Loading...
Creator
New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated
Call number
MssCol 2233
Physical description
1203.48 linear feet (2508 boxes, 42 volumes; 12 sound recordings)
Preferred Citation

New York World's Fair 1939-1940 records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

The New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940, was held in Flushing Meadows in the Borough of Queens. The non-profit Fair corporation was formed in 1935 under the guidance of business and civic leaders, and financed through federal, state, municipal and private funds. The Fair commemorated the 150th anniversary of Washington's inauguration in New York City and took "Building the World of Tomorrow" as its central theme. Participants included close to 60 nations, 33 states and U.S. territories, and over a thousand exhibitors, among them some of the largest corporations in the United States. The records of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940 Incorporated present a comprehensive view of all aspects of the Fair including construction, maintenance and demolition of Fair facilities; planning and development; architecture and landscaping; displays and exhibits; government participation; publicity and public relations; amusements, entertainment and concessions; legal and financial affairs; the import and export of goods; labor relations; and public safety and welfare. In addition to correspondence and memoranda, the collection consists of reports, minutes, financial and legal records, architectural plans, design drawings, sound recordings, brochures, leaflets, press releases and other promotional materials, notably over 12,000 photographs of the Fair, its exhibits and visitors.

Biographical/historical information

The New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940, was held in Flushing Meadows in the Borough of Queens. The non-profit Fair corporation was formed in 1935 under the guidance of business and civic leaders, and financed through federal, state, municipal and private funds. The Fair commemorated the 150th anniversary of Washington's inauguration in New York City and took "Building the World of Tomorrow" as its central theme. Participants included close to 60 nations, 33 states and U.S. territories, and over a thousand exhibitors, among them some of the largest corporations in the United States. The New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940, held in Flushing Meadows in the Borough of Queens, is widely regarded as the most spectacular exposition ever held in the United States. By every measurement - size, cost, attendance, publicity, foreign government participation, number of exhibitors - it outranked every previous international fair. With 45 million visitors during its two seasons, the Fair was the best-attended event of the first half of the 20th century. Participation was unprecedented with close to 60 foreign nations, 33 states and U.S. territories, and over a thousand exhibitors, among them some of the largest corporations in the United States. A massive promotional campaign was waged across the country and around the world, with hundreds of programs and events attracting widespread media coverage. New York had not hosted a world's fair since the Crystal Palace exhibition of 1853 and the New York World's Fair planners were committed, according to one internal report, "to the building of the greatest international exposition in history."

The success of Chicago's 1933 Century of Progress exposition persuaded many that a fair in New York would stimulate local trade and industry long dampened by the lingering effects of the Great Depression. In the summer of 1935, leaders of New York City's civic and business community formed a preliminary steering committee to explore the possibility of mounting a world's fair in New York. While such a venture would be expensive (the overall cost would ultimately climb to over $155 million), the expectation was that visitors to a fair would send billions of dollars flowing through the New York City economy. As a result of the committee's deliberations, a proposal was formally announced and received an enthusiastic reception from public and commercial interests. In October 1935, the New York World's Fair 1939 Incorporated, a non-profit membership corporation, was formed. It included over one hundred charter members drawn from the leaders of New York's business, financial, artistic, and professional communities. Principal officers of the Corporation included Grover A. Whalen (President), Bayard F. Pope (Treasurer), George McAneny (Chairman of the Board), Percy S. Straus (Chairman of the Committee on Architecture and Physical Planning), Harvey D. Gibson (Chairman of the Finance Committee), Howard A. Flanigan (Assistant to the President and later Executive Vice President), W. Earle Andrews (General Manager), and John P. Hogan (Chief Engineer).

The Fair was the result of a close and complex collaboration between private investors and local, state, federal and foreign governments, with New York City donating $26.7 million to the Fair, the federal government $3 million, New York State $6.2 million, and foreign governments over $30 million. The Fair issued $27,829,500 in bonds backed by receipts from admission and rentals to concessionaires and exhibitors, and promised a yield of four-percent interest due in 1941. These were sold to businesses, unions and members of the public eager to reap a profit from the enterprise. State and federal cooperation was facilitated by the creation of the New York State World's Fair Commission and the United States World's Fair Commission. It was agreed that all profits would be dedicated to the construction of Flushing Meadows Park, to occupy the site following the closing of the Fair -- a commitment secured by then-New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses.

