Perisphere

Perisphere
Bvhwiki · CC BY 3.0 · source
Name	Perisphere
Caption	Perisphere with Trylon at the 1939 New York World's Fair
Location	Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City
Architect	Gilbert Rohde?
Owner	New York World's Fair
Start date	1938
Completion date	1939
Demolition date	1941
Structural system	Reinforced concrete
Height	180 ft (approx.)
Floor area	Exhibition hall

Perisphere.

The Perisphere was a monumental exhibition structure built for the New York World's Fair (1939–1940), situated with the Trylon on the fair's central axis at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. Designed as part of a dramatic centerpiece unveiled during the fair's opening, it functioned as a symbol of Progress and a focal point for visitors drawn to displays about technology, industry, transportation, and visions of the future promoted by civic and corporate exhibitors such as General Motors, Westinghouse, Ford Motor Company, Pan American World Airways, and the United States government agencies participating in thematic pavilions. The Perisphere's scale and immersive interior attracted critical attention from architects, curators, journalists, politicians, and cultural figures including Robert Moses, Fiorello La Guardia, Harold Ickes, and critics writing for outlets like the New York Times and Harper's Bazaar.

Background and design

Conceived amid planning led by Edgar A. Kaufmann Sr.-era patrons and fair directors collaborating with advisers from institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Perisphere and the adjacent Trylon embodied concepts promoted by design advocates like Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Raymond Hood, and proponents of modernist aesthetics including Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. The fair's theme "The World of Tomorrow" reflected influences from Futurism, Art Deco, and corporate modernism championed by industrialists such as Alfred P. Sloan and cultural figures like Frank Lloyd Wright who debated the fair's program. The Perisphere's spherical form drew on precedents in exhibition architecture seen in projects by Buckminster Fuller and classical precedents studied by scholars at Columbia University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Construction and engineering

Engineers and contractors from firms including Mason & Hanger, United States Steel Corporation, and local builders coordinated reinforced concrete work, lifting equipment, and temporary utilities overseen by municipal officials such as Robert Moses and public works commissioners connected to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's administration. Construction incorporated advances in concrete shell techniques informed by research at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and practices used by firms associated with John S. Allen (engineer) and structural engineers influenced by Fritz von Emperger-era European innovations. The Perisphere's erection required cranes and scaffolding supplied by industrial suppliers such as Westinghouse Electric, and its surfaces were finished with materials specified in contracts with firms like General Electric for lighting and exhibition infrastructure coordinated with the fair's chief engineers.

Role in the 1939 New York World's Fair

Centrally positioned with the Trylon, the Perisphere served as the fair's symbolic hub used by organizers including the New York World's Fair Corporation, fair president Grover Whalen, and planning committees drawing support from corporations like General Motors Corporation and cultural sponsors such as The Coca-Cola Company. The Perisphere functioned as the terminus for the Hall of Riverside Drive? processional axis and acted as a gathering place referenced in promotional materials circulated by Time (magazine), Life (magazine), and travel guides produced by American Tourist Association. Political figures including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and diplomats attending opening ceremonies noted the Perisphere when discussing civic planning, international exhibits from countries like United Kingdom, France, Soviet Union, Japan, and Mexico, and trade delegations from Pan-American Union member states.

Functions and exhibits within the Perisphere

Inside the Perisphere visitors experienced an immersive diorama and presentation known as "Democracity" conceived by planners and designers collaborating with municipal and corporate sponsors such as General Motors, The Ford Motor Company, Harrison & Abramovitz, and exhibition designers influenced by concepts from Herman Kahn-style planners and the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition programs. The interior featured a scale model, film projections, lighting by firms like Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and a moving walkway system reminiscent of innovations showcased earlier by companies such as RCA and General Electric. The presentation combined urban planning ideals promoted by figures like Lewis Mumford, Ebenezer Howard-influenced garden city advocates, and proponents of modern housing seen in work by Fisk University alumni and academic planners. Audio-visual components engaged visitors with scripted narration and scenography devised by theatrical and cinematic technicians associated with Hollywood studios including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and display fabricators from trade firms such as Herbert Matter's collaborators.

Public reception and cultural impact

The Perisphere drew attention from critics, journalists, artists, and social commentators including writers at The New Yorker, photographers for Life (magazine), architects in the American Institute of Architects, and cultural figures like Orson Welles who cited the fair in later commentary. Responses ranged from plaudits in Architectural Record and coverage by broadcasters such as NBC and CBS to skepticism from opponents including members of civic groups in Bronx and Brooklyn raising questions echoed by commentators at The Nation. The Perisphere influenced popular culture, inspiring designers in Hollywood, visual artists affiliated with Abstract Expressionism and sculptors represented by galleries on 57th Street, and later referenced in cultural histories produced by scholars at Columbia University, Princeton University, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Post-fair fate and legacy

After the fair closed, the Perisphere and Trylon were dismantled under orders linked to post-fair redevelopment overseen by municipal authorities including Robert Moses and wartime exigencies involving United States War Department requisitions and material salvage conducted by firms such as Bethlehem Steel and local contractors. Fragments, photographs, and archival records entered collections at institutions like the New York Public Library, Museum of the City of New York, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and private collections acquired by scholars from Columbia University and New York University. The Perisphere's conceptual legacy persisted in urban planning curricula at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, influencing later landmark projects, commemorations, and cultural references in literature by authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald-era chroniclers and journalists writing retrospectives for The New York Times Book Review.

Category:World's fair architecture