NYS Pavilion getting some love from the Feds

From the Times Ledger:

The restoration effort of the New York State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows Corona Park will receive more than $16 million in federal funding, according to U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

As announced on Nov. 26, the cash infusion will be used to repair and replace several electrical units at the World’s Fair Park and other areas which were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

“The World’s Fair Pavilion is an enduring icon and it should be preserved and promoted for current and future generations,” Schumer said. “Now the pavilion is being restored and these federal funds will be used to repair damaged caused by Superstorm Sandy and help yet another community asset recover after the storm.”

The $16,468,030 grant was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the New York Office of Management and Budget and will be used for repairs at the pavilion as well other storm-damaged areas of the park.

54 years later, city seeks contractor to fix "temporary" structure

From AMNY:

Recent years have brought a resurgence of sorts for the structure, titled a “Modern Ruin,” in a 2014 documentary. City officials and preservationists have rallied together and secured $14 million for vital structural repairs and ambient lighting for the pavilion.

But finding a firm that is ready — and able — to take on the project has proved to be its own challenge, causing even more delays.

Only two construction companies responded to a bid that went out earlier this year. Neither were deemed viable by the Parks Department.

The city will again solicit bids later this summer, and are hoping for a better response.

“We certainly knew it was a complicated project, especially with the lighting element,” said Janice Melnick, administrator for Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. “We would have loved to have more bids come in. It’s such an important job and we want to make sure we get the right contractor to do it.”

NYS Pavilion to get $14M renovation

From the Queens Chronicle:

That stately space-age Flushing Meadows monument, the New York State Pavilion, will undergo a $14.25 million redesign project by the city and a team of design consultants. Construction is set to begin next spring and the design is underway now.

“The scope of the project includes structural conservation work on the observation towers, waterproofing of the tower bases, improvements to the electrical infrastructure and architectural lighting of the observation towers and the Tent of Tomorrow,” Parks Department spokeswoman Meghan Lalor emailed the Chronicle.

Before the modified monument will be open to the public, Lalor added, “significant” work will need to be done. Work on the pavilion, which is contingent upon a successful bid, is expected to begin next spring and end in fall 2019 after an 18-month process.

National Trust contest yields wacky Pavilion designs

From Curbed:

In March, the National Trust for Historic Preservation launched a design competition that asked entrants to imagine a future for the iconic Philip Johnson-designed structure. More than 250 entries were received, ranging from the mundane (a brewery with a hydroponic farm) to the wild and wacky (a cheeseburger museum). From those, a panel that includes archicritic Paul Goldberger picked four winners: three general ones, and one specifically from a pool of Queens entrants.

Though the four winners differ in execution, they all have one thing in common: envisioning the Pavilion as a public space where New Yorkers can congregate and hang out. Currently, the structure is closed to the public—it’s apparently not safe enough for sustained public use at the moment—but here’s hoping the renewed interest in the Pavilion will change that soon.

Wacky ideas submitted for Pavilion revamp

The Wall Street Journal has some of the ideas submitted for the NYS Pavilion.

National Trust holds pavilion contest

From DNA Info:

If you have an idea for the historic New York State Pavilion, here's your chance to share it.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is hosting an "anything goes" competition to solicit suggestions for the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park landmark — no matter how far-flung they may seem.

Then they'll pick a winner and...nothing will happen.

Skeptical about DEP plans

"On Sept.30th there was a presentation by DEP in Flushing Meadow Park on their long term control plans for CSO's in Flushing Bay and Creek.Mainly the plan is to construct bioswales along city streets to capture water before it hits the sewers and also to create surfaces that absorb water in areas like school yards and green roofs.They also talked about treating sewage with chlorine before discharging it into the bay and creek.

In the room was a small crowd of about 30 concerned citizens,some environmental activists and people from the Dragon boat teams.Just about everyone in the audience were skeptical of the plans and didn't think it would be sufficient because of the building boom that will be coming along the creek in Flushing and Willets Point. Some were alarmed of the idea of all the chlorine entering the ecosystem and it's effect on wildlife. One elderly man who lived his whole life in Flushing told how yards are being paved over for parking and apartment houses green spaces have been turned to concrete and there seems to be a lack of concern by the city to prevent it.