Physical construction of the Fair began in the spring of 1936 with the enactment of enabling legislation permitting the reclamation of 1,216 ? acres of tidal swamp -- chiefly occupied by a colossal city dump. Seven-million cubic acres of meadow mat and refuse were moved and leveled, and marshland filled in advance of the construction of the Fairgrounds; a feat still considered one of the largest land reclamations undertaken in the eastern United States. Following the clearance of the site and over the course of two years, thousands of architects, engineers, designers, artists, contractors, and trades people were mobilized, round the clock, to transform the Corona Dump into the New York World's Fair. The rapid construction of a virtual city complete with buildings, roads and lakes was only interrupted by the recurrent labor disputes and strikes that threatened the scheduled opening of the Fair and cost the corporation millions of dollars in overtime required to make up for time lost during stoppages. In conjunction with the Fair, several other large-scale projects that re-shaped New York City and the outlying area were undertaken, including highways and boulevards leading to the Flushing Meadow site, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, subway and railroad extensions, and LaGuardia Airport.

The corporation, like the fairgrounds, grew rapidly. By the spring of 1936 the core administrative staff was in place and operating from temporary offices in the Empire State Building in advance of a move to permanent headquarters at the Fairgrounds. In the years leading up to the Fair, the corporate staff would swell to an estimated 8,000 individuals working in close to three-dozen organizational units. While hierarchical reporting lines were established and numerous organizational charts issued, the corporation exhibited a remarkable fluidity of structure as members of the staff, often working across departmental lines, strove to bring the many aspects of the Fair to fruition.

The Board of Design under Stephen F. Voorhees, president of the American Institute of Architects, was responsible for the layout and overall appearance of the Fair, establishing standards for all buildings, murals, sculptures, lighting, and landscaping. Robert D. Kohn, eminent New York architect and progressive planner, accepted responsibility for defining the main theme. The Fair was scheduled to open on April 30, 1939, the 150th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration in New York City; but while the Fair paid tribute to the past, the uplifting theme, "Building the World of Tomorrow," emphasized the promise of the future. A press release issued by the Corporation articulated its progressive goals: "The Fair will exhibit the most promising developments of ideas, products, services and social factors of the present day in such a fashion that the visitor may get a vision of what he could obtain for himself, and for his community, by intelligent, co-operative planning toward the better life of the future."

In order to integrate the thematic elements with the built environment, the Fair was divided into seven sectors or zones: amusement, communication, community interests, food, government, production and distribution, and transportation. Most zones had a Fair-sponsored focal exhibit offering an overview of the sector's theme and interpreting the social significance of the participants' displays located in that area. At the hub of these sectors stood the Trylon, a 700-foot obelisk, and the Perisphere, a 200-foot globe, the symbols of the Fair. The Perisphere contained "Democracity," the Fair's central thematic exhibit, a scale model of an imaginary metropolis of the future, designed by American industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss.

With the transformation of Flushing Meadows in full swing, President Roosevelt responded to a resolution of Congress and, in November 1936, invited the participation of the nations of the world. A major hurdle was cleared when the International Bureau of Expositions, the governing body of international fairs, granted formal recognition of the anticipated New York fair. Fair president Grover Whalen, a consummate and energetic promoter, traveled across the world gathering commitments from an unprecedented number of foreign governments. With the exception of Germany and China, Whalen signed every major country in the world, scoring a significant coup by securing a pledge from Stalin that the Soviet Union would construct a $4 million pavilion. While this imposing pavilion would earn revenue for the Fair, it provoked the displeasure of some members of the public who considered the dominant structure to be a political taunt; complaints were lodged that the statue of a Soviet worker holding a star aloft mounted high atop a 180-foot pylon threatened to exceed the height of the American flag that flew over the Fairgrounds.

The forward-looking theme and significant government participation helped to persuade a host of American corporations -- eager to introduce new products to the public -- to lease space from the Fair. Many of these exhibits proved to be both powerful promotional tools and among the most popular attractions at the Fair. Notable corporate exhibitions included the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, where long distance phone calls could be placed for free; the Borden Company, which offered demonstrations of an electronically-operated milking machine (the rotolactor); the Westinghouse Company, featuring corporate mascots Elektro and Sparko -- a mechanical man and his dog; and General Motor's "Futurama," which offered a birds-eye view of the world of the highways, cities and suburbs of 1960 as imagined by industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes.

The amusement zone drew visitors to the Fair as well and helped the corporation to earn additional income through admission fees charged by selected concessionaires, a percentage of which was paid out to the Fair. Billy Rose's Aquacade was the undisputed hit of the amusement zone. This water show, which featured Olympic champions Eleanor Holm and Johnny Weismuller and a cast (according to promotional literature) of "fetching mermaids and virile mermen," earned Rose an estimated five million dollars. Although Whalen had early on promised that the Fair would be free of "fan dancing" or lewd "girlie shows," the potential loss of lucrative attractions produced a more lenient position towards entertainments featuring nudity and exotic dancing. While this altered stance generated controversy, burlesque shows helped rent space in the amusement zone and brought in paying visitors craving something other than culture and education. Salvador Dali's Dream of Venus, Norman Bel Geddes' Crystal Lassies and the Cavalcade of Centaurs -- featuring scantily clad or naked women in tanks of water, refracted in mirrors or bare-breasted on horseback -- were among the attractions that drew criticism and crowds.

Although more than 25 million paying visitors attended the Fair during the 1939 season, attendance fell far short of the projected 50 million that was needed to repay investors. Operating costs far outpaced expected income and, by August, the Fair was facing bankruptcy. The blame was laid on construction costs that exceeded budgeted funds; the 75-cent admission fee -- 25 cents more than the standard fee for fairs; and the excessive pomp -- parades for visiting dignitaries, elaborate ceremonies and lavish receptions - which acted as a deterrent, in the words of one Fair official, "[to] the common run of people …ill at ease rubbing elbows [with] …the high silk hat group." With the Fair teetering on the brink of insolvency, the board of directors elected to extend the exposition for an additional year hoping to recoup losses incurred during the '39 season.

Gone was the optimism of the first year with its message of better living through collective planning so carefully crafted by the Board of Design and the initial planners. With war spreading throughout Europe, a more pragmatic mood prevailed both in the administration of the Fair and across the country. A new theme was adopted for the second year, "For Peace and Freedom," and with this signal change, came other alterations. The flash-and-dazzle Whalen was replaced as the chief executive of the Fair by the staid and no-nonsense Harvey D. Gibson, president of Manufacturers Trust Company and chair of the Fair's Finance Committee. His first act was to slash the price of admission to 50 cents; a series of austerity measures that included staff reductions and consolidation of departments and functions followed. Hoping to bring in the "common run of people" - people from small towns and rural regions of the country - the Fair launched promotional campaigns, contests and new attractions that would recast the high concept exposition to project the aspect of, in Gibson's words, "a super country fair." As part of the transformation of the theme and folksy re-orientation, the 1940 Fair lost some of its international flavor. Moreover, the political situation overseas prevented the robust foreign participation of the previous year. Ten nations did not return including several under Nazi occupation, and the Soviet Union withdrew, dismantling its pavilion and leaving a 100,000 square foot vacant lot in the center of the Fairgrounds. In its stead, the site became the "American Common," a performance venue given over to patriotic pageants and events celebrating democracy and American diversity.

The Fair closed on October 27, 1940 yielding its highest day of attendance of over 550,000 visitors. But overall attendance lagged far behind the 1939 season and while profits in the 1940 season did exceed expenses, it was not sufficient to wipe out the debts incurred the previous year. When all outstanding financial matters were settled, bond holders only received 40 cents on each dollar invested. Demolition, which under an agreement with the Park's Department was to be carried out by the Fair Corporation, began the day after the gates of the 1940 Fair closed. The unwinding of the corporation and the dismantling of the Fairgrounds structures was overseen by Howard A. Flanigan. Asked whether he regretted this task he told an interviewer, "Isn't it better to let it die while it's still lovely, than to let it stand on and become shabby?" Over the next four years an ever dwindling staff managed matters related to the resolution of Fair business. The formal dissolution of the New York World's Fair occurred in March 1943, but the corporation continued to function through the fall of 1945 (ten years after the boisterous launching of the enterprise) when lingering legal and financial affairs were quietly concluded by a staff of one operating from a desk at the offices of Manufacturers Trust.

