By Connor Adams Sheets
The Unisphere and its magnificent fountains have been returned to their full glory for the first time since the 1964 World’s Fair, city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said at the ribbon-cutting of the newly restored fountains Thursday morning.
Dozens of streams of water shot high into the air around the iconic landmark in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, delighting the community leaders, politicians and parkgoers who gathered there to see the fountains spray once again.
“I feel like I’m in a Fellini movie,” Benepe said, summing up the mood of the attendees who oohed and aahed as the impressive display came to life before them.
Many of the gathered luminaries had attended the fair, and Borough President Helen Marshall said she had even attended the 1939 World’s Fair as a young girl. For Marshall and Benepe, the event was the culmination of a diligent effort to get $1.9 million designated for the fountain work.
Marshall said she was proud to see the beloved construction brought back to life for the first time in years, a testament to the diversity of Queens and a shining beacon to immigrants looking to move to the borough.
“At the center of this park is a symbol of the shrinking world,” she said. “It’s a symbol of world peace.”
Benepe too has memories of the 1964 World’s Fair, particularly of the “It’s a Small World Ride,” which was moved to Disneyland in California after the two-year-long event.
“For the same amount of money it cost to install the whole thing in 1963 and 1964, we’re restoring the fountains,” he said. “Soon we’ll have a magical moment where we’ll actually cut the ribbon and turn on the fountain.”
That moment came after a countdown from ten, and those in attendance could not keep their eyes off the most famous structure in Queens, which is no longer dry and neglected.
Reach reporter Connor Adams Sheets by e-mail at csheets@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
