Watersheds

It was the greatest monument that nobody saw. The Cartographic Survey Force, a branch of the Works Progress Administration, constructed a 3D relief map of the New York City water system for the 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Tapping mountain springs as far as 100 miles away, the water system was an engineering marvel at time, and the 32-feet-by-20-feet, wood-and-plaster replica was just as impressive. Plus, it had a $100,000 price tag — about $1.5 million today — during the Depression Era. Nevertheless, it went straight to storage. (Find out more on jump page.)


Some say the map was too big to fit in the New York City Pavilion. Others argue it was hidden to protect the real water system from sabotage because World War II was brewing. Whatever the facts, the replica was shown once at the NYC Golden Anniversary in 1948…and then forgotten. In 1991, an architect from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection discovered the mock-up in the Jerome Avenue Pumping Station in the Bronx. The 27-piece map was in rough shape after decades of neglect, but in 2006, the NYC DEP and the Queens Museum sent it to McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Lab in Ohio for restoration.

Now, more than 75 years after the 1939 World’s Fair began, the map is on display at its intended unveiling spot: Queens Museum, which is located at the former New York City Pavilion site. This Saturday, Matt Malina of the eco-education group NYC H20 will discuss the replica in a special event featuring a question-and-answer session with two civil engineers who worked on the water system.

Details: Watershed Relief Map Presentation, Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, January 10th, 1 pm,$5 suggested entrance fee. The Watershed Model is on long-term exhibit.
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