I thought it would be interesting to start a thread showing the transient architecture of fairs and expositions.
Post photos of your favorite fairs/expositions, or any fair that your city has hosted in the past.
I think we all will come up with a pretty cool menagerie of images.
I'll start with my personal favorite, the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.
The fair was located on 630 acres south of downtown Chicago in an area known as Jackson Park.
Chicago Historical Society
Above: This is a view of the Administration Building.
The people in the photo gives you an idea of how gargantuan the buildings were.
Below is a great map of the fair.
skullsinthestars.files.wordpress
Excluded from the illustration above is the Midway Plaisance,
which extended one mile west and perpendicular to the rest of the fair.
It was the 'entertainment' area and the site of the world's first ferris wheel.
Also, in the lower right hand corner of the map above, you can see many railway lines
converging at the Terminal Railway Station. The station appears to be rather small in comparison
with the other buildings at the fair.
You can see that it isn't small at all in the photograph below.
brooklyn museum
Also in the map above, you can clearly see the largest building is the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building.
Designed by George B. Post, it covered 30 acres, and at the time was labeled the "the largest structure
on earth."
Below: The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. The tiny 'specks' on the roof are people..
brooklyn museum
Below: One of six portals to the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building.
Notice the lone woman in the photograph for perspective.
brooklyn museum
Below: A view north, toward downtown Chicago, from the roof of the Manufactures & Liberal Arts Bldg.
brooklyn museum
Above: The large domed building on the left is the Illinois Building and the large domed building on the right is the U.S. Government Building.
Below: The Machinery Building, just south of the Administration Building.
Chicago Historical Society
Built to last for only the duration of the fair, these fragile buildings were mostly constructed with plaster and jute fiber known as staff.
There is an exception, and I'll include it in my next post (unless someone beats me to it).
Feel free to post your own photos of any fairs that interests you, or fairs that were important for your city.
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