Restored Fountain of the Fairs
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When the 1964 World’s Fair made its way to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens NY, an iconic Unisphere took center stage to symbolize the world’s entrance into the space age. Between this massive steel earth and Fountain of the Planets, lies the historic reflecting pools and Fountain of the Fairs. These water features were seriously damaged during Hurricane Sandy and in disrepair until a recent $6.8 million upgrade restored them to their full glory.

McLaren’s multidisciplinary teams provided survey, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, structural engineering and construction support for the renovation and adaptive re-use of the historic landmark reimagined by NYC Parks.

To help keep the original footprint, dimensions, and design but integrate new resilient infrastructure and additional water features, our team provided detailed condition assessments, geotechnical investigations, structural analysis, and design for the new framed concrete slab over the existing pools. We also engineered various water supply and drainage/utility structures, designing the storm sewer system and subsurface drainage layouts.

The restored Fountains of the Fairs now includes additional community water features and recreation areas, ready to draw visitors from around NYC and the world.