A couple of days ago, the Parks Department announced it was planning a big redo of Flushing Meadows Park, the site of two World's Fairs and home to the U.S. Open, a new swim center and some Fair relics. The biggest part of the redo would eliminate a huge "Fountain of the Planets" left over from the 1964 World's Fair and recreate it as a "waterfront festival site" like the Great Lawn in Central Park. Why waterfront? Because the plan would unearth the currently buried Flushing River that runs through the site. The department says it's "re-imagined the park on a grand scale" and would make it greener, eliminate paved paths and "retain and restore iconic elements of the World’s Fair such as the Unisphere, the Queens Museum and Theater in the Park." They'd also try to improve access to the park, which is surrounded and sliced up by the Grand Central Parkway, Long Island Expressway and Van Wyck Expressway. The crumbling Philip Johnson New York State Pavilion is not included in the plan. A spokesperson says that "a structural survey is being performed...Once this survey has been completed, Parks will be able to determine if it is feasible to stabilize and restore the New York State Pavilion."
· 'Sweeping Makeover' for Flushing-Meadows Park [Curbed]
Filed under:
Loading comments...