1964 & 1965 Official Guidebook & Souvenir Map Entries

The description of this exhibit from the 1964 Official Guide Book

The description of this exhibit from the 1965 Official Guide Book

The location of this exhibit on the 1964 Official Souvenir Map

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NEW YORK CITY
PAVILION AND
ICE THEATER

The host city of the Fair, which is celebrating its own 300th birthday in 1964, presents two major attractions in its big permanent building. They are an ice show produced by former Olympic figure-skating champion Dick Button, and "Panorama around New York," a simulated helicopter ride over a huge scale model of the city. The model includes every one of New York's 835,000 buildings and all of its streets, ferries, docks, bridges and airports. In the pavilion, there are also a model of the city as it was in 1664; an exhibit of art, sculpture, artifacts and photographs from 34 of the city's most important museums, libraries, zoos and botanical gardens; and a Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority exhibit that shows color pictures of the many bridges and tunnels of New York. In addition, the city's radio station WNYC and its ultra-high-frequency television station, Channel 31, have moved studios to the building and can be watched in operation. The New York City building is one of two Fair structures (the Amphitheatre is the other) remaining from the 1939 Fair. It also served as the seat of the Untied Nations General Assembly in 1946 before the U.N. moved to its present site.
* Admission: 10 cents to the pavilion. Ice show tickets (all seats are reserved)): $1.05 to $3.35 for the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday matinees, $1.65 to $3.35 for evening performances. Evening prices prevail for all performances on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
* Performances for the ice show: 1, 3, 5 and 7:30 p.m. The show lasts one hour. The helicopter ride, which last seven minutes, operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Highlights

SURPRISES ON ICE. In "Dick Button's Ice-Travaganza," 150 skaters, headed by former Olympic stars and comics, perform in 10 romantic vignettes. Around the horseshoe-shaped rink are small spill-out rinks that pour skaters and props (elegant gardens, ballrooms, ski slopes, St. Valentine's Day cards and zoos) onto the skating area and thus keep the show moving at all times.
THE BIG TOWN. The incredibly detailed model of the city, which measures 180 by 100 feet, is built to a scale of one inch to 100 feet. At that scale, the Empire State Building is 15 inches tall. The model can be viewed from a balcony where binoculars may be rented (10 cents for a minute and a half) or from the simulated helicopter flight. Passengers enter helicopter-like cars at the Narrows. The cars rise just high enough (two feet) to clear the model. As they fly over the city the lighting changes to evening, while a recording tells of the city's history and operations.

NEW YORK CITY

The Fair's host city presents a simulated helicopter ride over a huge scale model of the Greater New York area.

One of the two buildings still standing that date from the 1939/1940 Fair (the other is the Amphitheater in the Lake Area), the New York City pavilion also served as a temporary seat of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946. On display are paintings, sculpture, historical items and photographs from 34 of the city's museums and libraries, as well as a model of the city as it was in 1660.

THE BIG TOWN. The incredibly detailed model of New York includes almost every one of its 835,000 buildings and all of its streets, docks, ferries, bridges and airports. It is built to a scale of one inch to 100 feet (the model of the Empire State Building is 15 inches tall) and covers 18,000 square feet. It can be viewed from a surrounding balcony through rented binoculars or from helicopterlike cars which circle the model. As these cars travel around the city, day changes to night and the lights of the city come on while a recorded narration describes New York's history and operations.

¶ Admission: 10 cents.