It was ironic that the meeting was held in a building that was built in the park over what was to be the largest underground tank in the world and at a similar DEP meeting not that many years ago we were told that it would be the answer to prevent sewage from entering the bay and creek.

Can NYC ever get a handle on all it's infrastructures issues if the population keeps increasing and this is especially a concern in Flushing.Just seems like bad city planning to me." - Rich

Take a look at the upcoming dredging meeting taking place:

Lipstick on a pig?

From the Daily News:

A rusting World's Fair icon in Queens is getting a $3 million paint job — for free, the Daily News has learned.

Bridge and steel painters will donate their time in a bid to turn back the clock on the New York State Pavilion, which was built more than 50 years ago for the 1964-65 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Parks Department officials said the paint job will “restore the original luster and beauty” of the pavilion while “protecting its bones.” It is the first such work to be done on the building since it was constructed.

Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver is expected to make the announcement Wednesday outside the pavilion with the New York Structural Steel Painting Contractors Association and union officials.

The donated work will be done through a training program for apprentice painters, officials said.

Parks can't keep kids out of FMCP towers

From A Walk in the Park:

Four more teens were caught sneaking up into the Worlds Fair towers NYC Park Advocates has learned.

When Park Enforcement officers arrived this time they found the gate wide-open and the flimsy lock missing. The rusted metal door that leads to the deteriorated staircase was also wide open and the small lock was nowhere to be found.

"The locks magically disappeared," said an officer at the scene.

The kids from nearby Bowne High School made it as far as the first observation deck - 126 feet in the air - Tuesday afternoon at 3:00pm when officers surprised them.

PEP officers detain four teens 126 feet in the air one of the three Worlds Fair Astro Towers observational platforms.

"It's very dangerous up there," an officer said.

"One slip and it's all over.

The officer said one teen mentioned he saw photos people had taken on instagram from the site.

Two 15-year olds and 16-year old were given trespassing summons.

Another 16-year old, who had multiple ID's belonging to other people and a bank card belong to someone else, was arrested.

A long way up to tag!

From A Walk in the Park:

Five knuckle-headed teens were busted hanging out and doing graffiti 226 feet in the air on the observation deck of the Worlds Fair's iconic Astro Towers NYC Park Advocates had learned.

Two girls and three boys broke into the towers and made their way to the very top, spray painting tags along the way.

Two eagle-eyed park cops on patrol in Flushing Meadows Corona Park spotted several figures from about a half mile away walking around the rusted flying saucer-like structures at approximately at 3:30pm on Sunday.

Officers had to use a make-shift ladder made of electrical cords in order to reach the highest peak of observation deck to reach the teens.

Discuss your ideas for the Pavilion

Photo from The 1939 World's Fair

From Brownstoner Queens:

This Saturday, November 1st, People for the Pavilion and Architecture for Humanity are setting up information tables around the borough to talk with Queens residents on the past and present of the New York State Pavilion. Reps will be asking passerby what they know about the historic structure and what they’d like it to become. Currently, People for the Pavilion is working to revitalize the towers for community use, with growing support from politicians. If you’d like to stop by and share your thoughts, tables will be out in Diversity Plaza, 37th Road between 73rd and 74th Streets, Corona Plaza, Roosevelt Avenue between National Street and 104th Street, and Queens Library: Flushing, 47-17 Main Street, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Posturing over pavilion

From The Forum:

Borough advocates have been pushing for preservation at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park since the city secured funding to restore the New York State Pavilion, which stands within it.

In the latest chapter of ongoing efforts to beautify the northeast Queens park, state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) announced he helped secure $250,000 along with the city Parks Department to renovate two baseball fields there, officials said. Hevesi and Parks acquired the money through a Community Capital Assistance grant and said it will help install new backstops and fencing, re-grade the infield and add grass turf in the center to prevent flooding.

[Not the Pavilion]

Hevesi’s announcement came just days after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo rolled out more than $5 million in awards to 14 different historic spots that suffered damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012 – one of them being the New York State Pavilion.

Cuomo allotted $127,000 of that money to the city Parks Department to help pay for a conditions assessment of damages to the pavilion’s cable roof structure.

