Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Documenting City's neglect of NYS Pavilion


From DNA Info:

The New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park can be seen from highways, from airplanes landing at LaGuardia Airport and from various spots in the park.

Standing under the rusting frame, it’s hard to imagine its past grandeur.

But Matthew Silva, a teacher and filmmaker, is hoping to change that through a film documenting the history of the Queens landmark, as well as the people who have fought to restore it.

It wasn’t until he was studying design at Stony Brook University, walking through his school’s bookstore, that he learned of the important history of the Pavilion. He found a book about American architecture with the tallest tower — “that thing I always saw on the LIE’’— on the cover.

“I couldn’t believe that Philip Johnson designed that project and the city let such a visible and prominent design go to waste,” he said.

Silva's now a teacher at Jericho Middle School and High School, but his interest in World's Fair history has remained a constant since college.

This college discovery led him to pursue the history of the World’s Fair, as well as the decades-long fight to preserve it.

13 comments:

Alan said...

Thank you, Matthew.

Joe said...

I read the article. Some local bands, high-school bands did play at the NYSP on a little stage to the left as you walked in the main entrance but that's about it.
It was never used as a "concert hall".
The upcoming 60's national bands like Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead and others played at the "Singer Bowl" which is now part of the USTA Louis Armstrong stadium (the small stadium by the crumbling mosaic's).
A local Queens band "The Igloos" opened for Led Zeppelin. I knew the guitar player Mark Mayo from Roxie studios.

I wish him luck with the film and advise not to blow $$ releasing it until the Bloomberg mob and Queen borough president is out of office. --The mayor will have the media squash anything to do this. The mayors office controls all there press access, tripod, video and photography permits so the media dare not cross or insult him.

Anonymous said...

So a teacher from Nassau County, who went to school in Suffolk County, is fighting to restore something in Queens? Yeah, that will go nowhere.

Anonymous said...

So a teacher from Nassau County, who went to school in Suffolk County, is fighting to restore something in Queens? Yeah, that will go nowhere.
--------------------------------------------------------
Well, if people who live outside of the borough care more about its historic icons than those who live in Queens, I say go for it!!!

Anonymous said...

Give him credit for having the backbone to do something.

How about a poll?

If he were from Queens he would:

1. make sophomoric complaints in his jammies here and do nothing.

2. quietly move somewhere else that is he considers more mainstream America.

3. ask 'Huh? What NYS Pavilion?"

4. shrug

5. other

Anonymous said...

I remember as a kid watching the "Sky Streak" elevators zoom up and down the towers, but the best memory is of the mosaic tile map of New York State.

Anonymous said...

Other:

Change the subject?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous with the poll sums up the rank n file readership of this blog rather nicely, no?

Queens Crapper said...

The rank n file readership of this blog haven't moved, know what the NYS Pavilion is and have been trying to prevent the destruction of the borough for decades. I think you need to pull your head out of your ass.

Anonymous said...

Somehow the Queens Art Museum (the New York City Pavilion) survives all the way from the 1939 World's Fair.

Anonymous said...

This was meant to be pulled down after the worlds fair... That its still standing is a minor miracle...

Sandy Hamilton said...

A lot of people are still interested in Queens. Queens was really a very nice place to live. Too bad third world got in an wrecked it. Besides NYC,Dept. of Sanitation is telling me in Patchogue how to re-cycle....got a card in the mail yesterday.

Anonymous said...

50 years later and:
This decaying eyesore still stands idle
The abandoned LIRR Rockaway Spur still sits idle
Jamaica center is still a disgrace
Queens still lacks honest, good leadership

Please add to this list.