View source for Unisphere

{{short description|Steel structure in Queens, New York}}
{{About|the structure|the networking company|Unisphere Networks}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name                = Unisphere
| image               = Unisphere-2 (27835155267).jpg
| image_size          = 300px
| alt                 =
| caption             = The Unisphere with its fountains and spectators
| locmapin            = New York City#New York#United States
| coordinates         = {{Coord|40|44|47|N|73|50|42|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| type                = Steel structure
| etymology           =
| location            = [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]]<br />[[Queens]], New York, U.S.
| area                =
| elevation           =
| height              = {{convert|140|ft}}
| beginning_label     = Dedicated
| beginning_date      = {{start date and age|1964|03}}
| formed              =
| built               = 1963–64
| built_for           = [[1964 New York World's Fair]]
| restored            = 1993–94, 2010
| restored_by         =
| architect           = [[Gilmore David Clarke]] (landscape architect)<br>[[Peter Muller-Munk Associates]] (industrial designers)
| sculptor            = [[American Bridge Company]]
| visitors_num        =
| visitors_year       =
| visitors_ref        =
| governing_body      = [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]
| owner               =
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| designation1        = NYCL
| designation1_number = 1925
| designation1_date   = May 16, 1995<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=1}}</ref>
}}

The '''Unisphere''' is a spherical stainless steel [[Globe|representation of the Earth]] at [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]] in [[Queens]], New York City, New York. The globe was designed by [[Gilmore D. Clarke]] 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".

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. The Unisphere became an unofficial symbol of Queens after the World's Fair. 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.

The Unisphere measures {{convert|140|ft|0}} high and {{convert|120|ft|0}} in diameter. It sits atop a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[tripod]] base with over 500 steel pieces representing the countries, as well as three steel rings representing the first artificial [[satellite]]s orbiting Earth. Around the Unisphere is a reflecting pool measuring {{convert|310|ft}} in diameter, surrounded by 48 pairs of fountainheads.

== History ==
[[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]], a former ash dump in the [[Borough (New York City)|New York City borough]] of [[Queens]], was used for the [[1939 New York World's Fair|1939/1940 New York World's Fair]]. At the conclusion of the fair, it was used as a park.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 15, 1940|title=Ready to Turn Fair Into Park; Moses Tells Mayor His Plans Are Set|page=14|work=[[The Sun (New York City)|The Sun]]|via=[[fultonhistory.com]]|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201940%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Sun%25201940%2520a%2520-%25204231.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729132724/http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/New%20York%20NY%20Sun/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201940/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201940%20a%20-%204231.pdf |archive-date=2019-07-29 |url-status=live|access-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=July 13, 1949|title=Flushing Meadow|page=4|work=Long Island Star-Journal|via=[[fultonhistory.com]]|url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%2FLong%2520Island%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201949%2FLong%2520Island%2520%2520City%2520NY%2520Star%2520Journal%25201949%2520-%25204917.pdf|access-date=March 27, 2017|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222858/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/Long%20Island%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal/Long%20Island%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal%201949/Long%20Island%20%20City%20NY%20Star%20Journal%201949%20-%204917.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Flushing Meadows site was selected in 1959 for the [[1964 New York World's Fair]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruI0AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA1-PA10|title=La Guardia International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Airport Access Program, Automated Guideway Transit System (NY, NJ): Environmental Impact Statement|date=June 1994|publisher=[[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]], [[United States Department of Transportation]], [[Federal Aviation Administration]], [[New York State Department of Transportation]]|pages=1.11|access-date=November 4, 2019|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222858/https://books.google.com/books?id=ruI0AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA1-PA10|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Gilmore David Clarke]] and Michael Rapuano, designers of the original World's Fair layout, were retained to tailor the original 1939 park layout for the new fair.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 3, 2015|title=Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: Historic Preservation Studio|url=https://issuu.com/barrettreiter/docs/fmcp_hpstudioii2015_printedition_re|access-date=March 31, 2017|publisher=[[Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation]]|page=16|archive-date=April 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401145529/https://issuu.com/barrettreiter/docs/fmcp_hpstudioii2015_printedition_re|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 3">{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=3}}</ref> New York City parks commissioner [[Robert Moses]] was president of the World's Fair Corporation, which leased the park from the city until 1967, after the fair's completion.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schumach|first=Murray|date=June 4, 1967|title=Moses Gives City Fair Site as Park; Flushing Meadows in Queens Becomes the 2d Biggest Recreation Area Here|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407072907/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Planning===
After the 1964 fair was announced, Moses wished to make a symbol that represented the fair's theme of "Peace Through Understanding",<ref name="n82219504" /><ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere">{{cite web|title=Unisphere|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/12761|access-date=July 26, 2021|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|archive-date=December 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201230918/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/12761|url-status=live}}</ref> which would also have some "significance or meaning for the average person".<ref name="n82219504">{{Cite news|date=May 16, 1995|title=Queens History: the Unisphere|pages=10|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82219504/queens-history-the-unisphere/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170228/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82219504/queens-history-the-unisphere/|url-status=live}}</ref> The symbol would also celebrate the beginning of the space age.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" /> Moses first asked designer [[Walter Dorwin Teague]] to make a "Theme Center". Teague designed the center as a {{Convert|170|ft|4=-tall|adj=mid}} inverted cone surrounded by a spiral, rising from a reflecting pool. Moses declined the proposal, calling it a "cross between a part of a brake engine and a bed spring, or should I say between a Malayan Tapir and a window shutter".<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=1032}}</ref> Another proposal was devised by [[Paul Rudolph (architect)|Paul Rudolph]] on behalf of the [[Portland Cement Association]]. This plan called for a saucer measuring {{Convert|300|ft}} in diameter and tilted 18 degrees from the ground, with a restaurant, exhibits, educational and recreational facilities, and "planetary viewing stations".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=Jul 1961|title=Moon-viewing Platform Shows Concrete|url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1961-07.pdf|journal=Progressive Architecture|volume=42|pages=45|access-date=March 30, 2021|archive-date=June 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619022519/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1961-07.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rudolph Designs for the New York Fair|url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1961-07.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=43|issue=7|pages=12|access-date=March 30, 2021|archive-date=June 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619022706/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1961-07.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Moses also rejected Rudolph's proposal.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" />

