(Photo via the NY State Pavilion Paint Project)
The New York State Pavilion was erected for the 1964-65 World's Fair, and remains on the Fair's former grounds today, a little worse for wear. Tonight it will be lit up for a documentary screening called Modern Ruin, which will screen before the light show next to the structures. While the Daily News reports this will be the first time since the 1960s that the Pavilion will be lit up, that's not accurate. Last year, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz performed a lighting test, in hopes of bringing a semi permanent lighting installation to the Pavilion.
The Pavilion consists of three components: the Tent of Tomorrow, the Observation Towers, and Theaterama. The screening will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday night near these structures in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Following the screening, Guerrilla Lighting and the National Trust for Historic Preservation will deliver a light show, displayed on the Pavilion structures—a rare opportunity to see these things lit up, even if it hasn't been decades since it last happened.
The World's Fair structures were left to decay for many years, but recently some dedicated preservationists have been fighting to bring them back to life, and last year the Tent of Tomorrow got a paint job, with a promise of more renovations on the way, thanks to a few million dollars from the city.
Here's the trailer for the documentary, directed by Matthew Silva:
