Last week, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani gave a speech announcing his transition team in Flushing Meadows Corona Park directly in front of the Unisphere: the iconic symbol of Queens. Yet the backdrop wasn’t nearly as dynamic as it might have been for the occasion.
The centerpiece of the 1964-65 World’s Fair has suffered from a lack of modernized infrastructure and frequent flooding within the park. The Unisphere’s water features and the Fountain of the Fairs, a misting fountain for residents to cool off in during the summer, are both currently out of operation.