The idea for the Unisphere occurred in September 1960 as Clarke was doodling on an airplane from Ohio to New York.<ref name="p115522865">{{cite news|last=Robbins|first=William|date=August 16, 1964|title=Doodle Grew Into the Unisphere, With Help From a Rubber Ball|page=R1|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|115522865}}}}</ref><ref name="p750198061">{{cite news|last=Campanella|first=Thomas J.|date=September 11, 2010|title=Leisure & Arts – Architecture: Icon of a Fair, a Borough, the World|page=W.13|work=The Wall Street Journal|issn=0099-9660|id={{ProQuest|750198061}}}}</ref> Clarke had sketched a metal [[Armillary sphere|armillary]] on the rear of an envelope.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" /><ref name="p750198061" /><ref name="Rogers 2017">{{cite web|last=Rogers|first=Adam|date=May 23, 2017|title=What the Unisphere Tells Us About America at the Dawn of the Space Age|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unisphere-america-dawn-space-age-180963244/|access-date=March 30, 2021|website=Smithsonian Magazine|archive-date=April 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413000106/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unisphere-america-dawn-space-age-180963244/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the time he got to his office, Clarke had refined his plan into a revolving globe with rings of latitude and longitude. Clarke asked another architect working under his office, William S. Boice, to sketch the structure. Since the method of the sculpture's revolution had not yet been determined, Boice drew fountains to conceal the base.<ref name="p115522865" /> The Unisphere was conceptually designed in aluminum with metallic mesh continents.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="AR 1964">{{cite magazine|last=Schmertz|first=Mildred F.|date=July 1964|title=Architecture at the New York World's Fair|url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1964-07.pdf|journal=Architectural Record|volume=136|page=150|access-date=July 27, 2020|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727215444/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1964-07.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The globe would be tilted 23.5 degrees and would measure {{Convert|160|ft}} across. Capital cities would be represented on the globe by three sizes of lights, with larger lights for capitals deemed more important.<ref name="p750198061" /> Clarke showed the plan to Moses, who approved of it.<ref name="p115522865" />

Moses announced plans for the Unisphere in February 1961.<ref name="nyt19610215">{{Cite news|date=February 15, 1961|title=A 120-Foot Steel 'Unisphere' Will Be Symbol of the '64 Fair|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/15/archives/a-120foot-steel-unisphere-will-be-symbol-of-the-64-fair.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308213052/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/15/archives/a-120foot-steel-unisphere-will-be-symbol-of-the-64-fair.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=February 14, 1961|title='Unisphere' Is Fair's Symbol|pages=4|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82192966/unisphere-is-fairs-symbol/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015224/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82192966/unisphere-is-fairs-symbol/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Unisphere would be erected at the site of the [[Trylon and Perisphere|Perisphere of the 1939 World's Fair]] which was dismantled after the Fair,<ref name="nyt19610215" /><ref name="PA 1961-03">{{cite magazine|date=Mar 1961|title=Plus Ça Change|url=https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1961-03.pdf|journal=Progressive Architecture|volume=42|pages=64|number=3|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726185148/https://usmodernist.org/PA/PA-1961-03.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Moses commented that he "never understood" the Perisphere and its Trylon.<ref name="nyt19610215" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /> According to Moses, the Unisphere "illustrates, symbolizes and embodies man's achievements on a shrinking globe in an expanding universe".<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|pp=1032–1033}}</ref> The structure was to be constructed by [[American Bridge Company]], a division of [[U.S. Steel]].<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /><ref name="AR 1964" /> Further refinements were made by another of Clarke's architects, Peter Martecchini, who decided to place three columns at the globe's pedestal after playing with a rubber ball belonging to one of his sons.<ref name="p115522865" /> Martecchini developed a working model for a moving platform, composed of three pegs, each topped by a pair of metal disks and a toothed disk with a bolt, supporting a plywood platform.<ref name="p115522865" /> A model of the proposed work was unveiled in 1962.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 24, 1962|title=Unisphere at 1964 World's Fair to Be 12 Stories High|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/24/archives/unisphere-at-1964-worlds-fair-to-be-12-stories-high.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308232114/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/24/archives/unisphere-at-1964-worlds-fair-to-be-12-stories-high.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Clarke's idea underwent a further refined industrial design in stainless steel by industrial designers at [[Peter Muller-Munk Associates]].<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kracklauer|first=Beth|date=November 19, 2015|title=Mass-Market Masterpieces: The Designs of Peter Muller-Munk|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mass-market-masterpieces-the-designs-of-peter-muller-munk-1447953339|access-date=July 27, 2020|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018033659/https://www.wsj.com/articles/mass-market-masterpieces-the-designs-of-peter-muller-munk-1447953339|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Gopnik|first=Blake|author-link=Blake Gopnik|date=July 9, 2015|title=Carnegie Museum to Open a Survey of the Designer Peter Muller-Munk|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/arts/design/carnegie-museum-to-open-a-survey-of-the-designer-peter-muller-munk.html|access-date=July 27, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727165537/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/10/arts/design/carnegie-museum-to-open-a-survey-of-the-designer-peter-muller-munk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of the original design details were controversial. Several landmasses such as [[Cyprus]] and [[Crete]] had been left out of the original design, and the lights representing capital cities were criticized on the grounds that the process of selecting "important" capitals was subjective.<ref name="p750198061" /> U.S. Steel rejected the idea of a spinning globe due to high costs, though it did retain Martecchini's idea of a three-pointed pedestal.<ref name="p115522865" /><ref name="p750198061" /> In addition, the globe was reduced from {{Convert|150|to|120|ft}} after Clarke talked with U.S. Steel's board chairman [[Roger Blough]], who said the globe would only be as high as a ten-story brick building outside his office.<ref name="p115522865" /> The final design was similar to the original, but the fountains were arranged differently.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" />

