Queens Museum#Building history

The Queens Museum is located in the New York City Pavilion at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, designed by architect Aymar Embury II for the 1939 World's Fair.{{cite web |title=Queens Museum Today |url=http://www.queensmuseum.org/queens-museum-today |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115034612/http://queensmuseum.org/queens-museum-today/ |archive-date=November 15, 2013 |access-date=March 18, 2009 |publisher=Queens Museum of Art}}{{Cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Michael T. |date=July 22, 1995 |title=About New York; A Family's Ancestor Was a City's Architect |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/22/nyregion/about-new-york-a-family-s-ancestor-was-a-city-s-architect.html |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526145014/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/22/nyregion/about-new-york-a-family-s-ancestor-was-a-city-s-architect.html |url-status=live }} The fair was first announced in 1935,{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Victor H. |date=September 29, 1935 |title=A Magic City Within the City; Building New York's Fair, to Which All Roads Will Lead in 1939. A Huge Task of Financing, Planning and Engineering |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/29/archives/a-magic-city-within-the-city-building-new-yorks-fair-to-which-all.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621003614/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/29/archives/a-magic-city-within-the-city-building-new-yorks-fair-to-which-all.html |url-status=live }} and engineering consultant J. Franklin Bell drew up preliminary plans for the fairground the next year, including a structure for the New York City government.{{cite news |date=May 3, 1936 |title='39 World Fair Begins to Take Shape on Paper: Col. J. F. Bell Draws Up Preliminary Suggestions on Buildings and Layout |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=J1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1352660273}}}} The building was originally proposed as a two-story "glass house",{{cite news |date=August 19, 1936 |title=Mayor Favors a Glass House For City's World Fair Exhibit: Enthusiastic Over Moses' Suggestion to Make Municipality an Open Book; Building Would Later Become Sports Haven |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=19 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1222080231}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=August 21, 1936 |title=LaGuardia Backs Glass House at Fair |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=3 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|514102387}}}} but it was ultimately erected as a more conventional rectangular building.{{cite news |date=September 11, 1938 |title=World's Fair Building Progress From Blueprints to All Colors: Even as the Big Construction Proceeds Rapidly, Landscaping Is Going On and the Show's Theme Begins To Be Evident Art at the World's Fair: Pulling the Finishing Touches on Three Large Murals |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=A3 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1243091894}}}} Mayor Fiorello La Guardia said he wanted the building to showcase "modern municipal government in all its aspects".{{Cite news |date=August 17, 1937 |title=World Fair Space is 86% 'Spoken for'; Whalen Reveals Wide Backing at Dedication of the Plaza for Theme Center |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/17/archives/world-fair-space-is-86-spoken-for-whalen-reveals-wide-backing-at.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171428/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/17/archives/world-fair-space-is-86-spoken-for-whalen-reveals-wide-backing-at.html |url-status=live }} In April 1937, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the sale of $180,000 in bonds to fund the construction of the City Building's foundation.{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1937 |title=City Votes $62,490 to Curb Pneumonia; Estimate Board Also Grants $180,000 for Foundation of World's Fair Building |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/01/archives/city-votes-62490-to-curb-pneumonia-estimate-board-also-grants.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621003612/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/05/01/archives/city-votes-62490-to-curb-pneumonia-estimate-board-also-grants.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |date=April 30, 1937 |title=City Votes Fund for Fair Building |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-city-votes-fund-for-fair-bui/149738625/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Times Union |pages=2 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621003621/https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union-city-votes-fund-for-fair-bui/149738625/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1937 |title=World's Fair City Building Bonds Ready |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-worlds-fair-city-b/149738721/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Citizen |pages=2 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621003614/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-citizen-worlds-fair-city-b/149738721/ |url-status=live }} That August, Psaty & Fuhrman submitted a low bid of $556,000 for the building's construction.{{Cite news |date=August 4, 1937 |title=Bids Listed for Work on City's Unit at Fair; Building Will House New York Exhibits-Contract for Road to Boat Basin Also Open |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/04/archives/bids-listed-for-work-on-citys-unit-at-fair-building-will-house-new.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171428/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/04/archives/bids-listed-for-work-on-citys-unit-at-fair-building-will-house-new.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |date=August 5, 1937 |title=Bids In for City's Big 4 Fair Projects |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bids-in-for-citys-big-4-fair/149738857/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=112 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171428/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-bids-in-for-citys-big-4-fair/149738857/ |url-status=live }} The building's ceremonial cornerstone was laid in January 1938,{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1938 |title=200 Shiver, Official Wit Waxes Hot at Start of City Fair Exhibit |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-200-shiver-off/149774719/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=3 |postscript=none |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171428/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-200-shiver-off/149774719/ |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |last=Jones |first=Lamoyne A. |date=January 20, 1938 |title=Albany Angered As '39 Fair Cost Rises by Million: Lehman Threatens a Veto; Legislators in Uproar and Say Moses Is at Fault Laying Cornerstone for City Building at '39 Fair |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1243691820}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=January 20, 1938 |title=City Fair Building Gets Cornerstone; Mayor Lays It, Assisted by Moses and Whalen, While Every One Shivers |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/20/archives/city-fair-building-gets-cornerstone-mayor-lays-it-assisted-by-moses.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181407/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/20/archives/city-fair-building-gets-cornerstone-mayor-lays-it-assisted-by-moses.html |url-status=live }} and the facade was completed by the beginning of May.{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1938 |title=Work at Fair Site is Far Advanced; Crowd at Flushing Meadows Park Views Buildings Nearing Completion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/work-at-fair-site-is-far-advanced-crowd-at-flushing-meadows-park.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171429/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/work-at-fair-site-is-far-advanced-crowd-at-flushing-meadows-park.html |url-status=live }} La Guardia used the building as his "summer City Hall" during mid-1938,{{cite news |date=July 6, 1938 |title=Mayor Lacking Desk, Thanks to Strike at Fair: No Lights, No Ventilation. Not Even a Rug Is Ready as He Moves Into His New Summer City Hall |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=10 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1244382250}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=July 6, 1938 |title=Mayor Flees From Fair City Hall; Finds It Dusty and Unequipped; Whalen Absent From Glum Reception as Strike Bars Lights and Air-Conditioning—Old Offices to Be Used This Week |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/06/archives/mayor-flees-from-fair-city-hall-finds-it-dusty-and-unequipped.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621010148/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/06/archives/mayor-flees-from-fair-city-hall-finds-it-dusty-and-unequipped.html |url-status=live }} and his office there was fitted with temporary mechanical equipment while other parts of the building were being completed.{{cite news |date=July 21, 1938 |title=Mayor Departs To See Ickcs on P. W. A. Grants: Summer City Hall Being Air-Conditioned and Put in Order for La Guardia Return There Tomorrow |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=12 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1250960129}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=July 21, 1938 |title=La Guardia Leaves for Washington; Workers Test Air Plant in City Building in His Absence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/21/archives/la-guardia-leaves-for-washington-workers-test-air-plant-in-city.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621010144/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/07/21/archives/la-guardia-leaves-for-washington-workers-test-air-plant-in-city.html |url-status=live }}

The New York City Pavilion ultimately cost $1.645 million.{{cite news |date=April 2, 1939 |title=Fair's Cost to City Is Estimated at $70,774,200 Up to Date: Total Includes Land Price and Improvements Morris's Figures Comprise New Transit Line but Not Airport or Boulevard |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=31 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1287069708}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 2, 1939 |title=$70,000,000 Spent by City on the Fair; Huge Cost of Improvements Related to the Exposition Is Told by Morris |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/02/archives/70000000-spent-by-city-on-the-fair-huge-cost-of-improvements.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181406/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/02/archives/70000000-spent-by-city-on-the-fair-huge-cost-of-improvements.html |url-status=live }} The pavilion was the second-largest structure at the fair, after the United States pavilion,{{Cite news |date=June 5, 1938 |title=Vast City Exhibit for Fair Detailed; Functions and Activities of Departments to Be Shown in Dramatic Manner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/06/05/archives/vast-city-exhibit-for-fair-detailed-functions-and-activities-of.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181406/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/06/05/archives/vast-city-exhibit-for-fair-detailed-functions-and-activities-of.html |url-status=live }} and it was intended as a permanent structure for the outset, in contrast to nearly all the other structures, which would have been demolished.{{cite magazine |date=May 1, 1939 |title=$156,000,000 Show: Eleven Gates Ready to Swing at the N. Y. World's Fair: Spectacle |magazine=Newsweek |pages=46–49 |volume=13 |issue=18 |id={{ProQuest|1796267678}}}} Next to the building was a plaza named City Hall Square,{{Cite news |date=June 21, 1938 |title=Fair Adopts Names of Noted Streets; Broadway and Petticoat Lane Among Those Representative of Old New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/06/21/archives/fair-adopts-names-of-noted-streets-broadway-and-petticoat-lane.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621160722/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/06/21/archives/fair-adopts-names-of-noted-streets-broadway-and-petticoat-lane.html |url-status=live }} which separated it from the Trylon and Perisphere, the central monument of the 1939 fair.{{cite news |last=Deschin |first=Jacob |date=October 12, 1938 |title=It Won't Be Long Now: Today's Vision of Tomorrow, as Depicted in New York's World's Fair Promises Heaping Measure of Enlightenment and Diversion |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=WM8 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|514938936}}}} Around it was a spiral hedge ranging from {{convert|1|to|20|ft}} tall, as well as English boxwood trimmed in the shape of the fair's seal.{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1938 |title=Work at Fair Site is Far Advanced; Crowd at Flushing Meadows Park Views Buildings Nearing Completion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/work-at-fair-site-is-far-advanced-crowd-at-flushing-meadows-park.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621160721/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/work-at-fair-site-is-far-advanced-crowd-at-flushing-meadows-park.html |url-status=live }} Malvina Hoffman designed a bas-relief called Dances of the Races to the east of the building,{{Cite news |date=December 25, 1938 |title=Women Add Distinctive Touch To Sculpture at World's Fair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/12/25/archives/society-news-education-pages-science-gardens-womens-news-fashions.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621160721/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/12/25/archives/society-news-education-pages-science-gardens-womens-news-fashions.html |url-status=live }} while William Zorach designed the sculptural group Builders of the Future to the west.{{Cite news |date=December 11, 1938 |title=Fair Will Exhibit Heroic Statuary; More Than 60 Pieces to Adorn Various Buildings, Thoroughfares and Plazas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/12/11/archives/fair-will-exhibit-heroic-statuary-more-than-60-pieces-to-adorn.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181406/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/12/11/archives/fair-will-exhibit-heroic-statuary-more-than-60-pieces-to-adorn.html |url-status=live }} Inside the pavilion were dioramas, murals, models, and displays about various departments of the city government.{{cite news |date=May 1, 1939 |title=How City Cares For Its Millions Enacted at Fair: N.Y. Building Dramatizes Its Multiple Services, From Crime Detection to Art |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=14 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1247103148}}}} The pavilion included exhibits on such topics as the WNYC radio station, the city's courts, and the Independent Subway System, along with stage shows and a voting demonstration.{{Cite news |date=April 30, 1939 |title=The Exhibits: an Amazing Array; Production and Distribution |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/30/archives/the-exhibits-an-amazing-array-production-and-distribution.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422190210/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/30/archives/the-exhibits-an-amazing-array-production-and-distribution.html |url-status=live }} There were a total of 63 exhibits, as well as an auditorium.

La Guardia dedicated the building when the fair opened on April 30, 1939.{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1939 |title=La Guardia Sees Success Assured; the Arrival of the President and Other Notables for the Opening of the New York World's Fair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/01/archives/la-guardia-sees-success-assured-the-arrival-of-the-president-and.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181408/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/01/archives/la-guardia-sees-success-assured-the-arrival-of-the-president-and.html |url-status=live }} The fair ran for two 6-month seasons until October 26, 1940.{{cite web |date=April 22, 2022 |title=The World of Tomorrow: Documenting the 1939 New York World's Fair |url=https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2022/4/22/the-world-of-tomorrow-1939-new-york-worlds-fair |access-date=June 21, 2024 |website=NYC Department of Records & Information Services |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171433/https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2022/4/22/the-world-of-tomorrow-1939-new-york-worlds-fair |url-status=live }} A special edition of New York Advancing, a book about the city government, was published in celebration of the fair's opening. The special edition included an official guide to the New York City Pavilion.{{cite news |date=May 9, 1939 |title=LaGuardia Calls N.Y. Model City, Credits Fusion: Words Preface Fair Issue of 'New York Advancing' He Gets First Copy Today |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=12 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1244894803}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=May 9, 1939 |title=Boom on City Rule is on Sale Today; Mayor to Autograph Copies of 'New York Advancing' Bought at City's Fair Building |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/09/archives/boom-on-city-rule-is-on-sale-today-mayor-to-autograph-copies-of-new.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181409/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/05/09/archives/boom-on-city-rule-is-on-sale-today-mayor-to-autograph-copies-of-new.html |url-status=live }} After the end of the fair's first season in November 1939, the space east of the building was converted to a concert area,{{cite news |date=November 3, 1939 |title=Fair Will Have Theme Center Court for 1940: Special Entertainment Field to Replace Flower Beds in Front of City Building |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=15 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1259435558}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=November 3, 1939 |title=Fair to Pave Area for 1940 Concerts; Landscaped Section Between Theme Center and City Building Is Chosen |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/03/archives/fair-to-pave-area-for-1940-concerts-landscaped-section-between.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181407/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/11/03/archives/fair-to-pave-area-for-1940-concerts-landscaped-section-between.html |url-status=live }} and furniture was stored in the pavilion prior to the 1940 season.{{Cite news |date=May 7, 1940 |title=City Hall at Fair Ready for Mayor; Old Arrowbrook Club, Badly Damaged During Winter, Is Repaired and Gleaming |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/05/07/archives/city-hall-at-fair-ready-for-mayor-old-arrowbrook-club-badly-damaged.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621181406/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/05/07/archives/city-hall-at-fair-ready-for-mayor-old-arrowbrook-club-badly-damaged.html |url-status=live }} A memorial plaque was installed on the New York City Pavilion after two policemen were killed in 1940 while attempting to defuse a bomb nearby.{{Cite news |last=Peck |first=Richard |date=October 21, 1973 |title=In Flushing Meadows The Glitter Is Gone But Hope Still Flourishes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/21/archives/in-flushing-meadows-the-glitter-is-gone-but-hope-still-flourishes.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517001020/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/21/archives/in-flushing-meadows-the-glitter-is-gone-but-hope-still-flourishes.html |url-status=live }}

