It looks like one of the city’s most famous fountains, or at least water fixtures, is on the fritz after a multi-million-dollar remake.
About five years after a $7 million upgrade, the Fountain of the Fairs, a symbol of the 1964 World’s Fair, has run dry at least for now, due to electrical problems that the city says it is working on addressing.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said “electrical equipment was damaged this spring due to a leak in one of the water lines leading to the fountain” in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The spokesman said they had reached out for help in repairing and restoring the Fountain of the Fairs just east of the Unisphere.
“We are actively working with the vendor who designed the unit to secure replacement parts and complete repairs as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said.
The fountain served as a dramatic entrance to the 1964 World’s Fair, but was damaged by flooding from Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
That led to a $6.8 million restoration, converting the fountains into a mist garden to cool visitors on hot days.
“We’re thrilled to restore vibrancy to this historic site for the enjoyment of New Yorkers and visitors,” Mitchell J. Silver, the New York City Parks commissioner under Mayor Bill de Blasio, said at the time. “The revitalized Fountain of the Fairs will continue to serve as a symbol of Queens and place for peaceful respite for generations to come.”
Officials, after the project was completed, described the Fountain of the Fairs as an “iconic” feature and “hallmark of the borough of Queens” as well as a wonderful attraction where residents could cool off and enjoy the summer.
The project included specialized jets, new seating, a drinking fountain, updated plumbing and infrastructure and new pavement designed to reflect the Art Deco style of 1930s New York.
McLaren Engineering Group, which did surveys, civil, geotechnical and structural engineering and construction support for the project, online said it engineered various supply and drainage/utility structures, designing the storm sewer system and subsurface drainage layouts.
McLaren online said the new design, which added extensive weight to the existing pool, includes concrete masonry walls.
The fountain includes 1.8 miles of water pipes up to eight inches in diameter, as well as a surface including pavers over six inches thick above an area filled in with gravel.
The walls were designed with holes along the base, reducing the possibility of water collecting at the bottom of the pool and includes a perforated pipe to drain excess water. McLaren also added some extra grading to improve the slope a bit more.
It is located near the Unisphere, which includes shapes of continents, designed to reflect the World’s Fair theme of “Peace Through Understanding.”
