Tag: New York World's Fair

The Mystery of New York's 1964 Luxury Fallout Shelter

January 3, 2014 | Friday

Does a completely furnished, midcentury house lie forgotten beneath the soil of a public park in Queens, New York? A handful of optimistic archaeologists aim to find out.

In the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, American families became increasingly interested in buying fallout shelters in the event of a nuclear catastrophe. Capitalizing on the craze, home builder Jay Swayze designed a modern upscale home that was completely subterranean, perfect for year-round, radiation-free living. The residence, which Swayze called simply the Underground Home, opened to great media fanfare at New York's famed 1964-65 World's Fair.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house included not only complete security and a filtered air supply, but also a swimming pool and selectable daytime/nighttime lighting. You could even change the view by choosing from a variety of "outdoor" murals. ... Continued

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A Photographic Journey Through New York's World's Fairs

January 27, 2009 | Tuesday

The Unisphere at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair (George Silk, Life).

If you're stuck at home like I am, holed up by the icy weather that's sweeping a good portion of the country, why not spend some time browsing through Google's archive of photos from Life magazine?

And if I might offer a suggestion, try searching for "New York World's Fair," which will reveal hundreds of captivatingly nostalgic images chronicling the architecture, rides, pavilions and events from both of the state's expos, held in 1939 and 1964.

Highlights include:

Enjoy, and stay warm!

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Patently Preoccupying

July 12, 2006 | Wednesday

Full patent here.

I've found a new hobby: patent searches! Riveting stuff, I admit. Sure, I could spend more time memorizing basketball stats so I could hold a conversation with normal people, but why do that when I can find buildings shaped like corn?

I was working on a story about Wigwam Village Motel No. 6 for Weird Arizona and I thought I'd take a stab at finding Frank Redford's original patent — not an easy task, seeing as all patents prior to 1976 are in image form only and I didn't even know the exact year (I had read both 1936 and 1937).

When my second result was a building shaped like a teacup, though, I believed I was on the right track. Unfortunately, the next 45 minutes were spent wading through patent after patent for shingles, glass blocks and linoleum composition flooring material. But I finally found it! Keep in mind this was before WWII, so the swastika painted on its side had not yet taken on the stigma it suffers today.

Other items I tripped over in the process:

... Continued
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