Unisphere

Unisphere
The Unisphere with its fountains and spectators
TypeSteel structure
LocationFlushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York, U.S.
Coordinates40°44′47″N 73°50′42″W / 40.74639°N 73.84500°W / 40.74639; -73.84500
Height140 feet (43 m)
DedicatedMarch 1964 (1964-03)
Built1963–64
Built for1964 New York World's Fair
Restored1993–94, 2010
ArchitectGilmore David Clarke (landscape architect)
Peter Muller-Munk Associates (industrial designers)
SculptorAmerican Bridge Company
Governing bodyNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation
DesignatedMay 16, 1995[1]
Reference no.1925
Unisphere is located in New York City
Unisphere
Location of Unisphere in New York City
Unisphere is located in New York
Unisphere
Unisphere (New York)
Unisphere is located in the United States
Unisphere
Unisphere (the United States)

The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. The globe was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke as part of his plan for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, the Unisphere was conceived and constructed as the theme symbol of the World's Fair. The theme of the World's Fair was "Peace Through Understanding", and the Unisphere represented the theme of global interdependence, being dedicated to "Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe".

The Unisphere measures 140 feet (43 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in diameter. It sits atop a 20-foot-tall (6.1 m) tripod base with over 500 steel pieces representing the countries, as well as three steel rings representing the first artificial satellites orbiting Earth. Around the Unisphere is a reflecting pool measuring 310 feet (94 m) in diameter. The base is surrounded by 48 pairs of fountainheads, which were intended to conceal the tripod supporting the globe.

Clarke devised plans for the Unisphere while aboard an airplane in 1960. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation commissioner Robert Moses, who had already rejected two plans for iconic structures at the 1964 Fair, approved Clarke's proposal in early 1961. After further refinements, the Unisphere was constructed by American Bridge Company, a division of U.S. Steel, from March to August 1963. Over 51 million people visited the Unisphere during the World's Fair, after which it became a permanent attraction of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. In the 1970s, the Unisphere was not maintained and became visibly dirty; it was restored in the early 1990s. The Unisphere was made a New York City designated landmark in 1995 and after another period of disrepair, it was restored in the early 2010s.


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