The New York Times, reporting on the closing of the 1940 season, penned the following epitaph:

On the tombstone of the Flushing giant should be carved something like this: "Born, April 30, 1939. Passed away officially at midnight, October 27, 1940. A short life - and not always a merry one." ….It has been a fabulous history - one that undoubtedly will mellow and improve with age and recitation and will become part of American folk legend when the fairgoers of '39 and '40 tell it to their grandchildren in 1975.

Sources: Gelernter, David. 1939: The Lost World of the Fair. New York: Avon Books, 1995.

Gibson, Harvey. Harvey D. Gibson: An Autobiography. North Conway, New Hampshire: The Reporter Press/Paul K. Blanchard, Inc., 1951.

Harrison, Helen, ed. Dawn of a New Day: The New York World's Fair 1939/40. New York: New York University Press, 1980.

Monaghan, Frank. New York World's Fair 1939. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1939.

Official Guide Book of the New York World's Fair 1939. New York: Exposition Publications, Inc.

Rydell, Robert W., John E. Findling, and Kimberly D. Pelle. World's Fairs in the United States. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.

Tyng, Francis Edmonds. Making a World's Fair: Organization, Promotion, Financing, and Problems, with Particular Reference to the New York World's Fair of 1939-1940. New York: Vantage Press, 1958.

Wurts, Richard and Stanley Applebaum, et. al. The New York World's Fair 1939/1940 in 155 photographs by Richard Wurts and Others. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1977.

Scope and arrangement

The records of the New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated present a comprehensive view of all aspects of the planning, design, execution, maintenance, and dismantling of the Fair. These records evidence both the functional organization, and the broad range of interactions with participating corporate and government representatives, investors, contractors, artists, planners, laborers, fairgoers and members of the public both in the United States and abroad. There are few events or transactions related to the realization of the Fair and its day-to-day operation not documented in some fashion in these records. These records also demonstrate the formidable marshalling of creative, financial, and promotional forces necessary to successfully launch this enterprise. Secondarily, these records give testament to the times: the political, economic, social and cultural milieu within which the Fair was conceived and mounted.

The collection covers matters concerning construction, maintenance and demolition of Fair facilities; planning and development; architecture and landscaping; displays and exhibits; government participation; publicity and public relations; amusements, entertainment and concessions; legal and financial affairs; the import and export of goods; labor relations; and public safety and welfare. In addition to correspondence and memoranda, the collection consists of reports, minutes, financial and legal records, architectural plans, design drawings, audio recordings, brochures, leaflets, press releases and other promotional materials, notably over 12,000 photographs of the Fair, its exhibits and visitors.

The records are divided into the two distinct groups maintained by the Fair Corporation: Central Files and Departmental Files. The Central Files constitute one third of the collection and broadly document the activities and functions of the over two-dozen organizational units within the corporation. Documents in these files are indexed at the item level by name and subject and can be retrieved by utilizing the Central Files index (see the Central Files Scope Note for information on the index, now available in searchable electronic form). Although staff was mandated by executive order to send all significant correspondence and memoranda to Central Files for reference or documentation purposes, departments did not always choose to comply, citing confidentiality or the necessity of keeping active records near at hand. Therefore, while a substantial portion of vital correspondence was maintained in Central Files, hundreds of feet of departmental records were never incorporated. These departmental records, which constitute the bulk of the collection, are arranged to reflect the organizational structure of the Fair at the close of the 1940 season. While duplication between Central Files and the departmental records does occur, more often, the two are complementary and together provide the most complete account of the organization's activities.

In addition to offering an exhaustive record of the Fair Corporation, the collection serves as a remarkable compendium of the times, offering entrée to almost every facet of American life, and supporting research on any number of subjects including: the birth of the consumer society and corporatism; the rise of the automobile culture; technology's transformation of the American home; the emergence of public relations as a profession and social force; the legacy of the New Deal; the influence of industrial design on everyday objects; urban and regional planning in 20th century America; the transformation of New York City instigated by Robert Moses from the 1930s forward; representations of race in popular culture; tensions between nationalism and internationalism in the United States; foreign participation and geopolitics; the history of burlesque and other popular entertainments; the evolution of museum didactics and display techniques; the introduction of foreign cuisines to the American public; labor relations and the rising sway of unions; the advent of mass travel and the tourism industry; and the history of other fairs and international expositions, most notably Chicago's Century of Progress, which served in many ways as a model for the New York fair.