File:Skating Rink, Flushing Meadow Park. LOC gsc.5a30660.jpg

The New York City Building was one of seven structures at Flushing Meadows to be preserved following the 1939 fair.{{cite news |last=MacGregor |first=Donald |date=October 20, 1940 |title=Taking the World's Fair Apart: the Last Visitor Walks Out. The Wreckers Stalk in – to Turn a World of Fantasy Into a Playground for All Time |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=SM8 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1247324294}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Loeb |first=August |date=October 27, 1940 |title=Fine Park From Fair; Flushing Meadow's New Play Area Will Be 'Second to None' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/10/27/archives/fine-park-from-fair-flushing-meadows-new-play-area-will-be-second.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407073524/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/10/27/archives/fine-park-from-fair-flushing-meadows-new-play-area-will-be-second.html |url-status=live }}{{efn|The other six were the Aquacade amphitheater, B.F. Goodrich pavilion, House of Jewels, Masterpieces of Art building, Japanese pavilion, and Polish pavilion's tower.}} Within days of the fair's closure in October 1940, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation had requested $25,000 from the New York City Board of Estimate to convert the building to an ice rink.{{Cite news |date=October 28, 1940 |title=Moses Gardeners Ready for Fair JOB; Crew of 75 From NYA to Start Transplanting of Shrubbery Given by Exhibitors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/10/28/archives/moses-gardeners-ready-for-fair-job-crew-of-75-from-nya-to-start.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613193856/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/10/28/archives/moses-gardeners-ready-for-fair-job-crew-of-75-from-nya-to-start.html |url-status=live }} The building was divided into a roller skating rink to the north and an ice-skating rink to the south.{{cite news |date=May 7, 1946 |title=Work Is Begun On U.N.'s Home At World's Fair: Skating Rink Will Become Lavish Hall in 90 Days; 100-Acre Park Planned Work Begins on the New United Nations Site |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=5 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284518724}}}}{{cite news |date=January 10, 1941 |title=The City Smooths Way for More Recreation at the World's Fair: Skating Rinks Open Sunday at Fair Grounds Mayor to Join Ceremony for Flushing Meadow's First Recreational Unit |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=17 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1263415458}}}} The roller rink measured {{Convert|150|by|120|ft}}, while the ice rink measured {{Convert|168|by|120|ft}} and could be used for other sports such as basketball and tennis.{{cite news |last=Hallett |first=Robert M. |date=January 11, 1941 |title=The World's Fair's Legacy to Flushing: .. Park |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=WM5 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|515377595}}}} The rinks opened on January 12, 1941,{{cite news |date=January 13, 1941 |title=City Opens Rinks at Flushing Meadow Park: Newbold Morris Tries Ice, Mayor Cheers From Box in Crowded City Building Figure-Skating Champion Performs on City's New Rink |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1263419808}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=January 13, 1941 |title='Super Rink' Draws Crowd to Fair Site; Throngs Are Turned Away at Opening of Ice-Skating Arena, Part of Park |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/13/archives/-super-rink-draws-crowd-to-fair-site-throngs-are-turned-away-at.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613193857/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/13/archives/-super-rink-draws-crowd-to-fair-site-throngs-are-turned-away-at.html |url-status=live }} as the park's first sporting facility. Skaters had to pay an admission fee, and spectators were also charged a fee after late 1941.{{Cite news |date=October 11, 1941 |title=Taxes Lift Skating Fees; Park Rink to Charge Higher Admission This Season |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/10/11/archives/taxes-lift-skating-fees-park-rink-to-charge-higher-admission-this.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613193857/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/10/11/archives/taxes-lift-skating-fees-park-rink-to-charge-higher-admission-this.html |url-status=live }} The rinks recorded 150,000 total visitors in their first three months{{cite news |date=April 13, 1941 |title=Flushing Rinks Prove Popular; Will Stay Open: Attendance Tops 150,000 in 3 Months and Spring Fails to Reduce Crowds |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=A3 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1265917920}}}} and 1.4 million total visitors in five years.{{cite news |date=October 12, 1952 |title=Flushing Rink to Re-open: Building Where U. N. Met Reverts to Original Use Saturday |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=46 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1315203557}}}}

The United Nations was planning a permanent headquarters during the 1940s.{{cite book |last=Mires |first=Charlene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BDAVCgAAQBAJ&pg=PP3 |title=Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations |publisher=NYU Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4798-3375-7 |pages=196, 199}} While the organization was deciding on a permanent headquarters, UN Secretary-General Trygve Lie decided in April 1946 to use the New York City Pavilion as a meeting hall for the United Nations General Assembly.{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=John G. |date=April 12, 1946 |title=World's Fair and Sperry Plant Selected By United Nations for Temporary Home; Spain Accused of Plan to Attack France |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1313561075}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Kaplan |first=Morris L. |date=April 12, 1946 |title=Move is a Surprise; Flushing Gets Assembly, Lake Success Houses Council and Offices |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/12/archives/move-is-a-surprise-flushing-gets-assembly-lake-success-houses.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171931/https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/12/archives/move-is-a-surprise-flushing-gets-assembly-lake-success-houses.html |url-status=live }} The city and UN agreed to spend $2.27 million to renovate the pavilion and environs,{{cite news |date=April 30, 1946 |title=City, U.N. to Pay $2,270,000 to Fix Up Fair Site: $1,900,000 To Be Spent by New York, $370,000 by Nations for Fall Sessions |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=16A |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284530726}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 26, 1946 |title=City in New Offer to Fix Up Fair Site; O'Dwyer Mentions $1,900,000 but Asks U.N. to Contribute $370,000 to Project |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/26/archives/city-in-new-offer-to-fix-up-fair-site-odwyer-mentions-1900000-but.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171239/https://www.nytimes.com/1946/04/26/archives/city-in-new-offer-to-fix-up-fair-site-odwyer-mentions-1900000-but.html |url-status=live }} and workers began renovations in May 1946.{{Cite news |date=May 4, 1946 |title=Remodeling Begun on U.N. Queens Site; Job Rushed in New York City Building as Estimate Board Approves $2,313,860 Outlay |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/05/04/archives/remodeling-begun-on-unqueens-site-job-rushed-in-new-york-city.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171245/https://www.nytimes.com/1946/05/04/archives/remodeling-begun-on-unqueens-site-job-rushed-in-new-york-city.html |url-status=live }} A wall was built between the northern and southern halves of the building, and an auditorium and small annex was built in the northern half. The southern half was converted to space for air conditioning equipment. Workers also planted a flower garden at the site of the Trylon and Perisphere, in addition to 1,000 trees, 2,500 shrubs, and 200,000 other plants around the building. In addition, nearby roads were upgraded. Early plans called for the General Assembly to use the building for only six months; the building would have continued to function as a roller-skating and ice-skating rink afterward.{{cite news |last=Irwin |first=Don |date=April 17, 1946 |title=Mayor Tells Skaters They'll Get Rink Back After U. N. Session: O'Dwyer, on Surprise Visit to World's Fair Site, Says Equipment To Be Installed for Assembly Meeting in the Fall Will Be Removable |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284512159}}}}

Once the renovations were completed, the UN took over the building that September,{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=George |date=September 15, 1946 |title=Assembly Building Now in U.N.'s Care; Flushing Meadows Park 'Event' Has a Casual Audience of Roller-Skating Boy and Girl Guard Posted Without Music Map of the World Predominant |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/09/15/archives/assembly-building-now-in-uns-care-flushing-meadows-park-event-has-a.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171240/https://www.nytimes.com/1946/09/15/archives/assembly-building-now-in-uns-care-flushing-meadows-park-event-has-a.html |url-status=live }} and a formal ceremony was hosted on October 18, 1946.{{cite news |last=Bird |first=Robert S. |date=October 19, 1946 |title=City Submits' A Design for U. N.'s Home |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291272042}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Frank S. |date=October 19, 1946 |title=New York Offers U.N. 350-acre Site at Flushing as a Permanent Home; Conveys City Building to Assembly |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1946/10/19/archives/new-york-offers-un-350acre-site-at-flushing-as-a-permanent-home.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171240/https://www.nytimes.com/1946/10/19/archives/new-york-offers-un-350acre-site-at-flushing-as-a-permanent-home.html |url-status=live }} Later that year, the UN decided to build its permanent headquarters in Manhattan, and the UN was allowed to stay at the New York City Pavilion until the Manhattan headquarters was finished.{{cite news |date=December 14, 1946 |title=U. N.s Decision to Stay. Is Blow to City's Skaters: Rink Slated To Be Assembly's Home for 2 More Years |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=2 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291270419}}}} Numerous significant events occurred at the New York City Pavilion in the UN's early years, including the creation of UNICEF, the partition of Korea,{{cite web |last=Rhoades |first=Liz |date=November 21, 2007 |title=Israel Got Its Start At Flushing Meadows Park |url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/israel-got-its-start-at-flushing-meadows-park/article_6de8cc25-6661-5721-a27d-29b22305bbef.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=Queens Chronicle |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180448/https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/israel-got-its-start-at-flushing-meadows-park/article_6de8cc25-6661-5721-a27d-29b22305bbef.html |url-status=live }} and the authorization of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine (during which Israel was created). The UN renewed its lease of the building in late 1947.{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=George |date=November 24, 1947 |title=U.N. Again Leasing Flushing Meadow |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/24/archives/un-again-leasing-flushing-meadow-renewal-decided-on-with-city-for.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180448/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/11/24/archives/un-again-leasing-flushing-meadow-renewal-decided-on-with-city-for.html |url-status=live }} The pavilion was the temporary home of the General Assembly until October 20, 1951,{{cite news |date=October 20, 1951 |title=U. N. Closes Down Operations at Flushing Meadow |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=4 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1337265889}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=October 20, 1951 |title=U.N. Ends Its Sojourn at Flushing Meadow; Security Council Sitting Wind-Up of 5 Years |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/20/archives/un-ends-its-sojourn-at-flushing-meadow-security-council-sitting.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180448/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/20/archives/un-ends-its-sojourn-at-flushing-meadow-security-council-sitting.html |url-status=live }} and the General Assembly met in Manhattan afterward.{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Pete |date=July 18, 2004 |title=Exhibiting Concern for '64 Fair Pavilion Parks Dept. In New York State of Mind |work=New York Daily News |page=1 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|305904447}}}}

After the UN vacated the space, contractors converted the building back into a rink as part of a $237,000 renovation.{{Cite news |date=March 30, 1952 |title=U.N. Hall in Queens Will Be Rink Again; Contractors Restoring Former World's Fair City Building for Ice and Roller Skating |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/03/30/archives/un-hall-in-queens-will-be-rink-again-contractors-restoring-former.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180448/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/03/30/archives/un-hall-in-queens-will-be-rink-again-contractors-restoring-former.html |url-status=live }} A {{convert|116|by|150|ft|adj=on}} wooden roller-skating rink and a {{convert|116|by|178|ft|adj=on}} ice rink were added,{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1952 |title=City to Reopen Rinks; Park Department Modernized Flushing Meadow Park Site |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/12/archives/city-to-reopen-rinks-park-department-modernized-flushing-meadow.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180447/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/12/archives/city-to-reopen-rinks-park-department-modernized-flushing-meadow.html |url-status=live }} and ramps and public announcement systems were also installed. The rink reopened on October 18, 1952,{{cite news |date=October 19, 1952 |title=Skating Rinks Open At World Fair Park: Flushing Meadow Building Again Converted |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=35 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1313591785}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=October 19, 1952 |title=Rink Reopening Stirs Hope for Skate Stars |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-rink-reopening-stirs-hope-for/149265880/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=652 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171934/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-rink-reopening-stirs-hope-for/149265880/ |url-status=live }} and was renovated again in mid-1953.{{cite news |date=September 30, 1953 |title=Queens Rink Opens Saturday |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=6 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1319947189}}}} To celebrate the New York City Pavilion's usage as a temporary General Assembly hall, the building was depicted in a stamp released by the United Nations in 1958.{{Cite news |last=Kronish |first=Syd |date=January 4, 1959 |title=Stamps: U. N. Adhesives |work=The Sun |page=A8 |id={{ProQuest|540695885}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Stiles |first=Kent B. |date=September 28, 1958 |title=News of the World of Stamps; U. N. Program for 1959 To Include Several Special Tributes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/09/28/archives/news-of-the-world-of-stamps-u-n-program-for-1959-to-include-several.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613180448/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/09/28/archives/news-of-the-world-of-stamps-u-n-program-for-1959-to-include-several.html |url-status=live }} By the 1960s, it was one of two major structures in Flushing Meadows Park that remained from the 1939 fair, the other being Billy Rose's Aquacade.{{Cite news |last=Zinsser |first=William K. |date=January 17, 1960 |title=A Walk Among World's Fair Ghosts; By 1964 a new World's Fair will rise, right where that other one awed and enchanted millions an age – or was it only twenty years? – ago. World's Fair Ghosts |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/01/17/archives/a-walk-among-worlds-fair-ghosts-by-1964-a-new-worlds-fair-will-rise.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214711/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/01/17/archives/a-walk-among-worlds-fair-ghosts-by-1964-a-new-worlds-fair-will-rise.html |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Flushing Meadows Fair Grounds td (2018-05-26) 011 - Queens Museum.jpg