[Wow! $127,000! That's like 1/10 of 1% of what's needed to restore it.]

This month, the New York Mets baseball club also announced it would be donating part of Friday’s home game ticket sales towards the People for the Pavilion advocacy group to help preserve the pavilion in celebration of the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the World’s Fair. In a statement, the team reflected on the historic site and how extra funding was needed to help keep it standing.

The team is playing like shit. I bet that was a huge haul of dough! And the Mets just noticed that the Pavilion needed help after being in the same park with it since 1964?

If anyone thinks these efforts are serious, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'll sell you.

Pavilion vandalized

From the Daily News:

Vandals broke into the historic New York State Pavilion last weekend, setting a stolen van on fire and damaging a piece of its deteriorating terrazzo map, park watchdogs said.

The shocking mayhem in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was heartbreaking for volunteers who have been working for years to spruce up the aging 1964 World’s Fair relic.

The tarp that covers the map was set ablaze, Piro said. The punks also used a cinderblock to smash the side of the aged map.

The incident ironically comes as support for the renovation of the rusting pavilion is at an all-time high.

Pavilion rehab work partially funded

From the Queens Chronicle:

The capital budget passed by the City Council early this morning includes $5.806 million for upgrading the aging New York State Pavilion, the crown jewel of the 1964-65 World’s Fair.

Borough President Melinda Katz, a staunch advocate of restoring the rusting Tent of Tomorrow and Observation Towers, issued a statement in which she expressed her gratitude to the city for recognizing the iconic nature of the pavilion and its importance to the borough’s image.

According to Katz, the $5.806 million will be used to upgrade the pavilion’s electrical system, rebuild the staircases inside the Observation Towers and repair the concrete platforms supporting the observation decks at the top of each of the three towers.

About $4.2 million is provided by Mayor de Blasio, while $628,000 comes from the City Council and the remaining $979,000 comes from Katz.

The $5.806 million is a far cry from the estimated $72 million it would cost to completely restore and reuse the pavilion, according to studies presented by Parks Department representatives at a meeting of the Borough Board last November.

What's left of the 1964 World's Fair

From the NY Times:

All paths once led to the Unisphere, a magnet for the masses.

As the symbolic center of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, the 140-foot-tall globe drew 51 million people to its fountains in 12 bustling months over two years.

Visitors came there on honeymoons or first dates. Some found their way in through well-worn holes in the fence, or rode the subway alone for the first time. Others came to work, or came to protest.

Fifty years ago on April 22, the first fairgoers arrived to see the future. Little did they know, then, how one trip to the fair — or dozens — would affect their own lives.

Few of the physical structures remain. The renovated Queens Museum occupies the cavernous New York City Pavilion, first built for the 1939 World’s Fair and still housing the diorama of New York created for the ’64-’65 one. The Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion is rusting with neglect. The Singer Bowl has morphed into Louis Armstrong Stadium, where United States Open tennis matches are played every summer.

Only the 700,000-pound, stainless-steel globe stands untarnished by time and enhanced by memory.

Mets try to be preservationists

From the Forum:

Queens preservationists are partnering with the Mets to save the New York State Pavilion, an iconic structure built for the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park that has severely deteriorated over the years.

A portion of each ticket purchased for the Mets’ home game against the Giants on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7:10 p.m. will be donated to the People for the Pavilion, an organization dedicated to preserving and reusing the site.

Hmmm. The Mets have been sharing Flushing Meadows with the Pavilion in that condition for decades. But NOW they want to do something to help? I call B.S. on this. Save FMCP summed it up best:

Mets want to save the Pavilion? Then they should tell the city to keep the subsidies they're getting for the mall. http://t.co/HnKq7KVRze

— Save FlushingMeadows (@SaveFMCP) April 13, 2014

TRUTH.

Catsimatidis willing to pay to restore NYS Pavilion

From the Daily News:

Billionaire World’s Fair buff John Catsimatidis said he is willing to crack open his checkbook and help the crumbling New York State Pavilion for the right “visionary” project.