The successful mounting of the Fair required the involvement of thousands of individuals both prominent and obscure -- from incorporators and planners to stenographers and stuntmen. Consequently, the records are an ideal source for biographers and genealogists. While the collection in no small measure reveals the aspirations of the political, cultural, business, and civic leaders that financed, planned and built the Fair, the extensive correspondence from members of the public poignantly captures the anxieties of a nation still gripped by the Depression and poised on the brink of war.

Related Collections:

Abramovitz, Max. Architectural drawings and papers. Avery Drawings & Archives, Columbia University.

Century of Progress Records. Special Collections Department, University of Illinois at Chicago. Dreyfuss, Henry. Henry Dreyfuss Collection, 1927-1972. Cooper-Hewitt Museum Archives.

Ferriss, Hugh. Architectural Drawings and Papers Collection. Avery Drawings & Archives, Columbia University.

Harrison, Wallace K. Architectural drawings and papers. Avery Drawings & Archives, Columbia University.

Monaghan, Frank. Papers. Rare and Manuscript Collections. Cornell University.

Moses, Robert. Papers. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.

Muschenheim, William. Architectural drawings and papers. Avery Drawings & Archives, Columbia University. New York World's Fair Negro Week. Records. Schomburg Center -- Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books, New York Public Library.

New York City 1939 World's Fair architectural drawings, [ca. 1935]. Museum of the City of New York. Museum of the City of New York.

New York City 1939 World's Fair collection, 1939-1940. Museum of the City of New York. New York World's Fair 1939/40 Collection. Queens Museum. [Note: This collection is available for research on a limited basis. Consult Queens Museum staff]

New York World's Fair 1964-1965 Corporation records. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.

Temple of Religion Records. Manuscripts and Archives Division, New York Public Library.

Whalen, Grover A. Papers. New York City Municipal Archives.

Wurts Brothers (New York, N.Y.). Museum of the City of New York. - Dept. of Paintings, Prints, and Photographs.

Department of Parks, 1850-1960. New York City Dept. of Records, Municipal Archives Collections. Includes correspondence of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses from 1940 through 1956.

The New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated records are arranged in ten series:

  • I. Central Files
    1082 boxes

    The Central Files Department maintained the core administrative records of the New York World's Fair 1939 /1940 Corporation and served as a vital resource to the hundreds of executives and administrators responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Fair. With few exceptions, the over two-dozen organizational units were required to file significant correspondence and memoranda in Central Files for reference or documentation purposes. Only materials deemed to be of a confidential nature or constituting part of the working records of a department were withheld and maintained within departmental files. At the peak operating period, the eleven employees who staffed the Central Files unit received and managed thousands of documents a week.

    Correspondence sent to Central Files was classified, indexed, filed by subject and then cross-referenced by name of individual and organization in an alphabetically-arranged Master Card Index. The card index both facilitated rapid retrieval and guided the clerical staff in the classification and indexing of the steady influx of new documents. The files were arranged by the Fair employees according to a hierarchically-structured, decimal-based classification system that at the highest level, divided into five major units under the headings of Administration, Construction, Maintenance, Participation, Public Relations. This original filing scheme -- which offers insights into the Fair's office management practices and serves as a model of mid-twentieth century recordkeeping systems -- has been preserved along with an electronic version of the card index (worldsfair.nypl.org) providing item-level access to well over one million documents.

    There is some overlap of topics between the five sections, so carefully read all the notes to determine which records you may need to consult. The subject headings and associated alpha-numeric codes that appear in the scope notes serve as pointers to the location of the referenced material. For a fuller explanation of utilizing the filing system see: Conducting Research in the Central Files.

  • II. Office of the Secretary
    281 boxes 16 volumes

    The Office of Secretary was charged with keeping of all records necessary for the ongoing operation of the Fair Corporation; filing and proper recording of all contracts; preparing and distributing of calendars, minutes and Executive Orders; arranging for and sending out of notifications for meetings; the soliciting, receiving and opening of all public bids; and the signing of the debenture subscriptions and certificates underwriting the construction and mounting of the Fair. The Corporate Secretary and his staff also participated in the preparation of budgets and, with the Vice President in Charge of Finance, supervised expenditures. Following the 1940 season, and through the final dissolution of the Corporation in 1944, this staff assumed responsibilities for the liquidation of property, the settlement of accounts, and the management of outstanding claims. While Charles C. Green and later E.W. Cobb served as Corporate Secretary, the day-to-day duties were chiefly entrusted to Thomas Marrah, Mary Louise Jorzick and, during the post-Fair years, Edward Umgelter. [See also: Administration and Maintenance sections of Central Files].

