Philip Johnson’s iconic New York State Pavilion to undergo $14.25M renovation
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
The iconic New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is set to undergo a $14.25 million renovation funded by the city. As first reported by the Queens Chronicle, repairs of the monument will begin next spring, which will include some structural conservation work and electrical and architectural improvements. The pavilion, which was originally designed for the 1964 World’s Fair by Philip Johnson and Lev Zetlin, has been ignored for the past few decades, largely in part because of the city’s failure to find the money for repairs.
The Philip Johnson-designed pavilion includes three adjoining observation deck towers, standing at 60 feet, 150 feet, and 226 feet, as well as the Tent of Tomorrow, a 350-foot by 250-foot structure supported by 16 100-foot columns. The multi-million dollar renovation includes structural preservation on the observation towers, waterproofing the tower bases, improvements to the electrical infrastructure and architectural lighting of observation towers and the Tent of Tomorrow. As 6sqft previously covered, the Tent of Tomorrow received a pricey paint job in 2015, becoming a nice “American Cheese” yellow for $3 million.
Mayor de Blasio allocated $7 million for the project, Borough President Melinda Katz dedicated $6.45 million, and the City Council will allocate the remaining $800,000. Work will begin on the pavilion next spring and is expected to end in the fall of 2019, after an 18-month construction process. The NYC Parks Department also plans on renovating the “Fountain of the Fairs,” to reconstruct the reflecting pool and fountain.
[Via Queens Chronicle]
RELATED:
