Expo '74
Encyclopedia
Expo '74 was an environmentally
themed world's fair
in Spokane, Washington
that ran from 4 May to 3 November 1974.
Expo '74, in proclaiming itself the first exposition on an environmental theme, distanced itself from the more techno-centric world's fairs of the sixties. This environmental theme was displayed in events such as a symposium at Expo '74, on United Nations World Environment Day (June 5), of 1,200 people including many national representatives, and another, on ECAFE (United Nations Economic Council for Asia and the Far East) Day (June 14) on the importance (or otherwise) of the environment to countries in that region.
Spokane was the smallest city to host a (Bureau of International Expositions
recognized) world's fair until Knoxville, Tennessee
held the 1982 World's Fair
eight years later. After considering other slogans, such as “How Man Can Live, Work and Play in Harmony With His Environment”, Expo '74 Settled on “Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment.” The heart of the fair park grounds was located on Canada Island, Havermale Island, and the adjacent south bank of the Spokane River
in the center of the city. With the exception of two pavilions, all of the major buildings were modular structures assembled on the site. The fair had 5.2 million visitors and was considered a success, nearly breaking even, revitalizing the blighted urban core, and pumping an estimated $150 million into the local economy and surrounding region.
Among the many attractions, architectural critics were intrigued by the Australian Pavilion with its 36 screen revolving audio visual platform and model of the newly completed Sydney Opera House
. (The artistic director for the project was film director Jonathan Dawson
). In fact Australia
was one of only a handful of countries with an official presence at the fair. The others were Canada
, West Germany, Iran
, Japan
, Republic of China
(Taiwan), Republic of Korea, USA and the USSR.
Several countries exhibits seemed designed to demonstrate their nation's lack of environmental care:
An environmental theme was never used before in any World's Fair up until that time (it was repeated during Expo 2005). This was the the first fair in several years that didn't focus on space age, science fiction, futuristic themes, or utopian ideas of living with various consumer products in the future. World's Fairs were started at the beginning of The Industrial Revolution to showcase and demonstrate new products to the public. This theme idea was unique and would contribute to what would become the basis for future themes for other World's Fairs as consumer goods would be appearing in various trade shows on a more frequent basis (such as the Consumer Electronics Show). Kodak, General Motors
, and Ford had pavilions at this fair but they were very scaled down in size and presence than the exhibits constructed for the New York Worlds Fair ten years earlier. For the first time since the companies creation, General Electric
didn't have a pavilion at this fair but sponsored the musical group Up with People
that performed during the Summertime at the fair. Pacific Northwest Bell
had a pavilion that eliminated the use of air conditioning using louvered panels on the roof. They demonstrated the use of tty equipment and discussed the use of 911 for emergency services. This would be the last time that a Baby Bell would exhibit at a worlds fair before the breakup of the Bell System ten years later. One piece of technology did makes its debut to the United States, the Imax movie theater. The original theater built in the United States Pavilion had a movie screen that was 300 x 215 ft and completely covered the front wall of the theater. It was the largest indoor movie screen at the time and had bigger dimension than a typical drive in move screen. With the movie "To Fly" being shown, it appeared to many as if they were in motion while flying over places such as The Grand Canyon.
After the event closed, the exposition site became the city's 100 acre (400,000 m²) Riverfront Park, containing the former U.S. Pavilion and a clock tower (part of a Great Northern rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74), which prominently featured the park's logo.
Several structures built for the fair are still standing. The United States Pavilion still houses an IMAX
theater built after the fair (The original one built for the fair beneath the pavilion was abandoned), as well as a winter ice rink that is put to other varied uses in the warm months. The "Sky Ride" chairlift from Expo '74 still stands as well, but not in its original place. It has since been moved to Adventureland
theme park in Altoona, Iowa
. The Washington State Pavilion still stands and is used as the Spokane Convention Center and the Opera House. The Carousel remains a popular attraction. It originated in Natatorium Park, which closed in 1967, and was restored for the World's Fair.
The original covering of the US pavilion was a thick vinyl sheeting that was not designed to last. It was allowed to remain until it began to deteriorate, become unsightly and was thought a safety hazard. When the city opted to remove the covering, chunks of the thick vinyl could be purchased as keep-sakes. The tent design itself with its heavy cables was not intended to stay up, however the people of Spokane voiced the opinion that it should remain as a unique architectural statement, and a monument to the 1974 exposition.
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
themed world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
that ran from 4 May to 3 November 1974.
Expo '74, in proclaiming itself the first exposition on an environmental theme, distanced itself from the more techno-centric world's fairs of the sixties. This environmental theme was displayed in events such as a symposium at Expo '74, on United Nations World Environment Day (June 5), of 1,200 people including many national representatives, and another, on ECAFE (United Nations Economic Council for Asia and the Far East) Day (June 14) on the importance (or otherwise) of the environment to countries in that region.