The Flushing Meadows site was selected in 1959 for the 1964 New York World's Fair.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruI0AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA1-PA10 |title=La Guardia International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Airport Access Program, Automated Guideway Transit System (NY, NJ): Environmental Impact Statement |date=June 1994 |publisher=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, United States Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, New York State Department of Transportation |pages=1.11 |access-date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123222858/https://books.google.com/books?id=ruI0AQAAMAAJ&pg=SA1-PA10 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |url-status=live}} Gilmore David Clarke and Michael Rapuano, who had redesigned the park for the 1939 World's Fair, were retained to tailor the park layout for the new fair.{{cite web |date=May 3, 2015 |title=Flushing Meadows-Corona Park: Historic Preservation Studio |url=https://issuu.com/barrettreiter/docs/fmcp_hpstudioii2015_printedition_re |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401145529/https://issuu.com/barrettreiter/docs/fmcp_hpstudioii2015_printedition_re |archive-date=April 1, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017 |publisher=Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation |page=16}}{{Cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1925.pdf |title=The Unisphere |date=May 16, 1995 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |page=3 |access-date=May 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104175718/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1925.pdf |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |url-status=live}} New York City parks commissioner Robert Moses was appointed as president of the World's Fair Corporation, which was to operate the fair.{{Cite news |last=Johnston |first=Richard J. h |date=May 25, 1960 |title=Moses is Elected President of Fair; He Signs a 7-Year Contract – 2 Aides Are Named |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/05/25/archives/moses-is-elected-president-of-fair-he-signs-a-7year-contract-2.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160624/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/05/25/archives/moses-is-elected-president-of-fair-he-signs-a-7year-contract-2.html |url-status=live }} Moses decided to reuse the New York City Building as the city's exhibition space during the 1964 World's Fair.{{cite news |last=Chapman |first=Ralph |date=April 18, 1960 |title=Permanent Buildings Barred at World's Fair: Moses Report to Mayor Cites Law Calling for Restoration as a Park |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=1 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327176485}}|postscript=none}}; {{Cite news|last=Grutzner|first=Charles|date=April 18, 1960|title=Moses Sees Fair Lasting 2 Years; Report to Wagner Includes a Reference to 1964–65 Without Qualification|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/04/18/archives/moses-sees-fair-lasting-2-years-report-to-wagner-includes-a.html|access-date=May 20, 2024|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=May 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020943/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/04/18/archives/moses-sees-fair-lasting-2-years-report-to-wagner-includes-a.html|url-status=live}} Almost all of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park was closed in early 1961 in advance of the fair, except for the New York City Building's ice skating rink.{{Cite news |last=Freeman |first=Ira Henry |date=February 12, 1961 |title=City Closing Park for World's Fair; Public to Be Barred From Flushing Meadow While Construction Proceeds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/12/archives/city-closing-park-for-worlds-fair-public-to-be-barred-from-flushing.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214704/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/02/12/archives/city-closing-park-for-worlds-fair-public-to-be-barred-from-flushing.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |id={{ProQuest|1325186012}} |title=World's Fair Landscaping Work Closes Site to Traffic |date=February 12, 1961 |page=6 |first=Ralph |last=Chapman |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646}} In June 1961, the New York City Board of Estimate awarded a contract for the construction of the Panorama of the City of New York, a scale model of New York City within the City Building.{{Cite news |date=June 10, 1961 |title='Air Tour' of City Planned for Fair; Cars Will Circle Perimeter of 160-Foot-Long Model to Simulate 'Copter ' Air Tour' of Huge City Model Planned as 1964 Fair Exhibit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/10/archives/air-tour-of-city-planned-for-fair-cars-will-circle-perimeter-of.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160622/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/06/10/archives/air-tour-of-city-planned-for-fair-cars-will-circle-perimeter-of.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=June 10, 1961 |title=World's Fair Landscaping Work Closes Site to Traffic |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=7 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327577323}}}} The city government announced in 1962 that it would spend $832,500 to renovate the building's skating rink.{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1962 |title=City Will Sponsor 6 Ice Shows Daily At '64 World Fair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/12/archives/city-will-sponsor-6-ice-shows-daily-at-64-world-fair.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214712/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/12/archives/city-will-sponsor-6-ice-shows-daily-at-64-world-fair.html |url-status=live }} The architect Daniel Chait was hired to renovate the City Building.{{cite book | title=Progress Report | year=1961 | publisher=New York World's Fair 1964–1965 Corporation | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATciAQAAIAAJ | access-date=May 20, 2024 | page= | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020940/https://books.google.com/books?id=ATciAQAAIAAJ | url-status=live }} Moses requested $1.066 million for the building's renovation in June 1962,{{Cite news |last=Miele |first=Alfred |date=August 28, 1962 |title=Queens to Get Lion's Bite of Park Millions |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-queens-to-get-lions-bite-of/147740468/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=401 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160621/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-queens-to-get-lions-bite-of/147740468/ |url-status=live }} and the Board of Estimate ultimately approved $2 million in funding.{{Cite news |date=February 16, 1963 |title=World's Fair Projects Okayed |work=New York Amsterdam News |page=15 |id={{proQuest|226796031}}}} In mid-1963, two figure-skating companies were selected to perform at the City Building as part of a show called Dick Button's Ice-Travaganza.{{Cite news |date=July 24, 1963 |title=2 Skating Groups Planned For World's Fair Ice Show |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/07/24/archives/2-skating-groups-planned-for-worlds-fair-ice-show.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160622/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/07/24/archives/2-skating-groups-planned-for-worlds-fair-ice-show.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Silver |first=Lee |date=July 24, 1963 |title=Feigay, Button Plan World's Fair Ice Spec |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-feigay-button-plan-worlds-f/147745673/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=50 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520180725/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-feigay-button-plan-worlds-f/147745673/ |url-status=live }}

The New York City Building was formally rededicated on April 25, 1964,{{cite news |date=April 26, 1964 |title=Thant Labels World's Fair Epoch Making: Asks for Aid to U. N. Children's Fund |work=Chicago Tribune |page=8 |issn=1085-6706 |id={{ProQuest|179431337}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 26, 1964 |title=Fair Welcomes It's Largest Crowds So Far and Dedicates the City's Pavilion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/fair-welcomes-its-largest-crowds-so-far-and-dedicates-the-citys.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520180726/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/fair-welcomes-its-largest-crowds-so-far-and-dedicates-the-citys.html |url-status=live }} two days after the 1964 World's Fair opened.{{Cite news |date=April 24, 1964 |title=State Wins Praise for Fair Pavilion; Governor and Moses Urge It as Permanent Part of Flushing Meadow Park |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/24/archives/state-wins-praise-for-fair-pavilion-governor-and-moses-urge-it-as.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516004853/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/24/archives/state-wins-praise-for-fair-pavilion-governor-and-moses-urge-it-as.html |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |access-date=May 15, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Tickets to the ice-skating show ranged from $1 to $2,{{cite news |last=Mayer |first=Robert |date=December 24, 1963 |title=Cash Vital If You Plan Trip to Fair |work=Newsday |page=4 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|913683684}}}} while tickets for simulated helicopter rides above the Panorama cost 10 cents apiece.{{Cite news |date=April 26, 1964 |title=Model of City Shows Every House, Park, Bridge, Pier, Stadium and Police Station |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/model-of-city-shows-every-house-park-bridge-pier-stadium-and-police.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520165633/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/model-of-city-shows-every-house-park-bridge-pier-stadium-and-police.html |url-status=live }} The main attraction in the building was the Panorama of the City of New York, which had cost the city $600,000 and taken two years to construct.{{harvnb|Samuel|2007|ps=.|pages=136–137}} The building's ice rink was equipped with a ski run,{{Cite news |date=November 23, 1963 |title=Ice-Travagana For World Fair |work=New Journal and Guide |page=A4 |id={{ProQuest|568683565}}}} in addition to six movable stages and 12 stationary stages. Memorabilia and artworks from 34 museums were displayed inside the building to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the British conquest of New Netherland,{{harvnb|Samuel|2007|ps=.|page=136}}{{cite news |last=Sheword |first=Virginia |date=April 4, 1964 |title=Don't Forget Art; It's Everywhere |work=Newsday |page=29W |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|913586688}}}} and a film displayed the history of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA). Radio station WNYC also moved much of its broadcasting operations to the City Building during the 1964 World's Fair. A replica of a New York City Police Department precinct was added to the building.{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=Charles G. |date=August 14, 1963 |title=WNYC To Operate at World's Fair; Radio and TV Stations to Put Broadcasting on Display in City Building |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/14/archives/wnyc-to-operate-at-worlds-fair-radio-and-tv-stations-to-put.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160621/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/14/archives/wnyc-to-operate-at-worlds-fair-radio-and-tv-stations-to-put.html |url-status=live }}

During the 1964 season, there were rarely any queues to get inside the City Building.{{Cite news |last=Alden |first=Robert |date=April 22, 1965 |title=158,000 Open the Fair's Second Year; Paid Admissions Are 3 Times More Than First Day's in '64 158,000, Half of Them Children, Attend World's Fair on Crisp, Sunny Opening Day |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/22/archives/158000-open-the-fairs-second-year-paid-admissions-are-3-times-more.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516213745/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/04/22/archives/158000-open-the-fairs-second-year-paid-admissions-are-3-times-more.html |url-status=live }} The Panorama was initially relatively unpopular with visitors,{{Cite news |date=July 13, 1964 |title=Fair Pavilions Act to Cut Lines, Or to Make the Waiting Pleasant |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/13/archives/fair-pavilions-act-to-cut-lines-or-to-make-the-waiting-pleasant.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520180725/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/13/archives/fair-pavilions-act-to-cut-lines-or-to-make-the-waiting-pleasant.html |url-status=live }} but it ultimately recorded an average of 1,400 visitors a day. Dick Button's Ice-Travaganza was also unsuccessful, despite the building's central location within the World's Fair grounds.{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Jack |date=October 1, 1964 |title=Has the Fair Been a Success |work=Newsday |page=1C |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|914375859}}}} The New York City Building operated until the end of the 1964 World's Fair in October 1965.{{cite news |last1=Abrams |first1=Arnold |last2=Smith |first2=Edward G. |date=October 18, 1965 |title=Drunks and Vandals Close the Fair: They Dig the World's Fair on Its Last Day |work=Newsday |page=1 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|914444914}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite news |last=Alden |first=Robert |date=October 18, 1965 |title=Vandalism Mars Last Day Of the Two-Year Exposition; Weeping Children, Sad Employes and Vandalism Abound as World's Fair Closes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/vandalism-mars-last-day-of-the-twoyear-exposition-weeping-children.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516215354/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/vandalism-mars-last-day-of-the-twoyear-exposition-weeping-children.html |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |access-date=May 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} From the outset, Moses planned to preserve the New York City Building after the 1964 World's Fair,{{Cite news |date=May 17, 1964 |title=Moses' Proposals for Queens Park Still Opposed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/17/archives/moses-proposals-for-queens-park-still-opposed.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516012902/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/17/archives/moses-proposals-for-queens-park-still-opposed.html |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |access-date=May 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |last=Hornaday |first=Mary |date=September 23, 1965 |title=World's Fair plans for closing curtain: Pavilions to move |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=11 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|510830485}}}} and the World's Fair Corporation set aside funding for the building's renovation at the end of the fair.{{Cite news |last=Alden |first=Robert |date=August 19, 1965 |title=Moses Gives Plan on Fair Site Work; He Tells Executive Board Triborough Authority Will Undertake Revamping |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/08/19/archives/moses-gives-plan-on-fair-site-work-he-tells-executive-board.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516215355/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/08/19/archives/moses-gives-plan-on-fair-site-work-he-tells-executive-board.html |url-status=live }} The initial plans called for the Panorama to be moved from the building to the Civic Center of Manhattan,{{Cite news |date=October 18, 1965 |title=Ice-Skating to Resume In City Building at Fair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/iceskating-to-resume-in-city-building-at-fair.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520180726/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/18/archives/iceskating-to-resume-in-city-building-at-fair.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Littell |first=Walter D. |date=October 12, 1961 |title=Morris Asks Hall to House Model of City |work=New York Herald Tribune |page=13 |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1326896806}}}} allowing the City Building to be used as a skating rink.{{Cite news |date=September 26, 1965 |title=Only 19 Buildings to Stay: "World's Fair to Come Tumbling Down |work=Boston Globe |page=A_36 |id={{ProQuest|375484565}}}} Moses subsequently offered to have the TBTA take responsibility for the Panorama.{{Cite news |last=Alden |first=Robert |date=October 22, 1965 |title=City is Planning Zoo in Fair Park; 11-Acre Tract Near Heliport Earmarked for Project in Restoration Area |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/22/archives/city-is-planning-zoo-in-fair-park-11acre-tract-near-heliport.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520180725/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/10/22/archives/city-is-planning-zoo-in-fair-park-11acre-tract-near-heliport.html |url-status=live }} The City Building was one of the few buildings to remain from the 1964 fair, along with the Unisphere, Singer Bowl, New York State and U.S. pavilions, and the Hall of Science.{{harvnb|Samuel|2007|ps=.|page=194}} The structure was used by the TBTA in the 1960s,{{cite news |last=Cheng |first=Mae M. |date=October 9, 1994 |title=Museum's a Work in Progress |work=Newsday |page=A84 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278790364}}}} and the city government took over the surrounding park in 1967.{{Cite news |last=Schumach |first=Murray |date=June 4, 1967 |title=Moses Gives City Fair Site as Park; Flushing Meadows in Queens Becomes the 2d Biggest Recreation Area Here |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407072907/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/04/archives/moses-gives-city-fair-site-as-park-flushing-meadows-in-queens.html |archive-date=April 7, 2021 |access-date=May 16, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Flushing Meadows Fair Grounds td (2018-05-26) 005 - Queens Museum.jpg

