Discover the various ways visitors could travel about the fairgrounds.




At the center of the fairgrounds, dominated by the futuristic Trylon and Perisphere, the Theme Center is where many people began their adventure in the World of Tomorrow.




Powered by dozens of gears and electrical relays, Elektro the Westinghouse Moto-Man fascinated thousands of fair-goers with his witty remarks and state of the art antics.




The central feature of the General Motors Highways and Horizons pavilion, Futurama provided a glimpse of what a modern city might look like in 1960.




Many Americans were introduced to the idea of television at the fair. One feature was a closed circuit studio where visitors could be televised and friends and family could view their performance on a receiver in an adjacent room.




The Transportation Zone included exhibits related to the automotive industry, railroads, marine travel and much more. The most popular attraction was the lavish Railroads on Parade pageant.




Literature, historical documents, consumer goods and scientific information was among the many items crammed into the torpedo shaped Westinghouse Time Capsule. The Capsule was buried fifty feet below the Westinghouse exhibit, to remain undisturbed for five thousand years.





The Trylon and Perisphere under construction
The Trylon and Perisphere being demolished

TRYLON AND PERISPHERE

At the center of the fairgrounds, the point at which wide avenues stretched outward in a radial pattern into the various zones in which the various attractions and exhibit pavilions were housed, the Trylon and Perisphere were symbols of the vision of the future that became the fair's major theme.

Both structures were constructed of steel framing covered in plaster. The Trylon, a 610 foot three sided obelisk, was connected to the 180 foot diameter Perisphere by a ramp called the Helicline, which provided an exit from the interior of the Perisphere, which housed the popular Democracity exhibit. The stark white structures were easily visible for miles around and served as a symbolic beacon to those en route to the fair.

Although it may have been preferable to retain these structures as a lasting legacy of the fair, they were demolished some after the fair closed and much of the steel was recycled for use in the war effort.



DEMOCRACITY

One of the highlights of the Theme Center was Democracity, a model of a future planned urban area featuring a commercial city core ringed by smaller residential and industrial communities. Visitors to the exhibit passed through the Perisphere on a moving sidewalk, where they viewed the model while a slide presentation was projected on the dome of the structure. It was stressed that Democracity represented a vision that could be realized in the present day using extant technology and that the "City of Tomorrow" didn't necessarily have to wait for the future. Admission to the exhibit was 25 cents. Click here to see the brochure.

Visitors to the Perisphere passing above Democracity on a moving walkway


THE CITY

This short documentary film, which chronicles the evolution of urban areas from earlier times, also features Columbia Maryland, a planned community that emphasizes greenbelts and open areas. The film received good reviews when it was shown at the fair..