Floral Map of Brussels at the 1958 World's Fair

Continuing on with the slides from the 1958 Brussels World's Fair — here's an amazing overview of the Fair looking towards the Porte de L'Atomium.

The area to the left of the avenue is the Belgian Section. The large square building is the Buildings and Housings exhibit. The tall white structure with the colorful mural across Avenue de la Construction is the Glass, Ceramics and Terra Cotta industries pavilion. Next to that is Town Planning. Behind that, with the bright red roof is the Coca Cola building. The globe is part of the Solvay pavilion. The round building on the right, Brabrant Hall, had a impuvium roof which was visible through the glass walls. The curved blue structure on the right of the avenue is the sewing pavilion (Singer, Bernina/Orion).

On the far left, under the zig-zag walkway can be seen the Map of Belgium, a 1.3500 scale model with working parts. This is the Civil Engineering pavilion, and although you can't see it well from this angle, the building was a daring piece of work.


The Civil Engineering building under construction, showing the walkway suspended by the cantilevered pylon.


The relief map of Belgium, showing positions of chief public works (bridges, tunnels, etc). The map is spanned by a footbridge, 17 feet high, which was entirely unsupported from the ground. It was suspended by the Civil Engineering building's cantilever (see above), which rose to a height of 120 feet.

Another view of the map (really a model!) showing considerable detail in craftsmanship.

This area is now called Mini Europe and is thriving still under the shadow of the Atomium.

A current look from the Atomium down on Mini Europe.

England, France and many other countries are represented here. Official site here.

Sunrise Shopping Center - Mid Century Modern Ft. Lauderdale - 1956

A brilliant blue sky and bright Florida sun highlight the Sunrise Shopping Center in Ft. Lauderdale in May 1956. Saks Fifth Avenue was the anchor store. Enclosed in 1980 and renamed the Galleria, it has no resemblance to this at all.

Dad just moved to Florida to start his architecture practice and this mall must have interested him. I have to agree. Shot on Kodachrome 35mm transparency, Argus Rohlik camera.


ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker

Busch Gardens' Hospitality House - 1963

Flamingos and swans accentuate the Hospitality House at Busch Gardens, Tampa in this 1963 original slide. It was designed by William Harvard, a modernist architect who was active on the west-central coast of Florida (He designed the "upside-down pyramid" at the pier in St. Pete, and many MCM homes in the area). Opened in 1959, it was a place to receive two free Budweisers or Michelobs and relax. There were 4 employees and 4 parrots. In January 2009, InBev, the new Belgian owner, stopped the tradition of free beer at the Hospitality House. Ouch!

A trio of smartly-dressed women pose in front of the "Stairway to the Stars" — a somewhat rickety escalator that carried you to the roof of the brewery to begin the famous brew tour. In the early days, there were seals in a pool below. The brewery always reminded me of Willy Wonka's factory. Lots of mint-green tiles and brass boilers. You looked down from windows near the ceiling.

Float at the Fun 'n Sun Parade, Clearwater, FL – March 1960.
A large Hospitality House model shares the attention with the Anheuser-Busch logo, and a number of Ann Margaret lookalikes. Colorful palm trees and swans, flamingos and herons add to the effect. Not sure what the rock-like motif is for, but with pretty girls like the one in front of the eagle, who cares?

Float at the Fun 'n Sun Parade, Clearwater, FL – March 1961.
What a difference a year makes! The Hospitality House model has been re-done and is more true to the original, yet sits on a sea of pink, green and yellow. The natural birds give way to foil peacocks and flamingos while the palms are all snowy white. The dress code obviously changes to southern belle debutante! I can almost see the parade wave now. The eagle logo is also less stylized. McCrorys 5-10-25 store is fighting for my attention here, but the deco looks dated compared to Harvard's modern design.

ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker

Sahara Motel - Daytona Beach, Florida - 1956

Amateur Kodachrome slides, slightly blurry

An inviting pool, unique stonework, stucco and clerestory windows are the ingredients to this tasteful mid-century modern ranch-style motel. Add palm trees and a cool font for the sign, and it's done!

It's still there! Google Maps

ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker

New York International Airport Murals, 1963

A large mural - Rejoicing and the Festivals of the Americas - by the famous Brazilian artist Carybé dominates one side of the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4. Carybé won the commission for two murals which were installed in 1960. The terminal has since undergone massive expansion, and the murals are being installed in Miami International Airport. The new Miami terminal is scheduled to open in June, 2009. Articles here and here. Video here.

The fate of this huge stained-glass façade by Robert Sowers (also unveiled in 1960) on the south side of American Airlines Terminal 8 was not as fortunate. Once the largest stained glass wall in the world, it came down in 2007 to make way for a larger terminal. It proved unfeasable to preserve as a whole, so the seperate tiles were sold and shipped to various places. One report had them being made into keychains. Ouch.

This quote from the New York Times says it all: 'John Farrell, another pilot, said: “In this age, you can’t afford too much sentimentality. There are razor-thin margins in this business, and I don’t think anybody ever buys a ticket because American Airlines has a very nice stained window.” ' I'm going out on a limb here and guessing he's no artist... More here and here.

International Customs and Claims area. Note the Eames-esque color sceme of bright yellow, orange and white.

Two Mohawk "Cosmopolitan" Convair 240 26s sit ready in front of the Pan Am Terminal at New York International Airport at Idlewild. A pilot is visible in the nearest plane. The gold and brown color scheme was adapted in 1958.

ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker

TWA Flight Center by Eero Saarinen, 1963

New York International Airport is packed as the Beatles finally arrive and — wait a minute, that isn't for a couple of months. The date on these slides is Nov 63, the month JFK was assassinated in Dallas. It is still New York International or Idlewild Airport (as it was commonly known after the golf course it displaced).

(The slides in this set were slightly damaged as found)

Of course, in 1963, the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center would have been the main attraction. Open for under a year when these photos were taken, it was designed to impart a sense of flight and movement. This futuristic work is now a National Historic Landmark.

(Composite image made from two slides)

The jetsons-like interior is full of movement, and in spite of being made of concrete, the construction gives a sense of lightness and airiness. The building and all its spaces and elements, make up a total environment where every detail belongs to the same family of forms, consistently repeated in passenger counters, information boards, railings etc.
Note the Alexander Calder sculpture hanging in Terminal 5.
Jet Blue and the Port Authority has put $19 million into the renovation of Terminal 5 and it opened last October. It is still modern, but seems to have lost some of its mid-century identity. Jet blue's site is here. May I check your baggage?

ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker

Marco Beach Hotel and Villas, Florida - 1965

...And what a life it probably was until the island was over-developed in the early 60s. The developers (Deltona Corp) bought the entire island and developed the whole thing. They eventually went broke fighting environmental laws, but not until the damage was done. This hotel (tropical and quaint by today's standards) was opened in 1965. Cost: $16 for a double occupancy room. A ginormous Marriott now sits on the site at 400 South Collier Boulevard.

One of the most important archaeological sites in North America was located on this once remote and wild island, then called Key Marco. Numerous items of carved and painted wood were discovered preserved in a mucky bayou on the north side. The famous "Marco Cat" came from here. Also under this motel was rumored to be a treasure ship! See this page for the whole story. Put on your kookiest hat and enjoy another part of weird Florida!

ElectroSpark @ Twitter | Flicker