=== Construction and World's Fair ===
{{multiple image
| align = center
| direction = horizontal
| width =
| image1 = Unisphere construction.jpg
| alt1 = A set of eight photographs showing the Unisphere under construction in the 1960s<
| caption1 = The Unisphere under construction in the 1960s<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/916a9906-eec5-f8ab-e040-e00a180606c5|title=Unisphere (under construction)|website=NYPL Digital Collections|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308020308/https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/916a9906-eec5-f8ab-e040-e00a180606c5|url-status=live}}</ref>
| image2 = Unisphere, 1960.png
| caption2 = A crane eases the last segment of the Unisphere into place to complete the structure
| total_width = 500
| alt2 = A crane installing the last segment of the Unisphere
}}
Construction on the Unisphere started on March 6, 1963.<ref name="p510430255">{{cite news|date=March 7, 1963|title=Unisphere Takes Shape|page=2|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|510430255}}}}</ref> The globe was built within 110 days,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Unisphere, 1960 – Photos – New York: The 1960s|newspaper=New York Daily News|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-city-1960s-gallery-1.1038782?pmSlide=1.1038739|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025104601/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-city-1960s-gallery-1.1038782?pmSlide=1.1038739|url-status=live}}</ref> and the last landmass was installed on August 13, 1963.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 13, 1963|title=Section Added to Unisphere|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/13/archives/section-added-to-unisphere.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308172511/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/13/archives/section-added-to-unisphere.html|url-status=live}}</ref> When the Unisphere was being built, Blough took credit for the structure. He also gave an award to M. Legrain-Eiffel, whose grandfather [[Gustave Eiffel]]'s company had designed and built the [[Eiffel Tower]].<ref name="p510430255" /><ref name="vv19630314">{{cite news|date=March 14, 1963|title=Moses' Orb holds Sway Over Fair|page=7|work=The Village Voice|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=KEtq3P1Vf8oC&dat=19630314&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|access-date=March 30, 2021|via=Google News|archive-date=January 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101112327/http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=KEtq3P1Vf8oC&dat=19630314&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> The Unisphere was dedicated in early March 1964,<ref name="vv19630314" /> and the base of the Unisphere hosted a dance [[Ball (dance party)|ball]] the same month, attended by four hundred people.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 7, 1964|title=400 Attend Unisphere Ball In Salute to Fair at Arts Club|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/07/archives/400-attend-unisphere-ball-in-salute-to-fair-at-arts-club.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015224/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/07/archives/400-attend-unisphere-ball-in-salute-to-fair-at-arts-club.html|url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. Steel constructed the Unisphere for free; as compensation, the company's name was placed on marketing materials throughout the fair.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" />

[[File:Unisphere.jpg|thumb|alt=Aerial view of paths during the 1964–1965 World's Fair, with the Unisphere at the end of one path on the left|The then-newly-built Unisphere during the 1964–1965 World's Fair]]

The globe became the icon of the 1964 World's Fair.<ref name="n82219504" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> A special commemorative stamp issue was issued starting in April 1964, depicting fair attractions such as the Unisphere.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 15, 1964|title=The World of Stamps; View of Mall Marks Issue for the Fair|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/15/archives/the-world-of-stamps-view-of-mall-marks-issue-for-the-fair.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015224/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/15/archives/the-world-of-stamps-view-of-mall-marks-issue-for-the-fair.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The globe was also depicted on media and souvenirs promoting the fair.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 25, 1962|title=Fair's Unisphere Will Get a Lot of Mileage|pages=30|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82229160/fairs-unisphere-will-get-a-lot-of/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726185148/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82229160/fairs-unisphere-will-get-a-lot-of/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Unisphere's popularity was also increased by the presence of fountainheads around the globe's base, which cooled down fair visitors on hot days.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 24, 1964|title=Fair's Fountains Prove Handy as Air-Conditioners|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/24/archives/fairs-fountains-prove-handy-as-airconditioners.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170226/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/24/archives/fairs-fountains-prove-handy-as-airconditioners.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During the fair, dramatic lighting at night gave the effect of sunrise moving over the surface of the globe. Additionally, the capitals of nations were marked by lights.<ref name="p750198061" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> One of these lights is placed at the location of the [[Kahnawake]] First Nations reserve, which the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk]] ironworkers requested to be placed there to honor their labor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Unisphere|website=Place Matters|date=September 24, 2015|url=http://www.placematters.net/node/1564|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073917/http://www.placematters.net/node/1564|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref> Over the course of the fair, many of its 51 million visitors passed by the Unisphere.<ref name="nyt20140418">{{Cite news|last=Robbins|first=Liz|date=April 18, 2014|title=Around the Unisphere at the World's Fair, Lives Changed|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/nyregion/around-the-unisphere-at-the-worlds-fair-lives-changed.html|access-date=March 30, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211214242/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/nyregion/around-the-unisphere-at-the-worlds-fair-lives-changed.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1960s to 1990s ===
In March 1966, after the conclusion of the fair, U.S. Steel donated $100,000 to make the Unisphere a permanent attraction at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 21, 1966|title=U.S. Steel Donates A Fund to Maintain Unisphere at Fair|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/03/21/archives/us-steel-donates-a-fund-to-maintain-unisphere-at-fair.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308121536/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/03/21/archives/us-steel-donates-a-fund-to-maintain-unisphere-at-fair.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="p510798784">{{cite news|date=March 22, 1966|title=Funds provided for Unisphere|page=16|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|510798784}}}}</ref> These funds were allocated toward a lighting system for the globe, as well as a water-recirculation system for the pools.<ref name="p510798784" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=April 4, 1966|title=Park on Fair Site Due in December; Last 23 Doomed Buildings to Be Torn Down by July|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/04/archives/park-on-fair-site-due-in-december-last-23-doomed-buildings-to-be-to.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015226/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/04/archives/park-on-fair-site-due-in-december-last-23-doomed-buildings-to-be-to.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The park was reopened the next year following a major renovation, and the Unisphere was permanently retained as a park feature.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Schumach|first=Murray|date=June 4, 1967|title=Moses Gives City Fair Site as Park; Flushing Meadows in Queens Becomes the 2d Biggest Recreation Area Here|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html|access-date=July 27, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=April 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407072907/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  At first, the park was lightly used, and a ''Newsday'' article in 1969 reported that the fountains at the Unisphere had been turned off.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Behrens|first=Dave|date=May 26, 1969|title=Skeleton of Fair Just Hints at What Was: On The Scene|pages=10, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82191707/worlds-fair/ 11]|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82191610/skeleton-of-fair-just-hints-at-what/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015226/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82191610/skeleton-of-fair-just-hints-at-what/|url-status=live}}</ref> The globe was covered in [[soot|grime]] by the 1970s, while the pools were shut off and tagged with graffiti.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> In 1978, the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] tennis tournament was moved from the [[West Side Tennis Club]] in [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills]] to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 28, 1977|title=U.S. Open Site Goes Public for '78|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/28/archives/us-open-site-goes-public-for-78.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726171030/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/28/archives/us-open-site-goes-public-for-78.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Parts of the park were repaired or expanded for the tournament, including the fountains of the Unisphere, which were reactivated in 1978 for the first time in ten years.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 7, 1978|title=A Renewal: Fountains Spout Again|pages=2|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82192760/a-renewal-fountains-spout-again/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015227/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82192760/a-renewal-fountains-spout-again/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Shaman|first=Diana|date=December 3, 1978|title=In Corona, They Look for a Lift From Tennis|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/03/archives/in-corona-they-look-for-a-lift-from-tennis-corona-looks-for-a.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170228/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/03/archives/in-corona-they-look-for-a-lift-from-tennis-corona-looks-for-a.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, officials celebrated the 300th anniversary of Queens's founding at the base of the Unisphere.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shenon|first=Philip|date=June 5, 1983|title=At 300th Birthday Celebration, Queens Feels It's One of a Kind|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/05/nyregion/at-300th-birthday-celebration-queens-feels-it-s-one-of-a-kind.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161007/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/06/05/nyregion/at-300th-birthday-celebration-queens-feels-it-s-one-of-a-kind.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Unisphere Africa 6212-001.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Close-up of the Unisphere, with a steel landmass representing Africa|Close-up of [[Africa]]]]

