Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the 1964 World's Fair

Top image of the 1964 World's Fair Unisphere: @rtanphoto

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of the 1964 New York World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York. This global exhibition celebrated the theme of “Peace Through Understanding" and showcased mid-twentieth-century American culture and technology.

The 1964 World’s Fair attracted over 50 million visitors during its duration. To this day, one of the most iconic symbols of the 1964 New York World’s Fair is the Unisphere, designed by landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke. The Unisphere was dedicated to “man's achievements on a shrinking globe in an expanding universe.”

Left: Historic photo of the Unisphere at the 1964 World’s Fair by Wilford Peloquin via Flickr.
Right: Scenes from Tomorrowland featuring the 1964 World’s Fair.

The Fair included more than 140 pavilions that were built in a mid-century modern style, a futurist architectural style influenced by car culture, jet aircraft, and the Space and Atomic Ages of the time, all of which were all on display at the fair. There were also more than 110 restaurants which represented 80 nations and 24 states of the United States of America.

In addition, the 1964 World’s Fair called for a newly designed set of benches to accommodate the millions of visitors that would visit New York City from all over the world.

The 1964 World’s Fair Bench

Today, Kenneth Lynch & Sons proudly offers the replica of the 1964 World’s Fair Bench, also known as the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Bench. The unique bench is characterized by a futuristic design featuring asymmetrical swooping arches for the bench legs - a perfect tribute to the World’s Fair theme.

In 1995, the 1964 World’s Fair Bench was reintroduced into the NYC Parks Department along with a new design that included armrests and a backless model to accommodate the changing needs of the parks. While the original benches for the World’s Fair were made of cast aluminum, the futuristic material of the time, our new design is made of virtually unbreakable ductile iron.

In 2007, Kenneth Lynch & Sons worked with the NYC Parks Department to design bike racks and picnic tables as additions to the 1964 World’s Fair collection. Additionally, we are able to customize the products in our Urban Seating collections to accommodate specific sizing requirements or finishes.

Today, the 1964 World’s Fair benches, picnic tables, and bike racks can be found in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, as well as throughout the five boroughs of New York City and other parks nationwide. Next time you spot a bench by Kenneth Lynch & Sons, take a seat and watch the world go by!

We are also happy to announce that we are in the final stages of developing a new chaise lounge and bar stool that will be placed along 2.4 miles of the waterfront on the East Side of Manhattan. The chaises and bar stools will add versatility of seating options for locals and visitors alike.

Learn more

View more park products in our Urban Seating collection and read more about the fascinating history of Kenneth Lynch & Sons and our work with the 1939 World's Fair and New York City Parks Department throughout the years.