Trylon and Perisphere

The Trylon and Perisphere were two distinct structures at Flushing Meadows, with the tower reaching 610 feet high and the sphere measuring 180 feet in diameter, connected by elongated escalator systems. Visitors entered through the tower, rode escalators upward, and exited by descending a 950-foot spiral ramp that wrapped around the sphere.

These structures were built as the Theme Center for the 1939 New York World's Fair, embodying modernist design and technological optimism of that era. After the fair ended, the structures were dismantled and their materials repurposed for military equipment during World War II.

The Perisphere housed Democracity, a large diorama that visitors observed from moving platforms, presenting an optimistic vision of future urban life and community living.

The experience required patience, as narrow escalators and the lengthy spiral ramp controlled crowd movement and limited how many people could visit simultaneously. Visitors needed to allow sufficient time to complete the entire journey from the tower entrance to the ramp exit.

The names derived from Greek elements: Trylon came from triangular pylon, while Perisphere incorporated peri, meaning around. This linguistic choice directly reflected the geometric shapes of the structures themselves.

Location: Queens

Architects: Wallace Harrison, J. André Fouilhoux

GPS coordinates: 40.74630,-73.84510

Latest update: December 7, 2025 09:23