After the TBTA moved out of the New York City Pavilion,{{Cite news |last=Berliner |first=David C. |date=November 12, 1972 |title=New Queens Art Museum Offers First Exhibit |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/12/archives/new-queens-art-museum-offers-first-exhibit.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171934/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/12/archives/new-queens-art-museum-offers-first-exhibit.html |url-status=live }} city parks commissioner August Heckscher II announced in November 1971 that part of the New York City Pavilion would be converted into Queens's first art museum.{{Cite news |date=November 21, 1971 |title=Queens Getting An Art Museum |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/21/archives/queens-getting-an-art-museum.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005040/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/11/21/archives/queens-getting-an-art-museum.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Pete |date=November 28, 1971 |title=Arts Center Will Stir Life in Spring |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-arts-center-will-stir-life-in/149164690/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=247 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005034/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-arts-center-will-stir-life-in/149164690/ |url-status=live }} Heckscher organized a board of 14 trustees, and the city government provided $100,000 for the museum. During mid-1972, the mechanical systems for the building's skating rink were refurbished, and part of the building was renovated to accommodate the museum.{{Cite news |date=June 8, 1972 |title=Meadows Park Nearing Completion |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-meadows-park-nearing-completi/147575685/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=445 |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517203948/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-meadows-park-nearing-completi/147575685/ |url-status=live }} A local group, the Flushing Meadows Corona Park World's Fair Association, also asked the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to conduct a historical study of the New York City Pavilion.{{Cite news |date=September 3, 1972 |title=Fair-Site Unit Asks Study of Architecture |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-fair-site-unit-asks-study-of/149165596/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=163 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005039/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-fair-site-unit-asks-study-of/149165596/ |url-status=live }} Queens borough president Donald Manes announced in July 1972 that the Queens County Art and Cultural Center had been established at the New York City Pavilion.{{Cite news |last=Shirey |first=David L. |date=July 5, 1972 |title=Queens to Get Art and Culture Center |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/05/archives/queens-to-get-art-and-culture-center.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005039/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/05/archives/queens-to-get-art-and-culture-center.html |url-status=live }} The museum opened on November 12, 1972, with Clare Fisher as the museum's first director.{{Cite news |date=November 19, 1972 |title=New Museum Draws 800 to Its First Show |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-museum-draws-800-to-its-f/149166316/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=140 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005046/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-museum-draws-800-to-its-f/149166316/ |url-status=live }} The writer Lawrence R. Samuel wrote that the building's conversion into a museum helped to raise Flushing Meadows Park's profile,{{harvnb|Samuel|2007|ps=.|page=196}} and The New York Times described the museum as "a primary force in [the] renaissance of the arts" in Queens.{{Cite news |last=Shirey |first=David L. |date=November 30, 1975 |title=Queens Art Units Found Thriving |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/30/archives/queens-art-units-found-thriving.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171935/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/30/archives/queens-art-units-found-thriving.html |url-status=live }}

Originally, the Queens County Art and Cultural Center occupied {{convert|50000|ft2}}, and two-fifths of the museum's space was taken up by the Panorama. There was only about {{convert|10,000|ft2}} of actual display space, which meant that the museum had to close every time a temporary exhibit was being added or replaced. The museum had four to five school groups per day, though nearly as many school groups had to be denied admission to the lack of space.{{cite news |last1=Gros |first1=Dennis |last2=Duggan |date=August 31, 2002 |title=Queens Museum to Triple Floor Space |work=Newsday |page=B.02 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|965674986}} |agency=The Associated Press}} The museum's main entrance was at the northern end of the New York City Pavilion building, while the ice-skating rink occupied the structure's southern half.{{Cite news |date=December 11, 1994 |title=New/Old Entry for the Queens Museum; Once Again, Face to Face With the Unisphere |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/realestate/new-old-entry-for-the-queens-museum-once-again-face-to-face-with-the-unisphere.html |access-date=June 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726161017/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/11/realestate/new-old-entry-for-the-queens-museum-once-again-face-to-face-with-the-unisphere.html |url-status=live }} The museum's collection also had no clear focus; according to a 1991 New York Times article, many visitors assumed the Queens Museum was a history museum or knew only about its Panorama.{{Cite news |last=Fried |first=Joseph P. |date=June 14, 1991 |title=Queens Museum: From 2 World Fairs to a New Look and Name |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/14/nyregion/queens-museum-from-2-world-fairs-to-a-new-look-and-name.html |access-date=June 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611230729/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/14/nyregion/queens-museum-from-2-world-fairs-to-a-new-look-and-name.html |url-status=live }} Shortly after the museum opened, the city allocated $140,000 for additional upgrades to the New York City Pavilion, which was later increased to $317,000.{{Cite news |last=Wallach |first=Amei |date=March 23, 1975 |title=Hoving looks to the future for the Queens Museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-hoving-looks-to/149225382/ |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=77, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-hoving-looks-to/149225508/ 78] |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171936/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-hoving-looks-to/149225382/ |url-status=live }} The ice-skating rink continued to operate five days a week.{{Cite news |date=February 3, 1984 |title=Ponds, Lakes and Rinks Where Skating is Fine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/03/arts/ponds-lakes-and-rinks-where-skating-is-fine.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613195311/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/03/arts/ponds-lakes-and-rinks-where-skating-is-fine.html |url-status=live }}

The Queens County Art and Cultural Center changed its name to the Queens Museum in late 1973.{{Cite news |last=Preston |first=Malcolm |date=April 7, 1974 |title=Finding anguish in Queens streets |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-finding-anguis/149229566/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=85, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-finding-anguis/149229608/ 89] |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011035/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-suffolk-edition-finding-anguis/149229566/ |url-status=live }} The board of trustees fired Fisher as the museum director that year, following disagreements over policy.{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Colleen |date=February 9, 1975 |title=Queens Museum in Fight Over Control |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/09/archives/queens-museum-in-fight-over-control.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171937/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/09/archives/queens-museum-in-fight-over-control.html |url-status=live }} Kenneth Kahn was hired to replace Fisher in 1974. The museum's eight employees subsequently expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of personnel guidance from the board of trustees,{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=January 18, 1975 |title=Manes Offers Help in Museum Dispute |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manes-offers-help-in-museum-d/149229674/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=218 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011035/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-manes-offers-help-in-museum-d/149229674/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |date=January 17, 1975 |title=Queens Museum is Hit by Strife |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/17/archives/queens-museum-is-hit-by-strife-stafftrustee-dispute-and-labor-fight.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011034/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/17/archives/queens-museum-is-hit-by-strife-stafftrustee-dispute-and-labor-fight.html |url-status=live }} and the staff sought to restructure the museum.{{Cite news |date=March 2, 1975 |title=Museum Dissidents Plan Ouster Action |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/02/archives/museum-dissidents-plan-ouster-action.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011812/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/02/archives/museum-dissidents-plan-ouster-action.html |url-status=live }} Kahn alleged in early 1975 that the trustees were "a closed corporation, representing a narrow spectrum of the community".{{Cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |date=February 15, 1975 |title=Queens Museum Director Calls Control Too Narrow |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/15/archives/queens-museum-director-calls-control-too-narrow.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000632/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/15/archives/queens-museum-director-calls-control-too-narrow.html |url-status=live }} The Friends of the Queens Museum, a volunteer group for the museum, suspended its operations to protest the trustees' actions.{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=March 30, 1975 |title=Museum Troubles Sit While Hoving Travels |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-troubles-sit-while-hov/149230438/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=247 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704171937/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-troubles-sit-while-hov/149230438/ |url-status=live }} The museum's board of trustees fired Kahn in February 1975,{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=March 5, 1975 |title=Hoving Steps Into the Picture at Museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-hoving-steps-into-the-picture/149169123/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612013517/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-hoving-steps-into-the-picture/149169123/ |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=7}}{{Cite news |date=February 19, 1975 |title=Queens Museum Drops Director |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/19/archives/queens-museum-drops-director.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011815/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/19/archives/queens-museum-drops-director.html |url-status=live }} along with the museum's administrator Betty Miller the next month.{{Cite news |date=March 6, 1975 |title=Queens Museum Dismisses Its Financial Administrator |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/06/archives/queens-museum-dismisses-its-financial-administrator.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615031408/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/06/archives/queens-museum-dismisses-its-financial-administrator.html |url-status=live }} Several trustees also resigned,{{Cite news |last=Shirey |first=David L. |date=May 18, 1975 |title=Queens Museum Gets Boost |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/18/archives/queens-museum-gets-boost-hoving-boosting-museum-in-queens.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011034/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/18/archives/queens-museum-gets-boost-hoving-boosting-museum-in-queens.html |url-status=live }} and the museum's staff took over the museum's gift shop from the Friends group. Kahn later sued several trustees, claiming that they had broken a contract and slandered him.{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=July 17, 1975 |title=Fired Director of Museum Sues Trustees for 206G |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-fired-director-of-museum-sues/149232904/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=301 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014841/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-fired-director-of-museum-sues/149232904/ |url-status=live }}

Thomas Hoving, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's director, was hired as the museum's interim director in March 1975,{{Cite news|last=Calta|first=Louis|date=March 5, 1975|title=Hoving Takes Over At Queens Museum|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/05/archives/hoving-takes-over-at-queens-museum.html|access-date=June 12, 2024|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=June 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612013514/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/03/05/archives/hoving-takes-over-at-queens-museum.html|url-status=live}} and the dissent surrounding the museum subsided. Blanche Taub, the leader of the Friends, was also elected to the museum's board of trustees,{{Cite news |date=April 20, 1975 |title=Museum Names a Trustee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/20/archives/museum-names-a-trustee.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000713/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/20/archives/museum-names-a-trustee.html |url-status=live }} and the board itself was replaced shortly thereafter.{{Cite news |last=Fried |first=Joseph P. |date=July 20, 1975 |title=$10-Million Rent Subsidies Set Aside |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/20/archives/10million-rent-subsidies-set-aside-value-of-reservations.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011035/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/20/archives/10million-rent-subsidies-set-aside-value-of-reservations.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |date=July 13, 1975 |title=New Officials for Museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-officials-for-museum/149230235/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=257 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011037/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-officials-for-museum/149230235/ |url-status=live }} Amid the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, the city reneged on a $350,000 grant that it had offered to the museum's staff for a renovation of the building.{{Cite news |last=O'Flaherty |first=Mary |date=December 14, 1975 |title=Public Health Nurses Binding Wound of Budget Cuts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-public-health-nurses-binding/149233070/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014841/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-public-health-nurses-binding/149233070/ |url-status=live }} It took more than two years before a permanent director was hired.{{Cite news |last1=Toscano |first1=John |last2=James |first2=George |date=February 28, 1978 |title=Queens Museum to Look Like a Million With Half That |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-queens-museum-to-look-like-a/149257193/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=136 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613155934/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-queens-museum-to-look-like-a/149257193/ |url-status=live }} Janet Schneider was hired as the museum's executive director in February 1978.{{cite news |date=February 5, 1978 |title=Queens Museum Names New Offices |work=The Hartford Courant |page=29A |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|545216902}}}} Geraldine Eiber, who was appointed the same year as the museum's president, wanted to increase public awareness of the museum, in addition to obtaining new art and corporate sponsorships.{{Cite news |last=O'Flaherty |first=Mary |date=July 20, 1978 |title=Judge with a cause: Queens Museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-judge-with-a-cause-queens-mu/149735508/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=583 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620234723/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-judge-with-a-cause-queens-mu/149735508/ |url-status=live }} The New York City Council provided more than $500,000 for an expansion of the Queens Museum shortly afterward, which would add over {{Convert|20000|ft2}} of exhibition space. The Queens Museum's Community Gallery opened in September 1979 as an exhibit space for the local community.{{cite news |last=Kaufman |first=Bill |date=September 2, 1979 |title=New Art Gallery Making Its Debut |work=Newsday |page=21Q |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|964421695}}}}{{Cite news |last=DiPetto |first=Adam |date=September 16, 1979 |title=Museum acts to draft more community input |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-acts-to-draft-more-com/149257943/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=461 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172438/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-acts-to-draft-more-com/149257943/ |url-status=live }} The Queens Museum also began visiting local groups in an attempt to increase residents' involvement with the museum.