  • III. Board of Design
    12 boxes 18 tubes

    Under the supervision of Stephen Voorhees, the seven-member Board of Design was assembled in May 1936 to prepare the general plan for the Fair. Made up of building and landscape architects drawn from New York's leading firms, an industrial designer, and a New York City Park's Department engineer, the Board was responsible for the physical layout of the site and the realization of the thematic elements. A sub-unit of the Board, the Committee on Theme, was led by architect and progressive planner Robert Kohn and charged with actualizing the conceptual aspects of the Fair -- the interpretation and integration of the main theme with the built environment and the development of the Fair-sponsored focal exhibits. Members of the Board recommended and selected all architects to carry out the design of Fair Corporation structures including, administrative buildings, concession kiosks, the seven focal exhibits, and the Theme Center structures of Trylon and Perisphere. Building designs prepared by outside architects for concessionaires, exhibitors, and government participants had to conform to established standards of scale and color and meet with the approval of the Board in advance of construction. There were few matters related to the overall appearance of the Fair that did not come before this body: sculptures, murals, lighting, color, landscaping, décor and signage all passed before the Board for comment and consent.

    Although some textual materials related to the design of uniforms can be found in this record group, the bulk of the abundant documentation of the Board of Design's activities can be found in the reports, memos and correspondence that were integrated into the Administration and Construction sections of Central Files. A set of Board of Design minutes is also available in the records of the Office of Secretary. (See: Office of Secretary: Administrative and Advisory Bodies, boxes 1097-8). The records arranged here chiefly constitute what remains of the Board of Design drawings and plans for the Fair. Correspondence between the Fair Corporation and the NYPL dating from the acquisition of the collection indicates that most of the architectural drawings were destroyed or dispersed. Although fragmentary in nature, the hundreds of design drawings and plot plans in these records capture the early musings of the designers as they established the layout and look of the Fair. Included are original drawings on butter paper, graphite and colored pencil on tracing paper, presentation drawings on board as well as photostatic copies.

    Representative materials include quick sketches and development drawings of the Fairgrounds site drafted by Kohn and others on the Board of Design demonstrating efforts to devise a plan that would reconcile the thematic and aesthetic vision with the engineering realities of building on reclaimed marsh land (colored pencil on tracing paper). Various iterations of the final plan can also be found here. Also included are site plans of other Fairs -- Buffalo (1901), Brussels (1935), Chicago (1893 and 1933), St. Louis (1904), San Francisco (1915) and Paris (1937) -- utilized by the designers in the course of their research. Proposed plans for permanent improvement to Flushing Meadows Bay and drawings pertaining to the development of Flushing Meadow Park following the closure of the Fair address the long-term prospects for this site.

    Among the drawings of buildings are studies of the focal exhibits and design drawings of individual Town of Tomorrow model homes. Presentation materials include a distemper painting of the Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Garden entrance and bandstand; a lithograph of the Aviation building; and a water color of the Production and Distribution Building. Exhibit and display drawings include diagrams coordinating the elements for fireworks and fountain spectacles. Files on ground structures include numerous design and presentation drawings for the concessions and refreshment stands that dotted the Fairgrounds. Plot plans offer schematic layouts of the zones and sectors of the Fair while renting plans note plot numbers, rentable square footage of sectors and buildings, and anticipated circulation figures. Presentation diagrams and tables offer graphic representations of the thematic content of the Fair. Progress logs tracking the development of sculptures and murals from inception to completion are also available in these records. Transportation drawings contain sketches of entrance gates at the IRT/BMT station and platform (colored pencil on tracing paper). Notable is a drawing by Walter Dorwin Teague of a Pullman car emblazoned with a NYWF logo. Finally, design materials on uniforms contain reports and correspondence as well as swatches, photographs of uniformed employees, and design drawings including a water-color representation of a whimsical Trylon and Persiphere hat.

    Additional presentation material related to the design of the grounds, buildings and exhibitions were donated at the closing of the Fair to Columbia University's Avery Architecture and Fine Arts Library and the Museum of the City of New York Archives and are available for study at these institutions.