Arne Abramowitz became administrator of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in 1986 and soon began planning a renovation of the park.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rivera|first=Elaine|date=December 30, 1986|title=New Park Chief Building a Career in Open Spaces|pages=21|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217784/new-park-chief-building-a-career-in/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161020/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217784/new-park-chief-building-a-career-in/|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, the [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] (NYC Parks) announced an $80 million rehabilitation of the park.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|date=November 19, 1987|title=Park in Queens to Get $80 Million Restoration|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/19/nyregion/park-in-queens-to-get-80-million-restoration.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161015/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/19/nyregion/park-in-queens-to-get-80-million-restoration.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nydn19870920">{{Cite news|last=Neugebauer|first=William|date=September 20, 1987|title=It may be the jewel in city park crown|pages=318, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216838/flushing-meadows/ 319]|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216761/it-may-be-the-jewel-in-city-park-crown/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161007/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216761/it-may-be-the-jewel-in-city-park-crown/|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation had been planned since the early 1980s but had been deferred due to a lack of funding. By this time, the city was shutting off the Unisphere's fountains during festivals to prevent people from wading into them.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Polsky|first=Carol|date=August 9, 1988|title=Flushing Meadows Stuck in Park|pages=9, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216396/queens-park-lurches-forward/ 24]|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216298/flushing-meadows-stuck-in-park/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161010/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216298/flushing-meadows-stuck-in-park/|url-status=live}}</ref> The restoration called for new mechanical systems, lighting, retaining walls, benches, paving, and trees to be installed in Unisphere Plaza at a cost of between $5.7 and $5.9 million.<ref name="nydn19870920" /> A second phase would landscape the surrounding grounds for $40 million.<ref name="nydn19870920" />

In 1989, a NYC Parks official observed that landmasses of countries like India and Vietnam would be lifted from their mountings on particularly windy days.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" />

