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 international exposition held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair featured exhibitions, activities, performances, films, artworks, and food presented by 62 nations, 35 U.S. states and territories, and more than 1,400 organizations and companies. Slightly over 45 million people attended across two seasons. Themed to "the world of tomorrow" and promoted with the slogan "Dawn of a New Day", the fairground was divided into seven color-coded zones and two standalone focal exhibits, with approximately 375 buildings.

Plans for the fair were first announced in September 1935, and the New York World's Fair Corporation (WFC) began construction in June 1936. The fair officially opened on April 30, 1939, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the first inauguration of George Washington. Four months after the fair’s opening, World War II began in Europe, prompting several exhibitions to close or scale back. Although the fair ultimately drew more than 45 million visitors, it recouped only 32% of its original cost. When the exposition closed on October 27, 1940, most pavilions were demolished or removed, while others were relocated or reused during the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Throughout its run, the fair hosted a wide array of cultural programming, including themed celebration days for participating nations, states, businesses, and organizations. Musical performances, sculptures, and visual artworks were displayed throughout the grounds and within individual pavilions. Numerous restaurants and concession stands operated across the site, and a variety of consumer products such as new household appliances and early electronic devices were showcased to the public. The exposition stimulated significant spending within New York City and contributed to the broader development of Queens. Many artifacts from the fair survive in museums and private collections, and the event has been referenced or dramatized in film, television, and other media.

Development

New York City had hosted the United States' first world's fair, the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, in 1853–1854. The city did not host another world's fair for 85 years. The site of the 1939 World's Fair, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, was originally a natural wetland straddling the Flushing River before becoming an ash dump in the early 20th century. New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses first conceived the idea of developing a large park in Flushing Meadows in the 1920s. Although the neighborhoods around Flushing Meadows contained residential developments, the meadow itself remained undeveloped and isolated. Meanwhile, the 1933 Century of Progress exposition in Chicago had boosted that city's economy, prompting businesspeople in New York City to consider a similar fair.

Planning

thumb|The fairground site, which was an ash dump before the fair opened

The New York Times writes that the civil engineer Joseph Shadgen came up with the idea for the World's Fair in 1934, while talking with his daughter. By early 1935, a group led by the municipal reformer George McAneny was considering an international exposition in New York City in 1939. Moses said the date was "an excuse and not the reason" for the fair. The Flushing Meadows site had been selected because of its large size and central location, and because the city already owned nearby. The New York City Board of Estimate approved the use of Flushing Meadows as a fairground on September 23, and Moses directed municipal draftsmen to survey the site.

Mayor Fiorello La Guardia pledged financial support for the fair that October, and the New York World's Fair Corporation (WFC) was formed to oversee the exposition on October 22, 1936. The WFC elected McAneny as its president, and two contractors were hired that December to conduct preliminary surveys. State lawmaker Herbert Brownell Jr. introduced legislation in January 1936, which allowed the WFC to lease Flushing Meadows from the city government. By then, the fair was estimated to cost $45 million. To oversee the fair's development, McAneny organized a committee, which initially advocated for a single massive building. but the New York State Legislature ultimately voted in April to allow the city to lease out Flushing Meadows.

Grover Whalen replaced McAneny as the WFC's chairman in April 1936 and was later elected as the agency's full-time president. J. Franklin Bell drew preliminary plans for the fair, and the WFC appointed seven men