Gothamist: Tribute to Light in the Panorama of the City

Michael

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 19:33:29 -0500

During the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Westinghouse buried a Time Capsule. The Westinghouse company sent a specially printed book to libraries all over the globe, describing the capsule, its contents, and location, so that future archeologists could locate it in 6939 ad. I have recently found the Houston, Texas' library copy. Does anyone else know of surviving copies of the book, titled "Time Capsule"?

Michael

Tue, 17 Aug 2004 19:32:44 -0500

Jen

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 23:07:19 -0500

I must go visit the Panorama. I doubt the QMA has the funds to maintain it the way they and we the city would want. That is priceless about The Donald. He's a big dummy - you'd think he'd at least want to have a presence on the Panorama.

greg.org

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 12:58:38 -0500

So Paul said, they created it first for a Queens Museum fundraiser, back in the day, and the QM wanted it back as a temporary installation. Apparently, they don't/can't update as regularly or systematically as they like; it costs a fortune to maintain and even dust the model. Bonus anecdote: Trump has sent the Museum models of his buildings for installation, but they're always slightly too big (even though the scale isn't a secret). For The Donald, size matters more than accuracy.

greg.org

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 16:10:15 -0500

I'm with Jason and Jen. They survey the city and add/take out individual buildings in the model every few years. If the Tribute in Light is located on the model's WTC site right now, it'll be replaced by buildings are they are completed. Now that I think about it, though, the TIL was actually located in Battery Park City, across the west side hwy. I'll ask Paul tomorrow; I'm speaking to his seminar at CCNY.

chris

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 13:14:32 -0500

i'm with jkottke. i mean, what is the sense in rebuilding it to permanently include a tribute that was temporary in itself?

Jen

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 10:50:38 -0500

I think the WTC buildings replicas were added to the Panorama when they were completed in the 1970s, so the Panorama acts more as a living reflection of the city, being updated periodically, versus acting as a glimpse of the city at one moment in time. But I think the Queens Museum should create a separate display for the WTC replicas.

jkottke

Tue, 11 Nov 2003 10:38:15 -0500

Yes, let's rewrite history, redo all of our art, alter all the photos, and forget that there were ever buildings there in the first place. [fingers in ears] la la la laaa la lala la la la...