The Trylon and Perisphere were two monumental modernistic structures designed by architects

Wallace Harrison Wallace Kirkman Harrison (September 28, 1895 – December 2, 1981) was an American architect. Harrison started his professional career with the firm of Corbett, Harrison & MacMurray, participating in the construction of Rockefeller Center. He is ...

and J. Andre Fouilhoux that were together known as the Theme Center of the

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Flushing Meadows–Corona Park (often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park or simply Flushing Meadows or Corona Park) is a public park in the northern part of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It is bounded by Interstate 678 (New York), ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York City, United States. The Perisphere was a tremendous sphere, in diameter, connected to the spire-shaped Trylon by what was at the time the world's longest escalator. The Perisphere housed a

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

Henry Dreyfuss Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial designer. He is known for designing the Western Electric Model 500 telephone, the Westclox Big Ben alarm clock, and the Honeywell T87 Round Thermostat. Career Drey ...

called ''Democracity'' which, in keeping with the fair's theme "The World of Tomorrow", depicted a utopian city-of-the-future. The interior display was viewed from above on a moving sidewalk, while a multi-image slide presentation was projected on the dome of the sphere. After exiting the Perisphere, visitors descended to ground level on the third element of the Theme Center, the Helicline, a spiral ramp that partially encircled the Perisphere. The name "Perisphere" was coined using the Greek prefix ''peri-'', meaning "all around", "about", or "enclosing". The name "Trylon" was coined from the phrase "triangular pylon".

Construction

The Theme Center was designed by architects

and J. Andre Fouilhoux, with the interior exhibit by

. The structures were built in

Flushing Meadows Park Flushing may refer to: Places Netherlands * Flushing, Netherlands, an English name for the city of Vlissingen, Netherlands United Kingdom * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, England * The Flushing, a building in Suffolk, Englan ...

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

and were intended as temporary with steel framing and plaster board facades. Both buildings were subsequently razed and scrapped after the closing of the fair, their materials to be used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

armaments.

Legacy

The Trylon and Perisphere became the central symbol of the 1939 World's Fair, its image reproduced by the millions on a wide range of promotional materials and serving as the fairground's focal point. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

issued a postage stamp in 1939 depicting the Trylon and Perisphere. Neither structure survives; however, the

Unisphere The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel Globe, representation of the Earth at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York. The globe was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Commissione ...

, the symbol of the 1964–65 New York World's Fair, is now located where the Perisphere once stood. Both structures are featured on the cover art of the Deltron 3030 album “3030”.

References

External links

1939–40 World's Fair ''Democracity'' Recreation
(New York Public Library)

{{coord, 40.7463, -73.8451, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title World's fair architecture in New York City 1939 New York World's Fair Modernist architecture in New York City Demolished buildings and structures in Queens, New York Domes

Construction

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links