The museum continued to expand its space within the New York City Pavilion through the 1980s. By 1982, the New York Daily News reported that the museum's gallery, studios, workshops, office, and backroom spaces took up nearly half the building.{{Cite news |last=McFarland |first=Stephen |date=June 6, 1982 |title=Queens Museum faring like no other |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-queens-museum-faring-like-no/149634660/ |access-date=June 19, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=411}} The Queens Museum began developing a sculpture hall in 1983,{{Cite news |last1=Velez |first1=Carlos |last2=Leahy |first2=Jack |date=December 27, 1984 |title=Boro museum pickup is no bust |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-boro-museum-pickup-is-no-bust/149675957/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=224 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620012351/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-boro-museum-pickup-is-no-bust/149675957/ |url-status=live }} when Chase Manhattan Bank gave the museum $150,000 to fund the acquisition of casts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.{{Cite news |date=April 10, 1983 |title=Grant to return art to viewers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-grant-to-return-art-to-viewer/149675538/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=331 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620012351/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-grant-to-return-art-to-viewer/149675538/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Molotsky |first=Irvin |date=April 22, 1985 |title=Private Contributions to the Arts Increase |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/22/arts/private-contributions-to-the-arts-increase.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620012351/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/22/arts/private-contributions-to-the-arts-increase.html |url-status=live }} Ultimately, the Queens Museum loaned 40 casts permanently, and the sculpture hall opened in 1986 with 22 casts.{{Cite news |last=McGill |first=Douglas C. |date=January 1, 1987 |title=Plaster Casts of Statues: From Storage Into Vogue |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/01/arts/plaster-casts-of-statues-from-storage-into-vogue.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172439/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/01/arts/plaster-casts-of-statues-from-storage-into-vogue.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=McMorris |first=Frances A. |date=April 9, 1986 |title=Queens Neighborhoods Queens Closeup Copies of Art Treasures Put in Place for Exhibit |work=Newsday |page=27 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|285311602}}}} The museum also considered restoring the Panorama and adding moving walkways to that exhibit.{{cite magazine |last=Barol |first=Bill |date=June 29, 1987 |title=New York City Gets Small: A model community—in need of urban renewal |magazine=Newsweek |pages=54 |volume=109 |issue=26 |id={{ProQuest|1866780892}}}} Schneider resigned in 1989 after twelve years as the museum's director; by then, the museum was planning a $14 million expansion.{{cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=July 4, 1989 |title=Chief of Queens Museum Moves On |work=Newsday |page=16 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278077146}}}} Steven Klindt was hired as the new director later that year.{{Cite news |date=November 5, 1989 |title=New museum director |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-museum-director/149737316/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=569 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172440/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-museum-director/149737316/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=September 17, 1989 |title=Queens Museum Picks Executive Director |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-queens-museum-picks-executive-di/149735142/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=44 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620234726/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-queens-museum-picks-executive-di/149735142/ |url-status=live }} By then, the museum had 100,000 annual visitors (many times higher than in the 1970s), though membership was less than projected, with 1,200 members.{{cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=October 31, 1989 |title=Arts in the Boroughs a New Director Frames His Goals in Queens Museum at the Crossroads |work=Newsday |page=11 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278121016}}}} Furthermore, many visitors were either part of school groups or came specifically to see the Panorama.{{cite news |last=Simerman |first=John |date=November 22, 1994 |title=Arts in the Boroughs Face-lift for a Fair Relic Flushing Landmark to Take on Role as Arts Showcase |work=Newsday |page=B26 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278795357}}}}

In the early 1990s, the museum received $13.5 million from the city government for a renovation of the New York City Pavilion. Despite citywide budget cuts, the museum was able to keep most of its programs intact, though it did have to fire some staff.{{Cite news |last=Honan |first=William H. |date=August 27, 1991 |title=Arts Budget Cuts: Invisibility Isn't Painless |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/27/arts/arts-budget-cuts-invisibility-isn-t-painless.html |access-date=June 11, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611230729/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/27/arts/arts-budget-cuts-invisibility-isn-t-painless.html |url-status=live }} Queens Museum officials began renovating the museum building in June 1991, and the museum's name was lengthened from "Queens Museum" to "Queens Museum of Art".{{cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=June 4, 1991 |title=Spotlight |work=Newsday |page=75 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278412869}}}} The architect Rafael Viñoly reconfigured the structure into galleries, classrooms, and offices.{{cite news |last=Cotter, Holland |date=November 7, 2013 |title=A Local Place for a Global Neighborhood |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/arts/design/the-expanded-queens-museum-reopens.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230430190038/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/arts/design/the-expanded-queens-museum-reopens.html?_r=0 |archive-date=April 30, 2023 |access-date=May 2, 2015 |newspaper=The New York Times}} A new entrance and galleries were built to the east, facing the Unisphere,{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Ray |date=October 27, 1991 |title=World's Fair-est Park? Flushing Meadows soon to have new face |work=Newsday |page=2 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278450753}}}} and a 117-seat auditorium was also built.{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Rose |date=October 17, 1993 |title=They're Putting This Brand New Face on a Nice Old Borough |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-theyre-putting-this-brand-new-f/150598761/ |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=245 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172441/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-theyre-putting-this-brand-new-f/150598761/ |url-status=live }} In addition, a ramp was constructed between the upper and lower levels of the museum. The Panorama, the museum's sole permanent exhibit, was removed so workers could update it.{{cite news |last=Gamerman |first=Amy |date=July 16, 1992 |title=Queens Museum Fixes Up New York |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=A8 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398362983}}}}{{Cite news |last=Connelly |first=Marjorie |date=April 5, 1992 |title=Sunday Outing; Where All of New York City Spreads Out Before Visitors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/05/news/sunday-outing-where-all-of-new-york-city-spreads-out-before-visitors.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612005033/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/05/news/sunday-outing-where-all-of-new-york-city-spreads-out-before-visitors.html |url-status=live }} Museum workers had finished renovating the facade by 1992.

During the renovation, the museum recorded fewer visitors, in part because the Panorama was temporarily removed and because the existing exhibits did not appeal to Queens's increasingly ethnically diverse population.{{Cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=February 23, 1993 |title=A Major Restructuring for Queens Arts Groups |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-a-major-restructuring-for-queens/149159250/ |access-date=June 11, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=55 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000714/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-a-major-restructuring-for-queens/149159250/ |url-status=live }} The museum also began looking to hire an executive to help raise funds, and Carma C. Fauntleroy was hired as the museum's executive director in 1993.{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Raymond |date=January 23, 1994 |title=Neighborhood Report: Corona; Queens Museum of Art Drives Into Cultural Crossroads |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/23/nyregion/neighborhood-report-corona-queens-museum-of-art-drives-into-cultural-crossroads.html |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422143748/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/23/nyregion/neighborhood-report-corona-queens-museum-of-art-drives-into-cultural-crossroads.html |url-status=live }} In addition, museum executives began meeting with Queens community groups, as the museum wanted to host more shows that signified Queens's cultural diversity. The renovation was completed in November 1994 with double the amount of gallery space.{{Cite news |last=Muschamp |first=Herbert |date=November 25, 1994 |title=Architecture Review; Evoking Moses' Vision of New York |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/25/arts/architecture-review-evoking-moses-vision-of-new-york.html |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526110304/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/25/arts/architecture-review-evoking-moses-vision-of-new-york.html |url-status=live }} Fauntleroy said the new galleries would allow the museum to display more visual art. The renovation ultimately cost $15 million.{{Cite news |last=Wax |first=Emily |date=March 2, 1999 |title=Flushing Rink on Ice? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-flushing-rink-on-ice/149778542/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=29 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172442/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-flushing-rink-on-ice/149778542/ |url-status=live }} In the long term, the museum also wanted to expand into the space occupied by the ice rink.{{cite news |last=Iverem |first=Esther |date=January 20, 1991 |title=Culture Vultures Circle, but Arts Aren't Out Yet |work=Newsday |page=17 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278306401}}}}

By the late 1990s, Queens borough president Claire Shulman was considering replacing the New York City Pavilion's ice rink with a new rink at Cunningham Park in eastern Queens. The relocation would allow the Queens Museum to expand even further, though the proposal was controversial.{{cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=24 Nov 2000 |title=35m Pool & Ice-skating Complex Set |work=New York Daily News |page=1 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|305554087}}}} At the time, the ice rink was deteriorating, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation preferred to demolish the rink rather than repair it. Laurene Buckley took over as the museum's executive director in July 1999, with plans to expand the permanent collection and attract more visitors.{{cite news |last=Colangelo |first=Lisa L. |date=July 13, 1999 |title=Museum Has New Look, Focus / Community Outreach Seen as Part of Growth |work=New York Daily News |page=4 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|313700477}} |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1999/07/13/museum-has-new-look-focus-community-outreach-seen-as-part-of-growth/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000706/https://www.nydailynews.com/1999/07/13/museum-has-new-look-focus-community-outreach-seen-as-part-of-growth/ |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |access-date=May 19, 2024 }} That November, she initiated the First Thursdays program, in which the museum hosted events and activities one Thursday a month.{{Cite news |last=Toy |first=Vivian S. |date=November 4, 1999 |title=Queens Museum Seeks Fame, but Not Notoriety |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/04/nyregion/queens-museum-seeks-fame-but-not-notoriety.html |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |postscript=none |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621184629/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/04/nyregion/queens-museum-seeks-fame-but-not-notoriety.html |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Judith H. |date=November 4, 1999 |title=Drop-In Thursdays at Queens Museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-drop-in-thursda/149779443/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=117 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172443/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-drop-in-thursda/149779443/ |url-status=live }}

File:Grand Central Pkwy td (2021-06-16) 009 - Queens Museum.jpg

In 2001, the New York City Department of Design and Construction hosted an architectural design competition for a proposed renovation of the Queens Museum building.{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=2001-08-26 |title=A Queens Park's Past Shapes Its Future |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/26/realestate/a-queens-park-s-past-shapes-its-future.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The museum hired Eric Owen Moss to design the expansion that December.{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Fred |date=December 27, 2001 |title=Currents: Architecture; On the Old World's Fair Grounds, a Skating Rink Makes Way for an Amphitheater |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/27/garden/currents-architecture-old-world-s-fair-grounds-skating-rink-makes-way-for.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020943/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/27/garden/currents-architecture-old-world-s-fair-grounds-skating-rink-makes-way-for.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=MacGowan |first=Carl |date=March 31, 2002 |title=A Fair Deal: Museum Views Its Past, Future |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-a-fair-deal-museum-views-its-pa/147717359/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=Newsday |pages=199 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020942/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-a-fair-deal-museum-views-its-pa/147717359/ |url-status=live }} The plans called for the relocation of the ice skating rink,{{cite magazine |date=Feb 2003 |title=Eric Owen Moss wins Queens Museum of Art project, his first in N.Y.C. |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2002-02.pdf |magazine=Architectural Record |pages=23 |volume=190 |issue=2 |access-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-date=June 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240627133608/https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2002-02.pdf |url-status=live }} as well as a new bent-glass roof, an exhibition space at the center of the structure, and a dirt mound facing Grand Central Parkway to the west.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=January 26, 2005 |title=Queens Museum Is to Redesign a Redesign |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/arts/design/queens-museum-is-to-redesign-a-redesign.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020942/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/arts/design/queens-museum-is-to-redesign-a-redesign.html |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} This would have doubled the museum's space and allowed it to accommodate more art exhibitions and programs.{{cite news |last=Krawitz |first=Alan |date=10 Mar 2002 |title=Big, and Getting Better / From Sports to Science, the City's Third- Largest Park is Getting Major Upgrades |work=Newsday |page=G06 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|279569089}}}} The city government also promised $22.5 million toward the museum's expansion,{{Cite news |last=Stewart |first=Barbara |date=2002-07-27 |title=Critics Say Design of Queens Museum Is Out of Context |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/27/nyregion/critics-say-design-of-queens-museum-is-out-of-context.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite magazine |last=Kreinin Souccar |first=Miriam |date=Feb 10, 2003 |title=Capital cuts imperil major cultural plans |magazine=Crain's New York Business |page=1 |volume=19 |issue=6 |id={{ProQuest|219169585}}}} but the museum needed to raise another $15 million. Architectural critics derided Moss's plans, and preservationists described it as being incongruous with the building's original design;{{cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=30 Jul 2002 |title=Museum growth fought Group urges preserving World's Fair icon |work=New York Daily News |page=4 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|305708738}}}} museum officials then voted to scale down Moss's plans. NYC Parks began building another ice rink nearby in 2002 to replace the New York City Pavilion's rink, but work on the new rink was delayed later that year due to funding shortages.{{cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=6 Jan 2003 |title=Park's Plans for Pool, Rink Are Frozen |work=New York Daily News |page=3 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|305768355}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=O'Grady |first=Jim |date=2002-12-29 |title=Neighborhood Report: Flushing; See Joseph Cornell on Ice, Sort Of: A Rink Stalls a Queens Museum's Plans |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/nyregion/neighborhood-report-flushing-see-joseph-cornell-ice-sort-rink-stalls-queens.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The next year, city officials said they could not provide funds for the museum's expansion until 2006.

Tom Finkelpearl was hired as the museum's director in early 2002.{{cite web |date=March 28, 2002 |title=Finkelpearl is QMA's new exec. director |url=https://qns.com/2002/03/finkelpearl-is-qmas-new-exec-director/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=QNS |postscript=none |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020940/https://qns.com/2002/03/finkelpearl-is-qmas-new-exec-director/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web | last=Rhoades | first=Liz | title=New QMA Director Finkelpearl Is Coming From P.S. 1 Art Center | website=Queens Chronicle | date=March 21, 2002 | url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/new-qma-director-finkelpearl-is-coming-from-p-s-1-art-center/article_219ea08d-57a8-5db6-a808-2ef1ddf1fb89.html | access-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-date=May 20, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520021131/https://www.qchron.com/editions/north/new-qma-director-finkelpearl-is-coming-from-p-s-1-art-center/article_219ea08d-57a8-5db6-a808-2ef1ddf1fb89.html | url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Kreinin Souccar |first=Miriam |date=June 3, 2002 |title=New Executive: Tom Finkelpearl, Covering a bigger canvas |magazine=Crain's New York Business |page=17 |volume=18 |issue=22 |id={{ProQuest|219162984}}}} Finkelpearl said at the time that many visitors to Flushing Meadows Corona Park continued to ignore the museum because the building looked "like it's closed, even when we're open". He was advocating for changes to the museum's renovation plans by late 2004, saying that Moss's plan "wasn't jelling from a practical perspective".{{cite magazine |last=de Monchaux |first=Thomas |date=Mar 2005 |title=Queens Museum drops Eric Owen Moss from renovation |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2005-05.pdf |magazine=Architectural Record |pages=30 |volume=193 |issue=3 |id={{ProQuest|222125062}}}} Accordingly, the museum abandoned Moss's plan in early 2005. The museum solicited a new proposal from Grimshaw Architects,{{Cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=March 24, 2005 |title=Museum grow is a 'go' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-grow-is-a-go/147717528/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020940/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-museum-grow-is-a-go/147717528/ |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |pages=118 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=March 22, 2005 |title=Arts, Briefly; Queens Museum Architect |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/22/arts/arts-briefly-queens-museum-architect.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020940/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/22/arts/arts-briefly-queens-museum-architect.html |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} which agreed to work with local engineering firm Ammann & Whitney.{{cite magazine |last=de Monchaux |first=Thomas |date=May 2005 |title=Grimshaw takes Queens Museum commission |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-2005-05.pdf |magazine=Architectural Record |pages=62 |volume=193 |issue=5 |id={{ProQuest|222104697}}}} Queens borough president Helen Marshall gave the museum a $10.6 million grant for the expansion in March 2006, which at the time was the largest gift the museum had ever received.{{cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=10 Mar 2006 |title=Museum Takes Art With Beep's $10m Redo Grant. Funds to Aid Plan to Double Its Size |work=New York Daily News |page=1 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|306022275}}}} Grimshaw presented revised designs for the expansion that October.{{cite news |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=October 11, 2006 |title=Plans to Double Size of Queens Museum of Art |work=New York Daily News |page=1 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|306076965}}}}{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=2006-10-05 |title=With a New Look, a Museum Hopes to Catch Your Eye |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/arts/design/with-a-new-look-a-museum-hopes-to-catch-your-eye.html |access-date=2024-07-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The revised plans called for new facades to the west and east, as well as a skylit interior courtyard. At the time, the renovation was supposed to cost $37 million of which $21 million came from Marshall's office.

