New York World's Fair Spanish Pavilion ephemera collection
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Abstract
The bulk of this collection documents the Spanish Pavilion (also called the Pavilion of Spain) at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, including its design and construction, photographs of the finished building, promotional materials, and reception in the press. There are also materials about the American Express Pavilion at the World's Fair because the same architectural firm (Kelly & Gruzen) was involved in both projects.
Biographical / Historical
The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, featured exhibitions, performances, films, art, and food from 80 countries, 24 U.S. states, and almost 350 companies. More than 51 million people visited over the two seasons it was open (April-October in both 1964 and 1965.)
The Pavilion of Spain, also called the Spanish Pavilion, was located in the international section of the fairgrounds. It consisted of three attached buildings filled with exhibition halls, interior patios, restaurants, and a theater. Designed by architect Javier Carvajal with consulting architects Kelly & Gruzen, the Pavilion broke ground in 1963 and opened in April 1964. It was one of the more popular pavilions at the World's Fair: fairgoers were able to see artworks by El Greco, Goya, Velazquez, Picasso, and Dali; sample sangria; watch Spanish folk dancing; and tour exhibits about Spanish history and culture.
After the World's Fair, Mayor Alfonso Juan Cervantes of St. Louis, MO persuaded the Spanish government to gift the building to St. Louis, where it still stands today.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged thematically in five folders:
Folder 1: Architecture, Planning, and Construction
Folder 2: Photographs
Folder 3: Promotional material for the Pavilion of Spain
Folders 4 and 5: Press about the Pavilion of Spain and the New York World's Fair
Scope and Contents
While some of this collection covers the New York World's Fair in general, the specific focus here is the Spanish Pavilion. The first folder includes renderings of the buildings, an invoice with details of the construction costs, a color print of the tiles used, and additional correspondence and memos related to the Spanish Pavilion and the American Express Pavilion (also designed by Kelly & Gruzen). The second folder contains black & white photographs of both the Spanish Pavilion and the American Express Pavilion. In the third folder, a wide array of promotional material for the Pavilion of Spain gives a sense of the breadth of activities and sights there: programs, menus, and paper models for visitors to take home highlight the Pavilion itself and Spanish culture more generally. Folders four and five contain periodicals, clippings, and other ephemera that show the reception of the Spanish Pavilion at the time. See each folder for an itemized list of the contents.
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org.
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: New York World's Fair Spanish Pavilion Ephemera Collection, PM 6, The New York Historical.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Stephen Phillips, 2022.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The archivist arranged items in the collection in folders by theme. Two acidic binders were taken apart and the papers and photographs they contained were moved to folders. Some fragile items were placed in mylar sleeves. Brittle news clippings and mimeographs were replaced with preservation photocopies on acid-free paper.