We’ve discussed the World’s Fair more than we probably should or at least more than its been relevant for quite some time. Maybe our obsession and infatuation with the park is that the idea is so beyond us. The fact that we can log on to the internet or Google Earth and literally travel the world in basically real time makes it hard for us to understand the idea of a fair. However, having said that, there is something neat about bring all cultures together in a tangible setting.

Speaking of tangible, there are still remains of the World’s Fair and surely the reason it comes up over and over again on our site. One of the remains is the Freedom of the Human Spirit – a monumental bronze statue by Marshall M. Fredericks that stands in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, not far from where it was placed in 1964 as a sculptural counterpoint to the United States Pavilion.

Some will argue that this ‘outdoor museum’ is worth the restoration and we kind of agree. In fact we welcome it as its pre-Vietnam war and before our nation changed a whole lot — we see the symbolism and support the effort; especially since the original site is now Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Whether you like it or not, as the New York Times points out, In any case, the $40,000 going to its rehabilitation is well spent, said Jonathan Kuhn, the director of art and antiquities in the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees the Citywide Monuments Conservation Program.

We recommend going to check it out while its being completed and of course, after!

@newyorkeventsco