The museum began an expansion project in 2009.Halperin, Julia. (July 16, 2013), [http://theartnewspaper.com/articles/Queens-Museum-to-double-in-size/30118 "Queens Museum to double in size"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721174952/http://theartnewspaper.com/articles/Queens-Museum-to-double-in-size/30118 |date=July 21, 2013 }} The Art Newspaper Grimshaw Architects and Ammann & Whitney developed plans for {{convert|50,000|ft2|m2}} of exhibition, education, and office space, as well as eight new artist studios. The new space would be created on the site of the old ice skating rink.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=August 27, 2013 |title=Bidding on the Future in Queens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/arts/design/the-renovated-queens-museum-gears-up-for-its-fall-unveiling.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020943/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/arts/design/the-renovated-queens-museum-gears-up-for-its-fall-unveiling.html |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The ice rink was relocated to a new facility in the northeastern section of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. and the interior of the ice rink was demolished by the beginning of 2010.{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Karen |date=January 18, 2010 |title=For Former World's Fair Ice Rink, Fragments of an Afterlife |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/arts/design/19duke.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020944/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/19/arts/design/19duke.html |url-status=live }} The project ultimately ended up costing $69 million.{{cite web |last=Trapasso |first=Clare |date=October 30, 2013 |title=Queens Museum undergoes $69M renovation |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/10/30/queens-museum-undergoes-69m-renovation-and-rebranding/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=New York Daily News |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000714/https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/10/30/queens-museum-undergoes-69m-renovation-and-rebranding/ |url-status=live }} The expanded museum reopened in November 2013 with a new entrance at Grand Central Parkway. After it reopened, the museum shortened its name to Queens Museum.

{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park map|float=right|highlight=12}}

Finkelpearl resigned in 2014 when he was hired as commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=April 6, 2014 |title=Museum Director to Be Commissioner of Cultural Affairs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/arts/design/mayor-de-blasio-names-tom-finkelpearl-of-the-queens-museum.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/arts/design/mayor-de-blasio-names-tom-finkelpearl-of-the-queens-museum.html |url-status=live }} Subsequently, the Queens Museum appointed Laura Raicovich as its director that October.{{cite web |last=Colangelo |first=Lisa L. |date=October 5, 2014 |title=New Queens Museum director Laura Raicovich looks to diverse borough communities for collaboration and inspiration |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/10/05/new-queens-museum-director-laura-raicovich-looks-to-diverse-borough-communities-for-collaboration-and-inspiration/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=New York Daily News |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/10/05/new-queens-museum-director-laura-raicovich-looks-to-diverse-borough-communities-for-collaboration-and-inspiration/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=October 1, 2014 |title=Laura Raicovich to Be New President of Queens Museum |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/laura-raicovich-to-be-new-president-of-queens-museum/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=ArtsBeat |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000712/https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/laura-raicovich-to-be-new-president-of-queens-museum/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |last=Jovanovic |first=Rozalia |date=October 2, 2014 |title=Queens Museums Names Laura Raicovich President |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museums-names-laura-raicovich-president-121462 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Artnet News |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museums-names-laura-raicovich-president-121462 |url-status=live }} The New York Times wrote that, in contrast to other museum directors (who tended to be politically uninvolved), Raicovich was politically outspoken during her tenure as the Queens Museum's director; Raicovich said her actions were intended to make the museum more attractive to Queens's diverse population.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=October 8, 2017 |title=At Queens Museum, the Director Is as Political as the Art |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/arts/design/queens-museum-laura-raicovich-daca.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202834/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/arts/design/queens-museum-laura-raicovich-daca.html |url-status=live }} During the first inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president in January 2017, the museum closed temporarily in conjunction with a protest hosted by artists. The museum also began hosting events at nearby houses and streets. Raicovich told the Times that these events had been intended to counter a decline in visitor numbers that occurred after Trump's election.

In 2017, the museum controversially{{cite web |last=Monteverdi |first=Suzanne |date=August 17, 2017 |title=Queens Museum reverses its decision, will hold celebration of Israel's independence after all |url=https://qns.com/2017/08/queens-museum-reverses-decision-cancel-celebration-israels-independence/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202834/https://qns.com/2017/08/queens-museum-reverses-decision-cancel-celebration-israels-independence/ |url-status=live }} canceled an agreement to rent space for a party celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Israeli Declaration of Independence.{{cite web |last=Monteverdi |first=Suzanne |date=January 29, 2018 |title=Search underway for new Queens Museum director after outspoken former boss resigned |url=https://qns.com/2018/01/search-underway-new-queens-museum-director-outspoken-former-boss-resigned/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://qns.com/2018/01/search-underway-new-queens-museum-director-outspoken-former-boss-resigned/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Pazmino |first=Gloria |title=Queens Museum reinstates Israel event after backlash |website=POLITICO |date=August 16, 2017 |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2017/08/16/queens-museum-reconsidering-israel-event-cancellation-after-backlash-113992 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519215239/https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2017/08/16/queens-museum-reconsidering-israel-event-cancellation-after-backlash-113992 |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |title=Update: Following outcry, Queens Museum reverses cancellation of Israel anniversary event |website=Spectrum News NY1 |date=August 17, 2017 |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/queens/news/2017/08/16/following-outcry--queens-museum--reconsidering--cancellation-of-israel-anniversary-event |access-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519215235/https://ny1.com/nyc/queens/news/2017/08/16/following-outcry--queens-museum--reconsidering--cancellation-of-israel-anniversary-event |url-status=live }} Raicovich had called the party a "political event".{{cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Gina |date=August 17, 2017 |title=Queens Museum's Israel Independence re-enactment back on |url=http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/lancmanisrael_2017_08_18_q.html |access-date=August 17, 2017 |publisher=Times Ledger |archive-date=August 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817072453/http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/lancmanisrael_2017_08_18_q.html |url-status=live }} Local politicians worked to restore the museum's commitment to host the event,{{cite news |date=August 17, 2017 |title=Queens Museum Reinstates Israel Event After Outcry |url=http://forward.com/fast-forward/380312/queens-museum-reinstates-israel-event-after-outcry/ |access-date=August 17, 2017 |publisher=The Forward |agency=JTA |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613000707/https://forward.com/fast-forward/380312/queens-museum-reinstates-israel-event-after-outcry/ |url-status=live }} which was ultimately reinstated at the museum. The event included a staged reenactment of the November 29, 1947, United Nations vote to partition the British Mandate for Palestine.{{cite web |title=Queens Museum to re-enact 1947 United Nations vote that created the state of Israel |website=spectrumlocalnews.com |date=August 17, 2017 |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2017/08/17/queens-museum-to-re-enact-1947-united-nations-vote-that-created-the-state-of-israel |access-date=May 19, 2024 |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001105/https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2017/08/17/queens-museum-to-re-enact-1947-united-nations-vote-that-created-the-state-of-israel |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Gina |date=June 17, 2017 |title=The main gallery of the Queens Museum was the site of the original United Nations General Assembly vote on November 29, 1947, establishing Israel as an independent state. |url=http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/lancmanisrael_2017_08_18_q.html |access-date=August 17, 2017 |publisher=Times Ledger |archive-date=August 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817072453/http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2017/33/lancmanisrael_2017_08_18_q.html |url-status=live }} As a consequence of the controversy, the Queens Museum's board commissioned an investigation into misbehaviors by Raicovich and deputy director David Strauss.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=February 14, 2018 |title=Queens Museum Report Says Former Director 'Misled the Board' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/arts/design/queens-museum-says-former-director-misled-board.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/arts/design/queens-museum-says-former-director-misled-board.html |url-status=live }} Raicovich resigned in January 2018,{{cite web |last=Boucher |first=Brian |date=January 26, 2018 |title=Queens Museum Director Laura Raicovich Resigns Amid Political Differences With Board |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museum-director-raicovich-departs-political-leanings-1208804 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Artnet News |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001202/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museum-director-raicovich-departs-political-leanings-1208804 |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=January 26, 2018 |title=Politically Outspoken Director of Queens Museum Steps Down |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/arts/design/queens-museum-director-laura-raicovich.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/arts/design/queens-museum-director-laura-raicovich.html |url-status=live }} and Strauss was fired. The British curator Sally Tallant was hired as the museum's new director in late 2018.{{cite web |last=Parry |first=Bill |date=November 5, 2018 |title=Queens Museum names Sally Tallant as new president and executive director |url=https://qns.com/2018/11/queens-museum-names-sally-tallant-new-president-executive-director/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://qns.com/2018/11/queens-museum-names-sally-tallant-new-president-executive-director/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |date=November 8, 2018 |title=Sally Tallant heads to New York's Queens Museum |url=https://artreview.com/news-8-nov-2018-sally-tallant-director-of-queens-museum/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=ArtReview |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://artreview.com/news-8-nov-2018-sally-tallant-director-of-queens-museum/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=November 5, 2018 |title=Queens Museum Looks to Liverpool for New Director |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/arts/design/queens-museum-sally-tallant-liverpool.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202834/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/04/arts/design/queens-museum-sally-tallant-liverpool.html |url-status=live }}

The Queens Museum was closed temporarily from March to September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.{{cite web |last=Cascone |first=Sarah |date=September 24, 2020 |title=During Lockdown, the Queens Museum Became a Food Pantry. Now, It's Reopening—and Keeping the Kitchen Intact |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museum-food-pantry-1910211 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Artnet News |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/queens-museum-food-pantry-1910211 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Mohamed |first=Carlotta |date=September 16, 2020 |title=Queens Museum celebrates reopening with four new exhibits and citywide public art initiative |url=https://qns.com/2020/09/queens-museum-reopening-new-exhibits-public-art-initiative/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://qns.com/2020/09/queens-museum-reopening-new-exhibits-public-art-initiative/ |url-status=live }} The city government gave the museum $26.4 million in September 2021 to complete the second phase of its expansion.{{cite web |date=September 23, 2021 |title=NYC Awards Queens Museum $26.4 Million Toward Expansion |url=https://www.artforum.com/news/nyc-awards-queens-museum-26-4-million-toward-expansion-250698/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Artforum |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001210/https://www.artforum.com/news/nyc-awards-queens-museum-26-4-million-toward-expansion-250698/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Parry |first=Bill |date=September 22, 2021 |title=City awards $26.4 million to complete Queens Museum expansion project |url=https://qns.com/2021/09/city-awards-26-4-million-to-complete-queens-museum-expansion-project/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001109/https://qns.com/2021/09/city-awards-26-4-million-to-complete-queens-museum-expansion-project/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Queens Museum to construct Children's Museum with new funding |url=https://queenseagle.com/all/queens-museum-to-construct-childrens-museum-with-new-funding |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Queens Daily Eagle |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202834/https://queenseagle.com/all/queens-museum-to-construct-childrens-museum-with-new-funding |url-status=live }} In mid-2022, the museum hired Levenbetts to design the renovation, which museum officials predicted would cost $69 million.{{cite web |last=Hickman |first=Matt |date=August 25, 2022 |title=LEVENBETTS tapped by Queens Museum for final phase of expansion project |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2022/08/levenbetts-queens-museum-final-phase-expansion-project/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=The Architect's Newspaper |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://www.archpaper.com/2022/08/levenbetts-queens-museum-final-phase-expansion-project/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |last=Rahmanan |first=Anna |date=August 29, 2022 |title=The Queens Museum is undergoing a massive $69 million renovation |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-queens-museum-is-undergoing-a-massive-renovation-082922 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Time Out New York |postscript=none |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202835/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-queens-museum-is-undergoing-a-massive-renovation-082922 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Roche |first=Rebecca |date=August 29, 2022 |title=New children's museum headlines $69 million expansion at Queens Museum |url=https://qns.com/2022/08/queens-museum-expansion/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202834/https://qns.com/2022/08/queens-museum-expansion/ |url-status=live }} The project would create a children's museum wing; add {{Convert|2600|ft2}} of storage space; build a {{Convert|5500|ft2|adj=on}} art lab; and add classrooms, conservation, and exhibit preparation spaces. The project was to involve repairing the south facade as well. The city allocated another $8.5 million for the children's museum space in August 2023.{{cite web |last=Parry |first=Bill |date=August 23, 2023 |title=City announces $8.5 million investment for Queens Museum, additional funding for cultural institutions across borough |url=https://qns.com/2023/08/queens-museum-funding/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519202836/https://qns.com/2023/08/queens-museum-funding/ |url-status=live }}

