A 1964 World’s Fair icon just got a new lease on life.
On Thursday, August 13, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Borough President Helen Marshall, State Senators Frank Padavan and Toby Stavisky, Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn, City Councilmembers Peter Koo and Julissa Ferreras, Community Board 3, 4, and 8 District Managers and community members cut the ribbon on almost $2 million in improvements to the Unisphere Fountain.
“There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow for the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and its thanks to Queens Borough President Marshall and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who together allocated nearly $2 million to refurbish this iconic and historic fountain,” said Benepe.
“It’s really a small world in Queens and you can see almost every country represented playing soccer on its many fields, visiting the Queens Museum, attending a show at the Queens Theatre in the Park, practicing their backhands at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center or strolling through the Queens Zoo and the park’s many other cultural institutions,” Benepe continued. “Now they can do this against the backdrop of a spectacular aquatic display, fully restored and operational for the first time in more than 15 years.”
Thanks to a $1.04 million allocation by Marshall and $934,000 from Bloomberg, the Unisphere Fountain was refurbished — including work on its pumps, re-sealing of joints, and a fresh coat of paint on the fountain’s surface. In addition, part of the plaza around the fountain was re-graded. The rehabilitation will allow the fountains to be operated on a daily basis.
The Unisphere stands 140 feet tall and was built entirely of stainless steel by U.S. Steel. It was designed by landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke. The three rings circling the globe represent the first manmade satellites to orbit the earth. In 1995, the Unisphere was officially designated a New York City Landmark.