The grounds around the Unisphere were landscaped in 1992,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Newkirk|first=Pamela|date=May 17, 1992|title=Overdue facelift for park in works|pages=207, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217132/ 216], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217226/ 217]|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217067/overdue-facelift-for-park-in-works/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161013/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217067/overdue-facelift-for-park-in-works/|url-status=live}}</ref> but the renovation of the Unisphere itself was delayed due to a lack of money.<ref name="n82217977">{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Ray|date=October 27, 1991|title=World's Fair-est Park? Flushing Meadows soon to have new face|pages=202, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82218112/flushing-meadows-restoration/ 203]|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217977/worlds-fair-est-park-flushing-meadows/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161015/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82217977/worlds-fair-est-park-flushing-meadows/|url-status=live}}</ref> Preservationists objected when some of the trees around the Unisphere, dating to the 1964 World's Fair, were removed and replaced with trees that were easier to maintain.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Serant|first=Claire|date=August 22, 1991|title=Felled park trees trigger outrage|pages=383|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82218779/felled-park-trees-trigger-outrage/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161008/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82218779/felled-park-trees-trigger-outrage/|url-status=live}}</ref> The restoration of the Unisphere, which began in 1993, included numerous structural repairs and removal of grime accumulation on the steel. The fountains were replaced and new floodlighting was installed.<ref name="Huang 1994">{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38447214/|title=Let us spray for Unisphere|last=Huang|first=Vivian|date=June 1, 1994|work=New York Daily News|access-date=November 4, 2019|page=293|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222859/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38447214/let-us-spray-for-unisphere/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=5}}</ref> Furthermore, two of the surrounding lawns were planted with rose gardens.<ref name="Muschamp 1994">{{Cite news|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/02/arts/summer-s-last-hurrah-the-final-fling-before-the-fall-recircling-the-globe.html|title=Summer's Last Hurrah: The Final Fling Before the Fall; Recircling the Globe|last=Muschamp|first=Herbert|author-link=Herbert Muschamp|date=September 2, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 4, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019233411/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/02/arts/summer-s-last-hurrah-the-final-fling-before-the-fall-recircling-the-globe.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=October 10, 1991|title=Unisphere Shaping Up for New Look|pages=35|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82195297/unisphere-shaping-up-for-new-look/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023506/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82195297/unisphere-shaping-up-for-new-look/|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of the park-wide renovation, the entrance of the [[Queens Museum]], to the west, was relocated so it faced the Unisphere directly, rather than in the opposite direction.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 11, 1994|title=New/Old Entry for the Queens Museum; Once Again, Face to Face With the Unisphere|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/realestate/new-old-entry-for-the-queens-museum-once-again-face-to-face-with-the-unisphere.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161017/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/realestate/new-old-entry-for-the-queens-museum-once-again-face-to-face-with-the-unisphere.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=1312}}</ref> The restoration was completed in May 1994.<ref name="Huang 1994" /><ref name="Muschamp 1994" /> Architectural critic [[Herbert Muschamp]] wrote that, while "nothing can compensate for the loss of context around this metallic centerpiece", the globe had started to gleam "with something like its former high spirits".<ref name="Muschamp 1994" /> That year, the Annual Building Awards in Queens gave the Unisphere an award for best rehabilitation.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Belluck|first=Pam|author-link=Pam Belluck|date=October 11, 1995|title=Queens Beauty Contest: Basic Brick Is Beautiful|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/11/nyregion/queens-beauty-contest-basic-brick-is-beautiful.html|access-date=November 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308144718/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/11/nyregion/queens-beauty-contest-basic-brick-is-beautiful.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 1995, several Queens residents petitioned to the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] (LPC) to designate the Unisphere as an official city landmark. Although the structure was only thirty years old, one speaker said "its symbolism precedes its age".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Avashti|first=Surabhi|date=February 15, 1995|title=Finding history, new & old, at 3 sites|pages=1265|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82228649/finding-history-new-old-at-3-sites/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726185148/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82228649/finding-history-new-old-at-3-sites/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, there were relatively few city landmarks in Queens compared to the total number of landmarks citywide, but other structures such as the [[Lewis H. Latimer House]] and [[Vander Ende–Onderdonk House]] were receiving landmark protection.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bazzi|first=Mohamad|date=March 26, 1995|title=Overlooked Treasures|pages=54|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82228889/overlooked-treasures/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726185148/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82228889/overlooked-treasures/|url-status=live}}</ref> The LPC designated the Unisphere as a landmark that May.<ref>{{Cite enc-nyc2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38447505/|title=Unisphere nears landmark status|last=Avashti|first=Surabhi|date=May 15, 1995|work=New York Daily News|access-date=November 4, 2019|page=292|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222900/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38447505/unisphere-nears-landmark-status/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|id={{ProQuest|430178599}} |title=Neighborhood Report: Flushing Meadows – Corona Park; Safe at Last |date=May 14, 1995 |page=13.8 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Though the landmark status ensured the Unisphere's preservation, other relics of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs had become dilapidated or were being demolished at the same time.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Leduff|first=Charlie|author-link=Charlie LeDuff|date=March 17, 1996|title=Neighborhood Report: Flushing; Preserving The Relics Of the Fairs|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flushing-preserving-the-relics-of-the-fairs.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170230/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/17/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flushing-preserving-the-relics-of-the-fairs.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2000s to present ===
[[File:Unisphere-22972.jpg|thumb|alt=Fountains around the base of the Unisphere|Fountains around the Unisphere]]
The fountains at the Unisphere's base were shut off in 2001 due to citywide water restrictions; they were not reactivated until early 2003, seventeen months later.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cardwell|first=Diane|date=April 17, 2003|title=Throw a Coin and Hear a Splash: City Fills Its Fountains|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/17/nyregion/throw-a-coin-and-hear-a-splash-city-fills-its-fountains.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170232/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/17/nyregion/throw-a-coin-and-hear-a-splash-city-fills-its-fountains.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The pool around the globe was also drained because Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] had prohibited water from being used for ornamental purposes.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barron|first=James|author-link=James Barron (journalist)|date=April 21, 2002|title=Water, Water Nowhere, So the Fountains Stay Dry|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/nyregion/water-water-nowhere-so-the-fountains-stay-dry.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170226/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/nyregion/water-water-nowhere-so-the-fountains-stay-dry.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2008, city officials planned to fix the pipes under the Unisphere.<ref name="nydn20080916">{{Cite news|date=September 16, 2008|title=Unisphere work to restore its misty mystique|pages=65|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82222093/unisphere-work-to-restore-its-misty/|access-date=July 26, 2021|last=Hirshon|first=Nicholas|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726172425/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82222093/unisphere-work-to-restore-its-misty/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time, the fountains leaked excessively; to save money, NYC Parks only operated the fountains throughout the day when the [[US Open (tennis)|US Open]] was being held.<ref name="nydn20080916" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=August 25, 2011|title=Circling the Unisphere, a Borough's Backyard|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/arts/flushing-meadows-corona-park-queens-a-boroughs-backyard.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023506/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/arts/flushing-meadows-corona-park-queens-a-boroughs-backyard.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to concerns by city officials that people would wade into the pools, some officials had proposed several years prior that the Unisphere be surrounded by a fence or bushes, but former parks commissioner [[Henry Stern (New York politician)|Henry Stern]] had expressed opposition to such proposals.<ref name="nydn20080916" /> Local media reported in 2009 that grass had begun to grow within the steel mass representing Antarctica.<ref name="Hirshon 2009">{{cite web|last=Hirshon|first=Nicholas|date=August 21, 2009|title=Global warning? Grass grows on South Pole of Flushing Meadows' Unisphere|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/global-warning-grass-grows-south-pole-flushing-meadows-unisphere-article-1.399679|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=New York Daily News|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023506/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/global-warning-grass-grows-south-pole-flushing-meadows-unisphere-article-1.399679|url-status=live}}</ref> NYC Parks officials suspected that bird feces and an accumulation of leaves had contributed to an environment in which seeds could germinate.<ref name="Hirshon 2009" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=August 21, 2009|title=Neglected Unisphere Sprouts Grass in Queens|url=http://gothamist.com/news/neglected-unisphere-sprouts-grass-in-queens|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=Gothamist|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023510/https://gothamist.com/news/neglected-unisphere-sprouts-grass-in-queens|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Unisphere's fountains were rededicated on August 12, 2010, after a $2 million restoration of the pumps, valves, and paintwork.<ref name="n82194889">{{cite news|last=Hirshon|first=Nicholas|date=August 13, 2010|title=Fountain's Return|newspaper=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82194889/fountains-return/|access-date=July 25, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023507/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82194889/fountains-return/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=August 14, 2010|title=Finally: Unisphere Fountain Restored!|url=http://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/finally-unisphere-fountain-restored|access-date=July 27, 2020|website=Gothamist|language=en|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727180423/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/finally-unisphere-fountain-restored|url-status=live}}</ref> The refurbished fountains operated daily during the summer for the first time in more than two decades.<ref name="p750198061" /><ref name="n82194889" /> In the September [[2010 Brooklyn–Queens tornadoes]], the landmass representing [[Sri Lanka]] was blown off the Unisphere. The piece was reinstalled the following year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=August 21, 2011|title=When a Tornado in Queens Becomes an International Incident|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/when-a-tornado-in-queens-becomes-an-international-incident/|access-date=November 4, 2019|website=City Room|language=en-US|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309231428/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/when-a-tornado-in-queens-becomes-an-international-incident/|url-status=live}}</ref> After the fountains were turned back on, visitors often played within the pool and fountains, especially after a neighboring set of fountains to the east broke down.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plitt|first=Amy|date=February 13, 2018|title=World's Fair fountains in Queens will transform into 'mist gardens'|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/2/13/17007934/queens-flushing-meadows-park-world-fair-fountains-renovation|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=Curbed NY|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023508/https://ny.curbed.com/2018/2/13/17007934/queens-flushing-meadows-park-world-fair-fountains-renovation|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Honan 2018">{{cite web|last=Honan|first=Katie|date=February 12, 2018|title=World's Fair fountains in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to get $5 million makeover|url=https://www.amny.com/news/worlds-fair-fountains-queens-1-16726028/|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=amNewYork|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023507/https://www.amny.com/news/worlds-fair-fountains-queens-1-16726028/|url-status=live}}</ref> This was despite the fact that people were technically not allowed to enter the pool and fountains.<ref name="Honan 2018" /><ref name="Civil Engineering Source 2021">{{cite web|last=Witcher|first=T.R.|date=February 11, 2021|title=Then and Now: NYC rebuilds iconic Fountain of the Fairs as a fog garden|url=https://source.asce.org/then-and-now-nyc-rebuilds-iconic-fountain-of-the-fairs-as-a-fog-garden/|access-date=July 26, 2021|website=Civil Engineering Source|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023509/https://source.asce.org/then-and-now-nyc-rebuilds-iconic-fountain-of-the-fairs-as-a-fog-garden/|url-status=dead}}</ref> To prevent people from being hurt by the powerful fountainheads,<ref name="Civil Engineering Source 2021" /> NYC Parks added barricades, opened fire hydrants, and hired patrol officers to deter people from going into the pool area. Even so, some people still entered the pool area.<ref name="Honan 2018" /> NYC Parks announced plans in 2018 for a mist garden just east of the Unisphere, within the Fountains of the Fairs;<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Plitt |first=Amy |date=February 13, 2018 |title=World's Fair Fountains in Queens Will Transform into 'Mist Gardens' |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/2/13/17007934/queens-flushing-meadows-park-world-fair-fountains-renovation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726023508/https://ny.curbed.com/2018/2/13/17007934/queens-flushing-meadows-park-world-fair-fountains-renovation |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |website=Curbed NY}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Honan |first=Katie |date=February 12, 2018 |title=World's Fair Fountains in Queens to Get $5M Makeover |url=https://www.amny.com/news/worlds-fair-fountains-queens-1.16726028 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513205632/https://www.amny.com/news/worlds-fair-fountains-queens-1.16726028 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |access-date=May 13, 2019 |website=am New York}}</ref> the mist garden was dedicated in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 4, 2020 |title=Fountain Of The Fairs Restored |url=https://www.qgazette.com/articles/fountain-of-the-fairs-restored/ |access-date=September 5, 2025 |website=Queens Gazette}}</ref> Both the mist garden and the Unisphere's fountains were out of service by 2025 due to electrical issues.<ref>{{cite web |last=Solnik |first=Claude |date=September 3, 2025 |title=Iconic fountains in Flushing Meadows Corona Park out of service in shadow of US Open |url=https://qns.com/2025/09/fountain-fairs-flushing-meadows-corona-park-repairs/ |access-date=September 5, 2025 |website=QNS}}</ref>