The museum building, originally the New York City Pavilion, covers {{Convert|105000|ft2}} following the 2013 renovation.{{cite web |date=November 7, 2013 |title=The Queens Museum reopens after major renovations |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-queens-museum-reopens-after-major-renovations |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Time Out New York |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210437/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/the-queens-museum-reopens-after-major-renovations |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=March 4, 2013 |title=Queens Museum of Art Expansion / Grimshaw Architects |url=https://www.archdaily.com/339206/queens-museum-of-art-expansion-grimshaw-architects |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=ArchDaily |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001233/https://www.archdaily.com/339206/queens-museum-of-art-expansion-grimshaw-architects |url-status=live }} As constructed, the building measured {{convert|360|by|120|ft}} across, with a ceiling {{convert|40|ft}} high. The building includes exhibit spaces, event spaces, artists' studios, a cafe, and an atrium. The structure is one of five buildings that survive from the 1939 World's Fair. The other structures include a boathouse and an administration building in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park; the Parachute Jump on Coney Island; and the Belgian Building at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia.{{Cite news |last=Pollak |first=Michael |date=April 8, 2007 |title=Arborcide |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/nyregion/thecity/08fyi.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020943/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/nyregion/thecity/08fyi.html |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} It is also one of several 1964 World's Fair structures that remain in the park, along with the New York Hall of Science, the New York State Pavilion, Terrace on the Park, and the Unisphere.{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Pete |date=18 July 2004 |title=Exhibiting Concern for '64 Fair Pavilion Parks Dept. In New York State of Mind |work=New York Daily News |page=1 |issn=2692-1251 |id={{ProQuest|305904447}}}}

The exterior is primarily made of concrete. When the New York City Pavilion was built, it had rectangular pillars, glass-block walls, and a geometric cornice. In advance of the 1964 fair, the glass blocks were covered up, and the cornice was removed. Prior to the 2013 renovation, the building had no main entrance; thus, many visitors to Flushing Meadows–Corona Park did not know of the museum's existence. After the 2013 renovation, there is a {{convert|200|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}}, {{convert|27|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} glass wall on the western facade of the museum building. The glass facade consists of fritted glass panels interspersed with aluminum panels. At night, the facade is illuminated by LED lights that are visible from Grand Central Parkway immediately to the west.{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Fred A. |date=April 24, 2013 |title=Grimshaw Museum Expansion Taking Shape in NYC |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/2852-grimshaw-museum-expansion-taking-shape-in-nyc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520020940/https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/2852-grimshaw-museum-expansion-taking-shape-in-nyc |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=Architectural Record}} The eastern end of the building has a set of revolving doors embedded within a {{convert|30|ft|m|-tall|adj=mid}} curtain wall, which in turn is recessed behind a colonnade.

The museum's permanent collection includes 10,000 items related to the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs.{{cite web |date=May 19, 2024 |title=World's Fair Collection |url=https://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/worlds-fair-collection/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Queens Museum |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001111/https://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/worlds-fair-collection/ |url-status=live }} As of 2013, about 900 World's Fair objects are on permanent display. Acquisitions over the years have included works by Salvador Dalí{{cite web |last=Long |first=Jim |date=November 1, 2003 |title=Salvador Dalí's |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2003/11/artseen/salvador-dals-dream-of-venus |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=The Brooklyn Rail |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001111/https://brooklynrail.org/2003/11/artseen/salvador-dals-dream-of-venus |url-status=live }} and Mark Dion.{{cite web |last=Angeleti |first=Gabriella |date=October 21, 2021 |title=Queens Museum director on its transformative expansion and learning from the pandemic |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/21/queens-museum-sally-tallant-expansion |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=The Art Newspaper – International art news and events |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160624/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/10/21/queens-museum-sally-tallant-expansion |url-status=live }} {{clear left}}

{{main|Panorama of the City of New York}}File:Panorama of New York City.jpgThe largest permanent exhibition at the Queens Museum is the Panorama of the City of New York, which was constructed by Lester Associates for the 1964 World's Fair. A celebration of the city's municipal infrastructure, this {{convert|9335|sqft|m2|adj=on}} architectural model{{Cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=February 2, 2007 |title=On the Town, Sized Down, Jazzed Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/02/arts/design/02pano.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210437/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/02/arts/design/02pano.html |url-status=live }} includes almost every building that existed in all five boroughs in 1992, at a 1:1200 scale.{{cite web | title=The Panorama of the City of New York | website=Queens Museum | date=May 19, 2024 | url=http://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/panorama-of-the-city-of-new-york/ | access-date=May 19, 2024 | archive-date=May 19, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210549/http://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/panorama-of-the-city-of-new-york/ | url-status=live }} One hundred employees from Raymond Lester Associates built the model in three years. The model is made of 273 panels.{{cite web |last=Rhoades |first=Liz |date=May 8, 2014 |title=NYC Panorama was a big part of fair |url=https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/nyc-panorama-was-a-big-part-of-fair/article_bbc70484-c428-565a-a588-d09bd91835b9.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Queens Chronicle |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210437/https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/nyc-panorama-was-a-big-part-of-fair/article_bbc70484-c428-565a-a588-d09bd91835b9.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=May 11, 2023 |title=A Panorama of New York Enters the Digital Age |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/nyregion/queens-museum-panorama.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172443/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/nyregion/queens-museum-panorama.html |url-status=live }} The panorama depicts 895,000 individual structures, which are made of plastic or wood. All of the bridges are made of brass. The panel depicting the Far Rockaway neighborhood was not originally installed due to space limitations; in 1987, the Far Rockaway panel was installed in its own room.{{cite news |last=Benkoe |first=Jeff |date=February 2, 1987 |title=Queens Neighborhoods |work=Newsday |page=25 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|285528193}}}}

After the Fair closed, the Panorama remained open to the public, and Lester's team updated the map in 1967, 1968, and 1969. After 1970, very few changes were made until 1992, when again Lester Associates was hired to update the model, adding over 60,000 structures. In March 2009, the museum announced that it would allow people to donate at least $50 to have accurate scale models created and added. The mechanical "helicopter" vehicles for conveying exhibition visitors were showing signs of wear, and were removed before the 1994 reopening. The Panorama has also hosted temporary exhibits, such as models of unbuilt structures the 2018 exhibit Never Built New York.{{cite web |last=Colangelo |first=Lisa L. |date=September 25, 2017 |title='Never Built New York' at Queens Museum displays the fantastical city that might have been |url=https://www.amny.com/news/never-built-new-york-at-queens-museum-displays-the-fantastical-city-that-might-have-been-1-14266696/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=amNewYork |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214704/https://www.amny.com/news/never-built-new-york-at-queens-museum-displays-the-fantastical-city-that-might-have-been-1-14266696/ |url-status=live }}

The current installation, dating to a 1990s renovation of the museum by Rafael Viñoly, features accessible ramps and an elevated glass floored walkway which surround the Panorama. Since 2023, the museum has also allowed visitors to look at individual structures in the Panorama, via an electronic kiosk display.

The museum also displays the Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System, which measures {{convert|18|by|30|ft}} across, with a total area of {{Convert|540|ft2}}.{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=May 11, 2008 |title=Like Rainfall, Restored Map Trickles Home |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/11map.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126023214/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/nyregion/11map.html |url-status=live }} The map is a scale model of the New York City water supply system and watershed. Tunnels and reservoirs are marked by lights that are placed across the map.{{cite web |last=Meier |first=Allison |date=January 27, 2015 |title=Revisiting a Midcentury Map Marvel of NYC's Water System |url=https://hyperallergic.com/174644/revisiting-a-midcentury-map-marvel-of-nycs-water-system/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=Hyperallergic |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613145308/https://hyperallergic.com/174644/revisiting-a-midcentury-map-marvel-of-nycs-water-system/ |url-status=live }} The map is divided into 27 panels so it can be easily disassembled.

The Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity (a predecessor to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection) commissioned the Cartographic Survey Force of the Works Progress Administration to create the map for the 1939 World's Fair.{{cite web |date=June 13, 2024 |title=The Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System |url=https://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/relief-map-of-the-new-york-city-water-supply-system/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=Queens Museum |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330164502/https://queensmuseum.org/exhibition/relief-map-of-the-new-york-city-water-supply-system/ |url-status=live }} Work began in 1938, with a budget of $100,000 ({{inflation|US|100000|1939|r=-3|fmt=eq}}), but it was not displayed at the 1939 fair. The reason for this is variously attributed to World War II-era security concerns and the map's large area. The map was displayed at Grand Central Palace in 1948, the only time in the 20th century that it was publicly displayed. For the rest of the century, the map remained in storage and experienced dust and water damage. Museum officials announced in 2005 that they would install the map in the museum.{{Cite news |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=2005-12-04 |title=After Wait of Six Decades, Watershed's Moment Arrives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/nyregion/after-wait-of-six-decades-watersheds-moment-arrives.html |access-date=2024-07-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} The map was restored by the McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Lab in Oberlin, Ohio, between 2006 and 2008, then displayed at the Queens Museum.

Located on the second floor of the Queens Museum, this exhibit displays memorabilia from both the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. About 900 objects are displayed on-site.{{Cite news |last=Grimes |first=William |date=November 7, 2013 |title=Housing Treasures and Trivia of Two World's Fairs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/arts/design/queens-museum-displays-souvenirs-from-1939-and-1964-fairs.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620012349/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/arts/design/queens-museum-displays-souvenirs-from-1939-and-1964-fairs.html |url-status=live }} The online catalog contains over 10,000 items in total from both fairs.{{Cite web |title=Queens Museum |url=http://www.queensmuseum.org/2013/11/worlds-fair-visible-storage |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104184033/http://www.queensmuseum.org/2013/11/worlds-fair-visible-storage |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |access-date=November 16, 2016 |website=www.queensmuseum.org}}{{cite web |title=Gale Virtual Reference Library – Document – World's Fairs |url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=cuny_hunter&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2735802999&asid=a3184d1f24f111d3123333646d20c0cd |access-date=November 20, 2016 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001624/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=cuny_hunter&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2735802999&asid=a3184d1f24f111d3123333646d20c0cd |url-status=live }}

File:appleblossom1.jpg collection|left]]Since 1995, the museum has maintained a partnership with the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass.{{cite web |last=Rhoades |first=Liz |date=April 28, 2016 |title=Tiffany's 'dream gardens' on display |url=https://www.qchron.com/qboro/stories/tiffany-s-dream-gardens-on-display/article_44e54d75-d8e3-5de0-86e8-b7914cc43eca.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Queens Chronicle |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214704/https://www.qchron.com/qboro/stories/tiffany-s-dream-gardens-on-display/article_44e54d75-d8e3-5de0-86e8-b7914cc43eca.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Tattoli |first=Chantel |date=June 12, 2019 |title=The World's Largest Archive of Tiffany Glass Is Launching Exhibitions in Surprising Places |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-worlds-largest-archive-of-tiffany-glass-is-launching-exhibitions-in-surprising-places |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Architectural Digest |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214704/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-worlds-largest-archive-of-tiffany-glass-is-launching-exhibitions-in-surprising-places |url-status=live }} Selections from the collection are on long-term display, drawn from a large private Tiffany collection assembled by Egon Neustadt and his wife Hildegard starting in the mid-1930s.{{cite news |last=Ruhling |first=Nancy A. |date=October 28, 1997 |title=Passing on the Electric Torch / Queens couple's mission |work=Newsday |page=A.41 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|279024809}}}} The pieces originally went on display in 1997,{{Cite news |last=Louie |first=Elaine |date=March 13, 1997 |title=Tiffany Lamps: Back to the Old Neighborhood |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/13/garden/tiffany-lamps-back-to-the-old-neighborhood.html |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227184821/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/13/garden/tiffany-lamps-back-to-the-old-neighborhood.html |url-status=live }} after the museum's expansion was completed, and were intended to be exhibited for a decade.{{Cite news |last=Charles |first=Nick |date=January 5, 1996 |title=Real glass act is coming to art museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-real-glass-act-is-coming-to-a/149778393/ |access-date=June 21, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=611 |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172952/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-real-glass-act-is-coming-to-a/149778393/ |url-status=live }} There are 440 pieces in the collection, most of which are kept in storage in Long Island City, Queens, and are not on public view.{{cite magazine |last=Gellman |first=Lindsay |date=January 22, 2018 |title=A Rare Tour of the Neustadt Collection's Tiffany Glass |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/29/a-rare-tour-of-the-neustadt-collections-tiffany-glass |access-date=May 19, 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001759/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/29/a-rare-tour-of-the-neustadt-collections-tiffany-glass |url-status=live }} The history of the creation of Tiffany's artworks is featured in the Queens Museum exhibitions, as Tiffany Studios and Furnaces was once located in Corona, which were closed in the 1930s.[http://www.neustadtcollection.org/ The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029014800/http://www.neustadtcollection.org/ |date=October 29, 2008 }} official website[http://www.queensmuseum.org/2013/10/the-neustadt-collection-of-tiffany-glass The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502234349/http://www.queensmuseum.org/2013/10/the-neustadt-collection-of-tiffany-glass |date=May 2, 2015 }}, Queens Museum website

