Trylon and Perisphere facts for kids
The Trylon and Perisphere were two huge, modern-looking buildings. They were designed by architects Wallace Harrison and J. Andre Fouilhoux. Together, they were known as the Theme Center of the 1939 New York World's Fair.
The Perisphere was a giant ball, 180 feet (about 55 meters) wide. It was connected to the Trylon, a tall, spire-shaped tower 610 feet (186 meters) high. They were linked by what was then the world's longest escalator!
Inside the Perisphere, there was a special display called Democracity. This was a diorama, which is like a 3D model scene. It showed a perfect city of the future, fitting the fair's theme: "The World of Tomorrow." Visitors watched this display from a moving walkway above. Pictures were projected onto the inside of the sphere.
After seeing the Perisphere, people walked down the Helicline. This was a long, spiral ramp, 950 feet (290 meters) long, that went around part of the Perisphere.
The name "Perisphere" comes from the Greek word peri-, meaning "all around" or "enclosing." The name "Trylon" comes from "triangular pylon," because of its three-sided shape.
Building the Structures
The Trylon and Perisphere were designed by Wallace Harrison and J. Andre Fouilhoux. The inside exhibit was created by Henry Dreyfuss.
These structures were built in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York. They were only meant to be temporary. They had steel frames covered with plaster boards. After the fair ended, both buildings were taken down. Their materials were used to help with World War II.
What They Left Behind
The Trylon and Perisphere became the main symbol of the 1939 World's Fair. Their image was used on millions of posters and items. They were the main attraction at the fairgrounds.
The United States even made a postage stamp in 1939 showing the Trylon and Perisphere.
Neither of these buildings still exists today. However, the Unisphere, which was the symbol of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, now stands where the Perisphere used to be.
In Movies, Music, and Books
The Trylon and Perisphere have appeared in many parts of popular culture:
- Composer Ferde Grofé wrote a song about these buildings for the World's Fair.
- The Trylon is mentioned in the 1939 song "Lydia the Tattooed Lady". This song was made famous by Groucho Marx.
- The Trylon Theatre in Forest Hills, Queens, was open from 1939 to 1999. Its design included nods to the 1939 World's Fair.
- In the 1941 movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the characters visit the fair. The Trylon and Perisphere are clearly shown.
- An episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Odyssey of Flight 33" showed these structures from the air. This was to show that a plane had traveled back in time to 1939 or 1940.
- In the DC Comics series All-Star Squadron, the superhero team used the Perisphere as their headquarters during World War II.
- Another DC Comics series, Young All-Stars, also used the Trylon and Perisphere as their headquarters during World War II.
- Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann wrote a song called "Fifty Years After the Fair" in 1993. It talks about the Trylon and Perisphere and how the future didn't turn out as bright as the fair imagined.
- In a 1995 episode of The X-Files called "Aubrey", the main character sees visions of the Trylon and Perisphere. These visions help the detectives solve a mystery.
- An episode of the TV show Homeland is titled "Trylon and Perisphere".
- The 2000 album Deltron 3030 has a picture of the Perisphere on its cover.
- A part of Michael Chabon's 2000 novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay takes place inside the empty Perisphere in 1942.
- In E. L. Doctorow's novel World's Fair, the Trylon and Perisphere are mentioned often. The story is about a boy living in the Bronx in the late 1930s, leading up to the 1939 World's Fair.
- The 2015 movie Tomorrowland features futuristic versions of the Trylon, Perisphere, and Helicline. In the movie, the Perisphere floats and can show visions of the past.
- The 2017 short story "The Past is Important to Us" by Tom Hanks is mostly set in New York City during the 1939 World's Fair. It mentions the Trylon and Perisphere.