==Design==
===Globe===
[[File:Unisphere in summer.jpg|thumb|Seen in 2010|alt=The Unisphere as seen in 2010, with fountains in the foreground]]
<!--[[File:Unisfera Flushing.jpg|thumb|Seen in 2010|alt=The Unisphere as seen in 2010, with gardens in the foreground]]-->
The Unisphere is the world's largest globe. It measures {{convert|120|ft|0}} in diameter, rises {{convert|140|ft|0}}, and weighs {{convert|700,000|lb|0}}.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=4}}</ref> Including its {{convert|100|ST|0|adj=on}} inverted tripod base, which is made of sturdy low-alloy steel, the Unisphere weighs {{convert|900,000|lb|0}}.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Muschamp 1994" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033">{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=1033}}</ref> The globe is constructed of [[Austenitic stainless steel#AISI 200 and 300 series|Type 304L stainless steel]]. The continents on the globe are fabricated with a special texture-pattern by [[Rigidized Metals Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Brake|first=Alan G.|title=Focus on Fabrication> Rigidized Metals|website=The Architect's Newspaper|date=February 26, 2014|url=http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6657|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226052126/http://www.archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6657|archive-date=February 26, 2014|url-status=dead|access-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref> The horizontal beams on the frame are meant to represent longitude lines.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /> Over five hundred pieces of steel were used in the construction of the globe.<ref name="n82219504" /> The Unisphere is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees, which is the angle of the Earth's equatorial plane to the plane of its orbit about the sun.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1032" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" />

