An iconic yet deteriorating New York City landmark, featured in the film Men in Black, is set to receive a $50 million restoration to rejuvenate its historic splendor.
Situated in Queens’ Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the New York State Pavilion, also home to the US Open, was originally constructed for the 1964 World’s Fair. It stands as one of the few remaining symbols of the event that debuted the Ford Mustang.
World’s fairs have historically been platforms for showcasing technological advancements and cultural changes since the inaugural fair held in 1851 at London’s Crystal Palace.
This massive edifice in Corona Park includes the Tent of Tomorrow pavilion and three towers that range in height from 60 to 226 feet.
These towers, depicted as an alien spacecraft in the 1997 film Men in Black, have been shrouded in scaffolding in recent times.
In a bid to preserve the aging concrete structure, New York City’s Parks Department has greenlit a $56.8 million stabilization initiative, aiming to transform the site into a major tourist attraction.
Queens Historical Society executive director, Jason Antos, told Daily Mail: ‘It’s iconic.
‘People still ask what it is or what it was used for… it was one of the hundreds of structures in the park at the time.
The New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was the centerpiece of the World Fair in 1964
The structure has been sitting dormant for decades, despite many residents wanting to see it restored back to its glory
The site is most famously known for being included in the 1997 Men in Black movie (pictured)
The Unisphere in the center of the water fountain was another symbol of the fair. In the background is the Manhattan skyline
‘[The pavilion] is one of the thousands of things that make Queens [great]. Queens is very much on the map.’
Antos believes the restoration will boost the park’s popularity, which also has the Unisphere – a 120ft stainless steel globe that was also left from the 1964 World Fair and has become a beloved symbol of Queens.
A NYC Parks spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘The stabilization work will allow for limited guided tours of the towers in the future.’
The city agency made its first efforts to preserve the structure in 2023 when it added architectural lighting, allowing it to be lit every night.
The first phase of stabilization includes replacing suspension cables, concrete, and adding a full electrical upgrade to the towers.
‘The current work is phase two, which includes structural steel repairs, painting, and more concrete repair work,’ the spokesperson added. Phase two is expected to be completed by October.
Antos said the observation towers offer a 360-degree view of all five boroughs.
‘You can probably see Connecticut on a good day.
It is currently covered in scaffolding as it undergoes phase two of the stabilization
The 1964 World Fair debuted the Ford Mustang. Pictured: A family riding in the new Mustang at the exhibit
A family rides in Swiss Sky Ride gondola, over the Jordan Pavilion, the Japan Pavilion, and other exhibits at the 1964 World Fair
‘It’s iconic,’ Jason Antos, the executive director of the Queens Historical Society, said of the structure
‘I look forward to seeing it preserved and being accessible to the public.’
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park sees around 10 million visitors per year.
The pavilion also includes the Theaterama that was once a place where artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein displayed pop artworks.
It was converted to the Queens Playhouse in 1972, which operated until 1985.
The New York State Pavilion was built to signify the 1964 World Fair theme of Peace Through Understanding, as the 1960s were a time of great upheaval with the Vietnam War and President John F Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
It was added to the state’s registries of historic places in 2008.
Queens residents have fond memories of the building and have welcomed the investment.
Michael Perlman, who lives in the Forest Hill neighborhood of the borough told the Queens Chronicle: ‘It’s one of the few buildings remaining from the World’s Fair. Restoring it and creatively reusing it would be a dream come true.’
Teddy Polchak of the Bronx in New York was a visitor at the New York World’s Fair on May 2, 1964, and appears to be losing his hero sandwich to the dinosaur in background. The slight-of-lens was accomplished outside the Sinclair exhibit on the fair grounds where life-size models of the extinct reptiles were a principal attraction
The United States Rubber Company’s 80ft ride at the 1964 World Fair in Queens
The Friendship 7 Space Module on display during the 1964 World Fair
A close-up of the Unisphere that was a centerpiece of the 1964 fair. The three rings around it represent the orbits of three artificial satellites. It is still there today
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones aiming their weapons towards the sky in a scene from Men In Black
The towers took the spotlight in the movie where they represented an alien spacecraft
Helen Day saw the pavilion when it was debuted at the World Fair and remembered how excited she was.
‘You walked down the roads, and everything was wide and beautifully constructed and just a magical place,’ she told CBS News.
She’s hoping the restoration will spark public interest in the pavilion once again.
‘There were two groups of people, those who remembered it and those who had never experienced it, who would drive past it on the expressway and wonder what it was,’ she told the outlet.
It is hoped tours will begin by the end of 2026. Flushing also hosted the 1939 World Fair.