  • IV. Legal Dept.
    92 boxes

    In 1936, the Fair Corporation retained the firm of Lord Day & Lord as General Counsel to negotiate the lease of Flushing Meadow Park from the City of New York. The firm, represented by Herbert Brownell, Jr., thereafter managed all legal matters for the Fair. Routine activities included preparing the debenture issue, pursuing local and federal legislation, drafting and executing construction and concessions contracts, and protecting against misuse of the Fair's copyrighted name and insignia. Counsel also litigated claims by and against the Fair, negotiated labor disputes, advised department heads on policies and procedures, researched tax and import matters, reviewed demolition specifications and financial papers and, in 1942, executed the dissolution of the Fair Corporation itself. Staff attorneys J. T. Noonan, James S. Hemingway and C.W. Merritt assisted Brownell. The records in this group include correspondence, leases, depositions, opinions, contracts and case records and reflect the breadth of matters handled by the department.

  • V. Office of the Executive Vice President
    7 boxes

    Howard Adams Flanigan, a decorated U.S. Naval officer, retired his commission to join the Fair Corporation in the capacity of Administrative Assistant to President Grover Whalen in May 1936. Known as Commander by the over 8,000 employees who made up the staff during the peak operating period, Flanigan acted on behalf of the president in organizational matters and was charged with the coordination of the activities of all departments. Following the resignation of General Manager W. Earle Andrews, who was responsible for planning, site development, and general oversight of the Operating Division, Flanigan assumed the additional duties of this position. The Office of Executive Vice President was established with Flanigan at its helm during an organizational restructuring at the end of the 1939 season. At the closing of the Fair, Flanigan managed its operational and physical dismantling, overseeing the demolition of buildings at Flushing Meadow, the sale and salvage of Fair property, and negotiations with city, state and federal authorities. In June 1941, Flanigan was recalled by the Navy to active service and his duties were absorbed by the remaining staff in the Office of Secretary.

    The modest number of files under this heading belies Flanigan's far-ranging activities as Executive Vice President. The bulk of his extensive records may be found dispersed throughout Central Files and the many departments and units that constitute the Operating Division including Concessions, Construction, Exhibits and Entertainment, Public Services and Labor Relations. The documents here relate primarily to Flanigan's post-Fair activities, particularly with regard to demolition plans and negotiations with the New York City Parks Department. Many of these files were generated in response to Parks Commissioner Robert Moses' letter of September 27, 1940, in which he delineated the Fair Corporation's obligations to the City. Materials include an illustrated Parks' Department booklet requesting funds for the development of Flushing Meadow Park; Flanigan's confidential bulletins to the Fair's Executive Committee related to the progress of demolition, sales and salvage, personnel reductions, operating finances, and issues regarding concessionaires with claims against or in debt to the Fair. Finally, files reflecting Flanigan's activity during the Fair period include a Federal Works Agency report on plans for the 1940 Contemporary Arts building, and documentation regarding the Chicago office opened to promote the Fair in the Midwest.

  • VI. Government Participation
    65 boxes

    This division secured commitments from foreign and domestic governments and coordinated all activities with foreign officials and federal and civic leaders related to bringing the construction and operation of governmental exhibits and pavilions to fruition. Fair President Grover Whalen officially directed the activities of this division, serving as the Corporation's front man and indefatigable emissary. Traveling extensively to visit with presidents, prime ministers, governors and other dignitaries, Whalen was present at virtually all formal contract signings, and countless promotional and ceremonial events. It was, however, Julius C. Holmes who effectively led the division, overseeing the day-to-day management and operation of the Foreign, State and Ceremonial Departments. Hired initially with the title of Administrative Assistant, Holmes became Division Director and Vice President late in 1939 as preparations for the 1940 season were underway.

    Related material on Government Participation can be found in the following sections of the Central Files records:

    I.D. Participation - P0. Government I.A. Administration - A1.16 Government Participation Division

  • VII. Operating Division
    381 boxes 13 volumes

    The activities of this division came under the direction of the Office of Executive Vice President. See V. Office of the Executive Vice President for furtheexplanation.

