World's Fair

World's Fair is the generic name for various large expositions held since the mid 19th century. The official sanctioning body is the Bureau of International Expositions (usually abbreviated BIE, from the organization's name in French, Bureau International des Expositions).

After the fair

The majority of the structures are temporary, dismantled at the end of the expo. A major exception is the Eiffel Tower, built for Paris' Exposition Universelle (1889). The Crystal Palace, from the first World's Fair in London in 1851, chosen because it could be recycled to recoup losses, was such a success that it was moved and intended to be permanent, only to be destroyed by a fire (of its contents) in 1936. The 1876 Centennial Exposition's main building is now the Smithsonian Institution's Arts and Industries Building in Washington, DC. Other outstanding exceptions are the remains of Expo '29 in Seville, Spain where the 'Plaza de España' forms part of a large park and forecourt, and many of the pavilions have become offices for Consulate-Generals. Also the pavilions of Expo '92 in Seville had been reconverted into a technological square and a theme park. The M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was a survivor of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition until it succumbed to a 1989 earthquake. The Palace of Fine Arts is all that remains from the 1915 San Francisco Panama-Pacific International Exposition. In Brussels, the Atomium still stands at the site of the 1958 exposition. The Space Needle in Seattle was the symbol of the 1962 World's Fair, and the US pavilion from that fair became the Pacific Science Center. San Antonio kept intact the Tower of the Americas, the Institute of Texan Cultures and the Convention Center from HemisFair '68. Among the structures still standing from Expo '67 in Montreal are Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, Buckminster Fuller's American pavilion (now the Biosphère), and the French pavilion (now the Casino de Montréal). The Sunsphere remains extant from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is housed in the last remaining building of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, which had been the Palace of Fine Arts. The intent was to make all Columbian structures permanent, but most of the structures burned, possibly the result of arson during the Pullman Strike. The World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne was constructed for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, and is another example. A particular case is the EUR quarter in Rome, built for a World's Fair planned for 1942, was never used for its intended purpose, because of World War II, and today hosts various offices, governmental or private, and some museums.

Related Topics:
Eiffel Tower - Paris - Exposition Universelle (1889) - The Crystal Palace - 1851 - 1936 - 1876 - Centennial Exposition - Smithsonian Institution - Arts and Industries Building - Washington, DC - Expo '29 - Seville, Spain - Expo '92 - Technological square - Theme park - M. H. de Young Museum - San Francisco's - Golden Gate Park - 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition - Palace of Fine Arts - 1915 - Panama-Pacific International Exposition - Brussels - Atomium - Space Needle - Seattle - Pacific Science Center - Tower of the Americas - Moshe Safdie - Habitat 67 - Buckminster Fuller - Sunsphere - Knoxville - Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago - 1893 - World Columbian Exposition - Pullman Strike - World Heritage - Royal Exhibition Building - 1880 - EUR - Rome - 1942 - World War II

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Some World's Fair sites become parks incorporating some of the expo elements, such as:

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• Nashville - Tennessee Centenntial Expo
• Saint Louis - Louisiana Purchase Exposition
• San Diego - Panama-California Exposition (1915) & California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
• Montreal - Expo '67
• San Antonio - HemisFair '68
• Osaka - Expo '70
• Spokane - Expo '74
• Vancouver - Expo '86
• Brisbane - Expo '88
• Seville, Spain - Expo '92
• Daejeon (Taejŏn), South Korea - Expo '93
• Lisbon, Portugal - Expo '98.

Some pavilions have been moved overseas intact; the USSR Pavilion from Expo '67 is now in Moscow.

Related Topics:
USSR - Expo '67 - Moscow

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Many exhibitions and rides created by Walt Disney and his WED Enterprises company for the 1964 New York World's Fair (which was held over into 1965) were moved to the world-famous Disneyland after the closing of the Fair. Many of the rides are still operating today like "it's a small world" and "The Carousel of Progress" Currently, Disney has a theme park in Orlando called EPCOT which houses what is supposed to be a permanent World's Fair.

Related Topics:
Walt Disney - WED Enterprises - 1964 New York World's Fair - 1965 - Disneyland - It's a small world - The Carousel of Progress - EPCOT

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The Belgium Pavilion from the 1964 New York World's Fair was relocated to Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia.

Related Topics:
Belgium - Virginia Union University - Richmond, Virginia

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