The museum also stages temporary exhibits regularly.{{cite web |date=March 27, 2009 |title=Museums & Galleries |url=https://www.nyctourism.com/museums-galleries/queens-museum/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=New York City Tourism + Conventions |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519214705/https://www.nyctourism.com/museums-galleries/queens-museum/ |url-status=live }} In its first decade, the museum staged eight to ten temporary exhibits annually. The museum's first-ever exhibition was a set of 19th-century landscapes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Starting in the 1970s, local artists' work was displayed at the museum every year,See, for example: {{Cite news |last=Williamson |first=Jennifer |date=December 2, 1973 |title=41 Artists Contributing to Anniversary Show |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-41-artists-contributing-to-an/149168614/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612012705/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-41-artists-contributing-to-an/149168614/ |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=110 |postscript=none }}; {{Cite news |date=January 2, 1973 |title=Public Views Art of Boro |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-public-views-art-of-boro/149229342/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=284 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613011034/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-public-views-art-of-boro/149229342/ |url-status=live }} and there were two or three annual exhibitions of local artists' work.{{Cite news |last=Karmel |first=Pepe |date=September 1, 1995 |title=Art Review; Depicting the Multiculturalism of Queens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/01/arts/art-review-depicting-the-multiculturalism-of-queens.html |access-date=July 4, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422161027/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/01/arts/art-review-depicting-the-multiculturalism-of-queens.html |url-status=live }} The topics of other exhibits in the 1970s included works by Joseph Cornell,{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=McCandlish |date=April 15, 1973 |title=The Portrait of Queens Artist |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/the-portrait-of-queens-artist-cupboard-rembrandts.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001744/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/15/archives/the-portrait-of-queens-artist-cupboard-rembrandts.html |url-status=live }} animals in art,{{Cite news |last=Funke |first=Phyllis |date=June 30, 1974 |title=Animals in Art Are Being Displayed in Queens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/30/archives/animals-in-art-are-being-displayed-in-queens-reflection-of-culture.html |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001745/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/06/30/archives/animals-in-art-are-being-displayed-in-queens-reflection-of-culture.html |url-status=live }} historical representations of cows,{{Cite news |last=Ivins |first=Molly |date=July 21, 1976 |title=Show in Flushing Meadows Lets the World Know Who Is Bossie |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/21/archives/new-jersey-pages-show-in-flushing-meadows-lets-the-world-know-who.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613140801/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/21/archives/new-jersey-pages-show-in-flushing-meadows-lets-the-world-know-who.html |url-status=live }} sports-themed art,{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Jaan |date=August 26, 1978 |title=Sports Art Stirs Memories |work=The Hartford Courant |page=36 |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|545361066}}}} the history of Queens,{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Arthur |date=April 28, 1976 |title=Exhibit Traces Queens History |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-exhibit-traces-queens-history/149256616/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=Daily News |pages=661 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613155939/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-exhibit-traces-queens-history/149256616/ |url-status=live }} and items from the 1939 and 1964 fairs.{{Cite news |last=Ferretti |first=Fred |date=December 2, 1979 |title=Queens Museum Preparing Exhibition on World's Fair Nostalgic Paraphernalia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/queens-museum-preparing-exhibition-on-worlds-fair-nostalgic.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613155934/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/02/archives/queens-museum-preparing-exhibition-on-worlds-fair-nostalgic.html |url-status=live }} During the 1980s, the topics of the museum's exhibits included American art films,{{Cite news |date=January 2, 1981 |title=Film Series on American Art in Queens; Queens Museum Showing Films on American Art |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/02/movies/film-series-american-art-queens-queens-museum-showing-films-american-art.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171240/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/02/movies/film-series-american-art-queens-queens-museum-showing-films-american-art.html |url-status=live }} 18th- and 19th-century European prints,{{Cite news |date=January 18, 1982 |title=Prints Are on Display At the Queens Museum |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/18/arts/prints-are-on-display-at-the-queens-museum.html |access-date=June 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619160215/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/18/arts/prints-are-on-display-at-the-queens-museum.html |url-status=live }} Spanish gold artifacts,{{Cite news |last=Hogan |first=Randolph |date=November 6, 1981 |title=Spanish Gold Makes Port in Queens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/06/arts/spanish-gold-makes-port-in-queens.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613171238/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/06/arts/spanish-gold-makes-port-in-queens.html |url-status=live }} and the creation of the Panorama exhibit.{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=June 24, 1988 |title=All 5 Boroughs in the World's Biggest Miniature |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/24/arts/all-5-boroughs-in-the-world-s-biggest-miniature.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525091541/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/24/arts/all-5-boroughs-in-the-world-s-biggest-miniature.html |url-status=live }} By the end of that decade, the museum displayed about 15 exhibits a year.

The museum began hosting exhibits relating to Queens residents and ethnic groups in the 1990s. These included exhibits about Korean Americans and the musician Louis Armstrong. Exhibits in the first decade of the 21st century included a showcase of crime scene photographs from the Daily News{{'}} archives,{{Cite news |last=Loke |first=Margarett |date=March 31, 2000 |title=Photography Review; Dark Side of New York From the Daily News |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/31/arts/photography-review-dark-side-of-new-york-from-the-daily-news.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001746/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/31/arts/photography-review-dark-side-of-new-york-from-the-daily-news.html |url-status=live }} a showcase of banners created by schoolchildren,{{cite news |last=Takahashi |first=Corey |date=23 Mar 2003 |title=These Are Banner Days At the Queens Museum |work=Newsday |page=D31 |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|279656087}} |agency=The Associated Press}} a show about the diplomat Ralph Bunche,{{Cite news |last=Duggan |first=Dennis |date=2004-06-20 |title=Ralph Bunche: Resurrecting greatness |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-ralph-bunche-resurrecting-great/151900622/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=Newsday |pages=163}} drawings from the court reporter William Sharp,{{Cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |date=February 21, 2003 |title=Art Review; The World Was a Target For Satire From Queens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/21/arts/art-review-the-world-was-a-target-for-satire-from-queens.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and an exhibit of photographs of Robert Moses's work.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=January 23, 2007 |title=Rehabilitating Robert Moses |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/arts/design/28pogr.html |access-date=May 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520160621/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/arts/design/28pogr.html |url-status=live }} During the 2010s, temporary exhibits included collections of World's Fair artifacts.{{Cite news |last=Grimes |first=William |date=August 21, 2014 |title=When Flushing Was Awash With Wonders |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/arts/design/worlds-fair-artifacts-from-39-and-64-at-queens-museum.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620012351/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/arts/design/worlds-fair-artifacts-from-39-and-64-at-queens-museum.html |url-status=live }} When the museum reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, it hosted exhibitions about the concept of home, the photographer Bruce Davidson, and children's art.{{Cite news |last=Cotter |first=Holland |date=October 29, 2020 |title=At the Queens Museum, Home and the World |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/design/queens-museum-art-review.html |access-date=May 19, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613001752/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/design/queens-museum-art-review.html |url-status=live }}

File:Senior Photo (from Queens Museum).jpgThe Queens Museum has run numerous outreach programs for the surrounding community.{{cite web |last=Parra |first=Daniel |date=July 10, 2018 |title=Do NYC's Museums Meet Low-Income Visitors Halfway? |url=https://citylimits.org/2018/07/10/do-nycs-museums-meet-low-income-visitors-halfway/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=City Limits |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210438/https://citylimits.org/2018/07/10/do-nycs-museums-meet-low-income-visitors-halfway/ |url-status=live }} In the 1970s, it offered a free art program for local youth.{{Cite news |date=August 14, 1976 |title=Queens Museum Free Art Program |work=New York Amsterdam News |page=D8 |id={{proQuest|226506018}}}} The museum also hosted Latin American cultural events and arts-education activities during the 1990s. When the museum building was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Queens Museum organized a food pantry for residents of the surrounding neighborhood. The museum launched an activist program for teens, the Queens Teens Institute for Art and Social Justice, in 2023.{{cite web |last=McLogan |first=Elle |date=May 1, 2023 |title="Brave space" for teens at Queens Teens Institute for Art & Social Justice, where art and activism meet |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/queens-teens-institute-for-art-social-justice/ |access-date=May 20, 2024 |website=CBS New York |archive-date=July 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704172953/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/queens-teens-institute-for-art-social-justice/ |url-status=live }}

The Queens Museum has also been involved in community projects. These have included the restoration of Corona Plaza, a public plaza near the New York City Subway's 103rd Street–Corona Plaza station, in the early 21st century. Starting in 2004, the museum helped sponsor the Queens Culture Trolley, which traveled between Flushing Meadows and the neighborhoods of Corona and Jackson Heights.{{cite web |last=Bertrand |first=Donald |date=May 13, 2004 |title=Arts trolley on roll Free cultural history ride gets in gear |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2004/05/13/arts-trolley-on-roll-free-cultural-history-ride-gets-in-gear/ |access-date=July 23, 2024 |website=New York Daily News |postscript=none}}; {{Cite web |last=Hendricks |first=Melissa |date=April 20, 2005 |title=Trolleys Mark One Year Anniversary – QNS |url=https://qns.com/2005/04/trolleys-mark-one-year-anniversary/ |access-date=July 23, 2024 |website=QNS}}

The museum is operated by the Queens Museum of Art, which is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization since 1972.{{cite web |title=Queens Museum of Art New York City Building |url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/11-2278998 |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=GuideStar Profile |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210439/https://www.guidestar.org/profile/11-2278998 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Suozzo |first1=Andrea |last2=Glassford |first2=Alec |last3=Ngu |first3=Ash |last4=Roberts |first4=Brandon |date=May 9, 2013 |title=Queens Museum Of Art New York City Building |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/112278998 |access-date=June 11, 2024 |website=ProPublica |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613002141/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/112278998 |url-status=live }} {{As of|2018}}, Queens Museum's director is Sally Tallant. In the 1970s, the Queens Museum was part of the Flushing Arts Council, a group of Flushing cultural institutions that also included Flushing Town Hall and Queens Botanical Garden.{{cite news |date=August 5, 1979 |title=...Reviving Arts in Flushing |work=Newsday |page=19Q |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|966047777}}}}

The museum accommodated 60,000 or 100,000 annual visitors in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Roughly half of visitors came as part of school field trips. By the 2010s, the museum had 200,000 annual visitors; prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum accommodated 30,000 students annually.{{cite web |last=Small |first=Zachary |date=April 14, 2020 |title=By Keeping Public Art Open and Prioritizing Relief Funds Over Losses, Queens Museums Are Fighting Coronavirus at Its Epicenter |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/queens-museum-coronavirus-relief-fund-1202683809/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=ARTnews.com |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519210432/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/queens-museum-coronavirus-relief-fund-1202683809/ |url-status=live }} In 2020, the Queens Museum made admission free for all visitors,{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Maya |date=September 17, 2020 |title=Queens Museum Reopens: What To Know |url=https://patch.com/new-york/queens/queens-museum-reopens-what-know |access-date=January 9, 2024 |website=Queens, NY Patch |language=en |archive-date=January 9, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109214638/https://patch.com/new-york/queens/queens-museum-reopens-what-know |url-status=live }} and the museum instead operates on a pay what you want model.{{cite web |last1=Culgan |first1=Rossilynne Skena |last2=Halle |first2=Howard |last3=Weaver |first3=Shaye |date=January 3, 2024 |title=Best Free Museum Days and Discount Hours in NYC |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/museums/free-museum-days-in-nyc |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=Time Out New York |archive-date=May 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506023338/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/museums/free-museum-days-in-nyc |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=October 8, 2015 |title=Free Museum Days or Pay What You Wish |url=https://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/35/free-museum-days-or-pay-what-you-wish/ |access-date=May 19, 2024 |website=NYC-ARTS |archive-date=July 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710192100/https://www.nyc-arts.org/collections/35/free-museum-days-or-pay-what-you-wish/ |url-status=live }}

When the museum opened, it sold annual memberships. Members received regular newsletters and bulletins, and the museum also hosted member-only events and exhibition previews.{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1975 |title=The Benefits of Museum Memberships |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/02/archives/the-benefits-of-museum-memberships-what-do-you-get-when-you-join-a.html |access-date=June 13, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014841/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/02/archives/the-benefits-of-museum-memberships-what-do-you-get-when-you-join-a.html |url-status=live }} {{As of|2024}}, the Queens Museum sells four tiers of memberships, and the museum hosts member-only publications, events, and exhibition previews.{{cite web |last=Museum |first=Queens |date=June 13, 2024 |title=Become a Member |url=https://queensmuseum.org/support/become-a-member/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=Queens Museum |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014843/https://queensmuseum.org/support/become-a-member/ |url-status=live }} The Queens Museum is also part of the Culture Pass program, whose members can enter for free.{{cite web |last=Weaver |first=Shaye |date=August 12, 2019 |title=Culture Pass NYC: How to get one, where to use it and what to know |url=https://www.amny.com/entertainment/things-to-do/culture-pass-nyc-1-20607138/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=amNewYork |postscript=none |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014841/https://www.amny.com/entertainment/things-to-do/culture-pass-nyc-1-20607138/ |url-status=live }}; {{Cite web |last=Davenport |first=Emily |date=July 16, 2018 |title=Reserve a free pass to dozens of NYC museums with your Queens Library card – QNS |url=https://qns.com/2018/07/reserve-free-pass-dozens-nyc-museums-queens-library-card/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |website=QNS |archive-date=June 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613014842/https://qns.com/2018/07/reserve-free-pass-dozens-nyc-museums-queens-library-card/ |url-status=live }}

In the 1970s, the museum's annual operating budget totaled $150,000, of which four-fifths came from the New York City government. The budget grew steadily during the 1970s and 1980s, reaching $2 million by 1989. During the 1990s, the museum had an operating budget of $1.8 million, and seven-tenths of the budget was funded by the city or other public sources. For the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2022, the Queens Museum recorded total revenue of $6.38 million, expenses of $6.59 million, assets of $36.6 million, and liabilities of $364,000.

• 1939 New York World's Fair pavilions and attractions
• 1964 New York World's Fair pavilions
• List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Samuel |first=Lawrence R. |url=https://archive.org/details/endofinnocence190000samu |title=The End of the Innocence: The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8156-0890-5 |edition=1st |url-access=registration}}
• {{Cite New York 1960}}

• {{official website}}

{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park|state=collapsed}}

{{Subject bar|commons=Category:Queens Museum|Museums|New York City}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1939 New York World's Fair

Category:1964 New York World's Fair

Category:1972 establishments in New York City

Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1939

Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1972

Category:Art museums and galleries in Queens, New York

Category:Flushing Meadows–Corona Park

Category:Flushing, Queens

Category:Maps of New York City

Category:Museums in Queens, New York

Category:World's fair architecture in New York City