair's buildings seemed futuristic, but by the early 1960s it was hard for designers and architects to invent shapes that seemed futuristic compared to many buildings already in place.

I'll deal with the pavilions in another post. For now, I present some photos featuring people at the fair that I took when I visited on two different days in June of 1965.

Gallery

[Image]The entrance to the fair from the elevated line's station.

[Image]Advanced planning in progress.

[Image]Beer vendors.

[Image]Keeping it tidy.

[Image]Souvenir stand.

[Image]Official World's Fair Balloons vendor.

[Image]Japanese visitors, something fairly rare in those days.

[Image]AT&T family phone booth.

[Image]Replica of the time capsule from the 1939 fair (apparently prepared in 1938).

[Image]Taking a rest by the Chrysler Corporation area.