Three large orbit rings of stainless steel encircle the Unisphere at various angles. These orbit rings are believed to represent the tracks of [[Yuri Gagarin]], the first man in space; [[John Glenn]], the first American to orbit Earth; and [[Telstar]], the first active [[communications satellite]].<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Short 2016" /> The early design was to have a ring for each of a dozen satellites in place at the time of the World's Fair. This proved impractical, not only in the number of satellites but also in the height of their orbits and the fact that [[Geostationary orbit|geostationary]] satellites had no orbit path. As a result, a symbolic number of three was chosen for aesthetic reasons.<ref name="Short 2016">{{cite book|last1=Short|first1=Daniel|title=Unisphere: Symbol of the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair|date=2016|publisher=Arethusa Press|isbn=978-0-692-50867-1|edition=1st}}</ref> The three rings were connected with aircraft cable to the rest of the structure.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Another proposal entailed having lights revolve around the satellite rings, but this idea was also decided against.<ref name="p115522865" />

The landmasses of the Unisphere are made of metal sheets that are laid in contours. The shapes had to be placed at regular intervals while also accurately representing the globe, and could not be cross-braced or overly thick; furthermore, wind was trapped by the shapes' concave inner surfaces. As such, a stress transfer pattern was developed, and the meridians and parallels were varied in dimension, thereby making the Unisphere structurally stable as well as accurate in design.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> U.S. Steel's administrative vice president Austin J. Paddock said that some 670 mathematical equations needed to be solved simultaneously to determine the exact layout of the Unisphere.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /><ref name="vv19630314" /> The shape of the steel sheets was devised using a computer.<ref name="Rogers 2017" /> The surface area of the landmasses totals over {{Convert|13000|ft2}}, effectively acting as a large sail.<ref name="p750198061" />

===Base===
[[File:New York World's Fair August 1964.jpeg|thumb|The Unisphere and surrounding areas in 1964]]The Unisphere is centered in a {{convert|310|ft|m|adj=mid|-diameter}} circular reflecting pool, with a floor of poured concrete surrounded by a bulkhead of granite and concrete. Forty-eight pairs of fountainheads, on the outer edge of the pool, are designed to obscure its tripod pedestal.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Prior to the 1990s renovation, there were 48 single fountainheads.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" /> Two pumps in the pool recycle the water that is used in the fountainheads. From the perimeter of the reflecting pool, the Unisphere depicts the Earth from a perspective {{convert|4000|mi}} away.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=6}}</ref>

The Unisphere is built on a concrete foundation, which includes the piling ring that supported the [[Trylon and Perisphere|Perisphere]] of the [[1939 New York World's Fair|1939 World's Fair]].<ref name="AR 1964" /><ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" /> The marshy soil of Flushing Meadows needed special consideration during the original 1937 Perisphere construction. The Perisphere, and subsequently the Unisphere, employed a foundation of 528 pressure-[[creosote]]d [[Douglas fir]] piles of {{convert|95|to|100|ft|m}} in length. Before construction of the Unisphere, three piles were tested for structural integrity and all were found to be sound throughout their entire length.<ref>{{cite book|author=American Wood Preservers Institute|author2=American Wood-Preservers' Association|title=Wood Preserving News|publisher=American Wood Preservers Institute.|issue=v. 43–44|year=1965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HKDmAAAAMAAJ|access-date=July 27, 2020|page=16|archive-date=January 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222900/https://books.google.com/books?id=HKDmAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Six hundred additional piles were built specifically for the Unisphere.<ref name="Rogers 2017" />

=== Surroundings ===
{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park map|float=right|highlight=17}}
[[File:Rocket thrower Unisphere jeh.jpg|thumb|The Unisphere and nearby ''[[Rocket Thrower]]'' sculpture by [[Donald De Lue]]]]
Pathways radiate axially from the Unisphere to the north, northeast, southeast, and south.<ref name="NYC Parks Unisphere" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|author-link=David W. Dunlap|date=August 26, 2001|title=A Queens Park's Past Shapes Its Future|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/26/realestate/a-queens-park-s-past-shapes-its-future.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726024551/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/26/realestate/a-queens-park-s-past-shapes-its-future.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There are plaques facing the four major paths that extend from the Unisphere.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> The courts of the former [[Louis Armstrong Stadium (1978–2016)|Louis Armstrong Stadium]], to the north, had been oriented along the same axis as the Unisphere.<ref>{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=1309}}</ref> Additionally, a pair of promenades extend east of the Unisphere, with the Fountains of the Fairs between the paths. The entrance to the Queens Museum is directly west of the Unisphere, while the [[Billie Jean King National Tennis Center]] is to the north and the [[New York State Pavilion]] is to the south.<ref>{{cite book|title=Conceptual Framework|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/presentation/03conceptualframework1.pdf|publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]|volume=Part 1|pages=16–19|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726172426/https://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/vt_flushing_meadows/presentation/03conceptualframework1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Impact ==

=== Reception ===
When it was proposed, the Unisphere received negative reviews. ''[[The Village Voice]]'' quoted people who called it "probably one of the most uninspired designs we have ever seen",<ref name="vv19630314" /> while ''[[Newsday]]'' opined that the globe was "deathly dull" and "looks like an ad for [[Western Union]]".<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 24, 1961|title=Moses and His Critics|pages=49|work=Newsday|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82221672/moses-and-his-critics/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726170226/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82221672/moses-and-his-critics/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Architecture: the AIA journal|Oculus]]'' magazine criticized the design as "a heavy, literal version of the ancient [[armillary sphere]], with decoration by [[Rand McNally]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|date=Mar 1961|title=The Big Steel Ball|url=https://usmodernist.org/AIANY/AIANY-1961-03.pdf|journal=Oculus|volume=32|pages=1|number=6|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=August 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821085537/https://usmodernist.org/AIANY/AIANY-1961-03.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Ralph Caplan wrote for ''Industrial Design'' that Moses's defense of the Unisphere was motivated by animosity toward the older structure.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Caplan|first=Ralph|date=Mar 1961|title=Fair is (So Far) Foul|journal=Industrial Design|volume=8|pages=27}}</ref> ''Progressive Architecture'' described it as "like the set for the 'spectacular' finale of a 1930s Warner Brothers musical".<ref name="PA 1961-03" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /> Walter McQuade wrote for ''[[The Nation]]'' that the Unisphere was a "bit of roadside inspirational decoration, a trite cartoon in iron" that portended badly for the 1964 World's Fair, while [[Bruno Zevi]] for Italian magazine ''L'Architettura cronache e storia'' called it a "silly idea" and petitioned U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] to prevent the Unisphere from being installed.<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" />