Spokane was the smallest city to host a (Bureau of International Expositions
Bureau of International Expositions
The International Exhibitions Bureau is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions....
recognized) world's fair until Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
held the 1982 World's Fair
1982 World's Fair
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...
eight years later. After considering other slogans, such as “How Man Can Live, Work and Play in Harmony With His Environment”, Expo '74 Settled on “Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment.” The heart of the fair park grounds was located on Canada Island, Havermale Island, and the adjacent south bank of the Spokane River
Spokane River
The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the city of Spokane, Washington.-Description:...
in the center of the city. With the exception of two pavilions, all of the major buildings were modular structures assembled on the site. The fair had 5.2 million visitors and was considered a success, nearly breaking even, revitalizing the blighted urban core, and pumping an estimated $150 million into the local economy and surrounding region.
Among the many attractions, architectural critics were intrigued by the Australian Pavilion with its 36 screen revolving audio visual platform and model of the newly completed Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. (The artistic director for the project was film director Jonathan Dawson
Jonathan Dawson
Jonathan Dawson is an Australian academic, filmmaker, film and literary critic and broadcaster.-Background:Jonathan Dawson was born in Melbourne. At Melbourne University he graduated in English Honours and won awards for acting and two One Act Playwriting Competitions...
). In fact Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was one of only a handful of countries with an official presence at the fair. The others were Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, West Germany, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan), Republic of Korea, USA and the USSR.
Several countries exhibits seemed designed to demonstrate their nation's lack of environmental care:
An environmental theme was never used before in any World's Fair up until that time (it was repeated during Expo 2005). This was the the first fair in several years that didn't focus on space age, science fiction, futuristic themes, or utopian ideas of living with various consumer products in the future. World's Fairs were started at the beginning of The Industrial Revolution to showcase and demonstrate new products to the public. This theme idea was unique and would contribute to what would become the basis for future themes for other World's Fairs as consumer goods would be appearing in various trade shows on a more frequent basis (such as the Consumer Electronics Show). Kodak, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, and Ford had pavilions at this fair but they were very scaled down in size and presence than the exhibits constructed for the New York Worlds Fair ten years earlier. For the first time since the companies creation, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
didn't have a pavilion at this fair but sponsored the musical group Up with People
Up with People
Up with People is an international education organization founded in 1968 by J. Blanton Belk, building from roots in the similar "Sing-Out" program of 1965. Up With People is best known for their musical performances by international casts consisting of 70–100 students from, on average, 20...
that performed during the Summertime at the fair. Pacific Northwest Bell
Pacific Northwest Bell
Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company was an AT&T majority-owned Bell System company that provided local telecommunications services in Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho. Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company was formed on July 1, 1961 when it was spun off from the Pacific Telephone and...
had a pavilion that eliminated the use of air conditioning using louvered panels on the roof. They demonstrated the use of tty equipment and discussed the use of 911 for emergency services. This would be the last time that a Baby Bell would exhibit at a worlds fair before the breakup of the Bell System ten years later. One piece of technology did makes its debut to the United States, the Imax movie theater. The original theater built in the United States Pavilion had a movie screen that was 300 x 215 ft and completely covered the front wall of the theater. It was the largest indoor movie screen at the time and had bigger dimension than a typical drive in move screen. With the movie "To Fly" being shown, it appeared to many as if they were in motion while flying over places such as The Grand Canyon.
After the event closed, the exposition site became the city's 100 acre (400,000 m²) Riverfront Park, containing the former U.S. Pavilion and a clock tower (part of a Great Northern rail depot that was demolished for Expo '74), which prominently featured the park's logo.
Several structures built for the fair are still standing. The United States Pavilion still houses an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
theater built after the fair (The original one built for the fair beneath the pavilion was abandoned), as well as a winter ice rink that is put to other varied uses in the warm months. The "Sky Ride" chairlift from Expo '74 still stands as well, but not in its original place. It has since been moved to Adventureland
Adventureland (Iowa)
Adventureland is a family-owned amusement park in Altoona, Iowa . It features over 100 rides, shows and attractions.-The History:...
theme park in Altoona, Iowa
Altoona, Iowa
Altoona is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and is a part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,583 at the 2010 census; a special census taken in August 2005 counted 13,301 residents....
. The Washington State Pavilion still stands and is used as the Spokane Convention Center and the Opera House. The Carousel remains a popular attraction. It originated in Natatorium Park, which closed in 1967, and was restored for the World's Fair.
The original covering of the US pavilion was a thick vinyl sheeting that was not designed to last. It was allowed to remain until it began to deteriorate, become unsightly and was thought a safety hazard. When the city opted to remove the covering, chunks of the thick vinyl could be purchased as keep-sakes. The tent design itself with its heavy cables was not intended to stay up, however the people of Spokane voiced the opinion that it should remain as a unique architectural statement, and a monument to the 1974 exposition.
External links
- Spokane Expo '74
- A Virtual Visit to Expo '74
- Spokane Night Scenes, Riverfront Park
- Riverfront Park: Still an attraction 30 years after fair
- http://upwithpeople.org/about/history/Up with People history. General Electric sponsoring the group for Expo 74.