“I’ve certainly been there ready and able to write a check,” Catsimatidis, a former Republican mayoral candidate and supermarket magnate, told The News on Friday. “I can make it happen. But you need people who have dreams.”

Catsimatidis, who wore a tie featuring the iconic image of the Unisphere, made his comments at the Queens Museum after a press conference Friday to announce a line-up of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 World’s Fair and 75th anniversary of the 1939 World’s Fair.

Public access to Pavilion on April 22

From the Times Ledger:

The New York State Pavilion will be open to the public for the first time in a generation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 World’s Fair April 22 — for one day only.

The iconic venue had been closed off to the public since 1987 but, thanks to the efforts of two self-described history nerds, visitors will once again gain entry between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

On April 22, the curious will be able to get an up-close look. RSVPs are not required and visitors will have to wear hard hats, which will be provided.

Melinda Katz, preservationist?

From the Times Ledger:

Borough President Melinda Katz joined a activist-driven push to return the long neglected New York State Pavilion to its former glory Thursday.

“The right direction is to preserve and save this for generations to come, to make it a useful part of the park,” Katz said to a group of elected officials, community leaders and Parks Department employees at Queens Theatre in the Park, before leading them on a walk through the grounds of the site of the 1964 World’s Fair.

The Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park was designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson and is comprised of three observation towers, the largest of which is 226 feet high.

Katz led the group past the towers and into the Tent of Tomorrow, which has 16 100-foot pillars that one-time supported a 50,000-square-foot roof. That area is now closed off to the public.

Parks Department officials recently released estimates of $14 million to demolish the Pavilion and more than $52 million to preserve it.

Katz said $14 million should not be used to tear the Pavilion down and if anything could be used as a base in the preservation initiative.

“I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I or any or the elected officials know exactly what we want to do here. I think the one thing we want this to be is a collaborative effort through all of the community groups,” Katz said. “It’s not going to happen in a day, but if we don’t start the process, it’s never going to happen,”

The borough president said her office will soon start to hold monthly task force meetings for the project.

From the Queens Chronicle:

With the Tent of Tomorrow and Observation Towers, the two rusting icons of the 1964-1965 World’s Fair, behind her, Borough President Melinda Katz officially called for the preservation of the structures on Thursday, just months before the 50th anniversary of the global gathering the pavilion was built for.

Joined by Assembly members Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) and Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing), Deputy Borough President Leroy Comrie, Parks Department representatives, various community board leaders from across the borough and the three-man People for the Pavilion preservation group, Katz emphatically declared her wish to see the pavilion saved while on a walking tour of the site.

“My hope in being here today with everyone, and for causing some notice for this, is to try and bring these groups together and I felt like there needed to be a push in getting folks in a direction,” Katz said. “I think we all know the right direction. The right direction is to preserve [the pavilion] and save this for generations to come to make it a useful part of the park and to make sure it doesn’t fall down on people around it.”

In addition to just voicing her support for the movement, Katz also said that a task force dedicated to brainstorming ideas and uses for the site will be created within the next month.

The group will meet either once a month, “or at least quarterly,” at Borough Hall, according to Katz, and will be made up of the Borough President’s Office, community board leaders, the Parks Department, elected officials, historical groups and People for the Pavilion, although Christian Doran says his group has yet to receive a formal offer to join the task force.

To tear it down or fix it up?

From the Daily News:

The city needs $52 million to save the New York State Pavilion and restore the deteriorating iconic ruin of the 1964-65 World’s Fair to its original glory, officials revealed Monday night.

But tearing it down would cost just $14 million.

Parks Department officials told outgoing Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, elected officials and community board leaders that they have not decided what to do with the structure, which includes the Tent of Tomorrow and three observation towers that have been shuttered for decades.

“They are in need of repair but they are not immediately falling down,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. “So we have time to have some really reasonable dialogue.”

Lewandowski said the city’s new report on the site includes several engineering studies and ambitious conceptual plan that could cost at least $72 million.

Other options include shoring up the site so it could remain as a ruin similar to the 19th century smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island for a cost of $43 million.

If we can pay $100M for Donald Trump's golf course, why can't we pay to restore the Pavilion? Or better yet, why not use the funds from Julissa's new Flushing Meadows conservancy to repair it?