Only one positive criticism emerged when the globe was announced when the [[National Arts Club]] called it "one of the outstanding achievements in structural sculpture of this decade."<ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /> Remarking on the initial negative reception of the Unisphere in 2010, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' said that the Unisphere was perceived as a symbol of the "banal, corporate atmosphere" of the 1964 World's Fair.<ref name="p750198061" /> Despite the largely negative criticism of the Unisphere from architectural critics, it was positively received by the visitors.<ref name="p750198061" /><ref name="Stern (1995) p. 1033" /> After the fair, the Unisphere remained a tourist attraction into the 21st century.<ref name="CBS New York 2013">{{cite web|date=October 8, 2013|title=Famous Movie And Television Locations Around The U.S.|url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/famous-movie-and-television-locations-around-the-u-s/|access-date=March 30, 2021|website=CBS New York|archive-date=June 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619083035/https://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/famous-movie-and-television-locations-around-the-u-s/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'', in 2014, said the Unisphere was the only relic of the 1964 World's Fair that "was untarnished by time and enhanced by memory".<ref name="nyt20140418" />

=== Symbolism and media ===
According to ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' magazine, "The Unisphere became the space age logo of the fair, a steel Earth at the Ptolemaic hub of a [[Googie architecture|Googie]]-style [[The Jetsons|Jetsons]] universe", despite the overall limited success of the 1964 World's Fair.<ref name="Rogers 2017" /> The Unisphere became an unofficial symbol of Queens after the World's Fair.<ref name="n82219504" /> In 1990, the office of the Queens [[borough president]] depicted the Unisphere in its insignia, and advertisements for [[Continental Airlines]] and [[Bloomingdale's]] also depicted the globe.<ref name="n82217977" /> By the mid-1990s, it was being shown in numerous commercials and as a part of several montages of New York City. One person interviewed by ''The New York Times'', who depicted the Unisphere on her products, said that the Unisphere had become popular because "People have run out of symbols of New York".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sexton|first=Adam|date=May 12, 1996|title=THING;A Global Image That Says New York And More|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/12/archives/thinga-global-image-that-says-new-york-and-more.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161007/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/12/archives/thinga-global-image-that-says-new-york-and-more.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Unisphere has been used as a setting or backdrop for several films and TV episodes, notably the American sitcom ''[[The King of Queens]]''; the television show ''[[CSI: NY]]''; the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] films ''[[Iron Man 2]]'', ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'', and ''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]''; and the movie [[Men in Black (1997 film)|''Men in Black'']].<ref name="CBS New York 2013" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Movies Filmed at Unisphere|url=https://moviemaps.org/locations/3b2|access-date=March 30, 2021|website=MovieMaps|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417121856/https://moviemaps.org/locations/3b2|url-status=live}}</ref> The Unisphere has been shown frequently in music videos, in particular those from the [[East Coast hip hop|New York hip-hop]] scene, such as A Tribe Called Quest's "[[Award Tour]]", Craig Mack's "[[Flava in Ya Ear]]" and [[Puff Daddy]], [[Mase]] and [[The Notorious B.I.G]]’s
“[[Mo Money, Mo Problems]]” .<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Gaskins |first=Nettrice |title=Deconstructing the Unisphere: Hip-Hop on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe |date=2014 |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/2811094.2811110 |magazine=Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader |pages=155–163 |publisher=ETC Press}}</ref>

=== Climbs ===
Several people have climbed the Unisphere throughout its history. In 1976, George Willig and Jery Hewitt scaled the structure for a short documentary made by [[New York University]] student Paul Hornstein, who had wanted "to prove that we can do a full-scale, high-quality movie production on our own".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Herbert|first=Robert|date=October 19, 1976|title=Climbing Their Way to Film Careers|pages=353|work=New York Daily News|via=newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216466/climbing-their-way-to-film-careers/|access-date=July 26, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161008/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82216466/climbing-their-way-to-film-careers/|url-status=live}}</ref> A member of the climate activist group [[Extinction Rebellion]] also climbed the Unisphere in September 2019 to hang a banner protesting the [[2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kim|first1=Elizabeth|date=September 9, 2019|title=Man Climbs World's Fair Unisphere To Draw Attention To Climate Change|publisher=Gothamist|url=https://gothamist.com/news/man-climbs-worlds-fair-unisphere-draw-attention-climate-change|access-date=June 22, 2021|archive-date=September 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910000520/https://gothamist.com/news/man-climbs-worlds-fair-unisphere-draw-attention-climate-change|url-status=live}}</ref> At least two climbers have died after slipping from the Unisphere: a 23-year-old who fell from the side of the structure in 1976,<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 6, 1976|title=Metropolitan Briefs|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/06/archives/metropolitan-briefs-man-plunges-from-unisphere-school-bus-driver.html|access-date=July 26, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=July 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726015226/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/06/archives/metropolitan-briefs-man-plunges-from-unisphere-school-bus-driver.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and a man who fell into the globe in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|id={{ProQuest|278232914}} |title=Man Dies in Unisphere Fall |date=June 4, 1990 |page=21|first=Peg|last=Tyre|work=Newsday}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of fountains in the United States]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens]]
* ''[[Rocket Thrower]]'', nearby sculpture

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{Cite New York 2000}}
* {{Cite New York 1960}}
* {{Cite report|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1925.pdf|title=The Unisphere|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|date=May 16, 1995|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995}}}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Unisphere}}
* [https://archive.org/details/Unispher1964 Internet Archive: The Unisphere: Biggest World on Earth (1964)], film about the creation of the Unisphere

{{Portal bar|Art|New York City}}
{{Public art in Queens}}
{{Flushing, Queens}}
{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1964 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:1964 New York World's Fair]]
[[Category:1964 sculptures]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Queens, New York]]
[[Category:Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]]
[[Category:Flushing, Queens]]
[[Category:Globes]]
[[Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens, New York]]
[[Category:Outdoor sculptures in New York City]]
[[Category:Steel sculptures in New York City]]
[[Category:Symbols of New York City]]
[[Category:World's fair architecture in New York City]]
[[Category:Sculptures of maps]]