  • VIII. Promotion and Development Division
    303.5 boxes

    The Promotion and Development Division was responsible for all aspects of publicity for the Fair Corporation. Dating from the bond sales campaign of 1936, the records document the heady ballyhoo of the pre-Fair period through the scramble to recoup losses after the financial failure of the 1939 season. From early on, the division's management and operational structures were in a state of nearly continual flux, each change marking a new attempt to establish greater oversight, reduce redundancy and commit to more vigorous promotional strategies. Division directors included Charles C. Green, Perley S. Boone (also director of Press), C.E. O'Neil and Claude Collins (also director of Motion Pictures). (See the Division Organization and Reports file [box 1880, folders 5-7] for details on the division's internal dynamics.) Grouped here under six headings based upon department of origin or area of activity, the records evidence the division's varied approaches to raising funds, engaging government and corporate participation, and attracting the public to the Fair.

  • IX. Treasury
    61 boxes 13 volumes

    The Treasury Division was responsible for all financial matters related to the Fair Corporation including funding of the corporation through issuance of bonds (debentures); preparation of budgets and forecasts; protection of corporate assets against loss and liability through the development and enforcement of insurance policies and plans; management of accounts and tracking of revenue and expenses; and keeping of records and books of account for the preparation of statements and audited reports. Bayard F. Pope was appointed Treasurer of the corporation in May 1936 and served as a member of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and the Finance Committee. While the Finance Committee had general oversight authority over corporate finances, it was the Treasurer who was responsible for implementing the decisions of the Committee through the many programs and activities of the Treasury Division. In the discharge of these duties, Pope was assisted by the Financial Director and Vice President in Charge of Finance G. Vincent Pach, who supervised the daily management of the division.

    Because the Treasury Division transactions touched on all aspects of the Fair Corporation, these records provide a useful vantage from which to mark the trajectory of the corporation, from its ambitious and optimistic beginnings through its anxious and fiscally unsteady final season.

  • X. Sound Recordings
    10 sound records

    These recordings include promotional spots, radio broadcasts, and music associated with the Fair, notably a live performance of the official New York World's Fair song, George Gershwin's "Dawn of a New Day."

Administrative information

Custodial history

The records of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940 Incorporated were donated to the New York Public Library at the close of the 1940 season. An agreement was brokered in 1936 by Frank Monaghan, head of the Fair's Research and Library Department, and endorsed by Grover Whalen, president of the NYWF and H.M. Lydenberg, director of the NYPL. In the waning months of the Fair, final arrangements were made for the acquisition by the Library of over 1,500 linear feet of records, printed matter and other materials. Between the fall of 1940 and spring of 1941 the records were surveyed and, under the supervision of Madeleine Hill Truslow of the Fair's Central Files unit, the bulk of the material was reviewed and transferred. A working inventory of the Fair records was prepared in 1960 for the New York World's Fair 1964-1965 Corporation (which made extensive use of the records) by Truslowe who was engaged to establish a system for the coming Fair based along the lines of the 1939/40 Central Files structure. A more comprehensive inventory, along with brief descriptions of the departmental records, was created by archivist John Stinson in 1985 as part of a Manuscripts and Archives Division-wide National Endowment for the Humanities-funded accessioning project. "The Last Fair on Earth: The New York World's Fair 1939/1940," a 1989 exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fair, was held at the NYPL in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room and curated by Richard M. Salvato. In 2006, the NYPL was the recipient of another grant from the NEH for a two and a half-year project to preserve and enhance access to the records of the New York World's Fair 1939-1940 Incorporated. This project significantly expanded the finding aid and provided for the creation of an electronically searchable digital version of the Central Files card index. Funding for the latter was also provided by the D.S. and R.H. Gottesman Foundation. In the course of the project, over 12,000 promotional prints were digitized and are now available through the NYPL's Digital Gallery.

Processing information

Compiled by Jessica Weglein, Wendy Scheir, Jill Peterson, Susan Malsbury, and Michelle Schwartz.

Related Material

New York World's Fair 1939/40 Collection.. Queens Museum. (Note: This collection is available for research on a limited basis. Consult Queens Museum staff). New York World's Fair 1964-1965 Corporation records, 1959-1971, bulk (1963-1965). Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library. Temple of Religion records, 1937-1941.. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Access restrictions

Board of Design materials requiring preservation: Consult reference specialist. Photographic prints and negatives: Consult the Digital Gallery.

Alternative form available

Photographic prints available on the Library's website through this guide and Digital Gallery.

Additional resources

  • Central Files Index
    The database offers access to the card index maintained by the New York World’s Fair Central Files staff.
  • Promotional Photographs
    Over 12,000 images created by the Fair's Photography Unit available online.