Some Lesser Known World's Fair Architectural Achievements

My latest article in the official Expo 2012 blog is now up!

Click here.

The Expo '67 Site: 40 Years Later

I love visiting the sites of former world's fairs and finding little artifacts here and there.

There aren't many like me that could get excited at finding evidence of the foundation for the Australian Pavilion at site of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, but I know I'm not alone.

This wonderful collection of photos documents the same views of Montreal's Expo '67 site in 1967 and 2007.

25th Anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair, Part 2

Traveling to Knoxville last month for the Fair Day festivities on the
Fourth of July, I took a ton of photos of the event, exhibits, and
from the observation deck of the Sunsphere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/expomuseum/sets/72157600773432052/

The 1982 World's Fair was my first world's fair. I was 15 years old and when we went, we didn't have time to go up in the Sunsphere itself. 25 years later, I finally got to go up!

25th Anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair

This Fourth of July found me in Knoxville for celebrations related to the 25th anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair.

The video I shot in my hotel room, so I apologize for the poor quality, but it gives a good overview of the fair in the context of 2007.

It's always great to be back in Knoxville. My interest in international expositions started here when I was 15 years old. There are still little bits of the world's fair left here and there, but mostly the old railroad yard that once stood here is a beautiful downtown park.

Tomorrow, the city will open the Sunsphere to the public for the first time in years. I hope to get some video or still photos of that. Also, the East Tennessee Historial Society has an exhibit about the 1982 World's Fair. They were closed today, but I plan on visiting tomorrow.

The 1982 World's Fair

One of the reasons I've created this blog separate from the main ExpoMuseum web site was so that I could talk about my personal experiences at the six world's fairs I've been to so far.

My first world's fair was the 1982 World's Fair, the Knoxville International Energy Exposition. This month parks the 25th anniversary of its opening and there's been some media attention in Knoxville surrounding the anniversary.

I was 15 years old and living in suburban Atlanta, just about a 3-hour drive from the site. Unfortunately, I only got to see it for a day and a half, but from that point, I knew I was hooked and I saw the potential for a world's fair: a truly experimental city-within-a-city to try out new forms of architecture, design, communication, and just plain fun.