The Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

Rodrigo Salazar
Rodrigo Salazar
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Published 2010-09-02
The Unisphere is a beautiful, giant steel globe that sits in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York. It is a famous sight in central Queens and is visible to drivers on the LIE, the Grand Central, and Van Wyck, as well as to airline passengers arriving and departing from LaGuardia and JFK. The Unisphere is the best symbol of the borough and also one of the largest globes ever made.
a symbol of world peace
The Unisphere is 140 feet high and 120 feet in diameter. It weighs 900,000 pounds.
I just did this video during the 2010 us open in Queens.
All Comments (4)
  • @fordroad
    Designed by landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke, the Unisphere was donated by the United States Steel Corporation and constructed by the American Bridge Company. It is the world's largest global structure, rising 140 feet and weighing 700,000 pounds. Some sources say the Unisphere weighs 900,000 pounds, a figure which includes the additional weight of its 100-ton inverted tripod base. The diameter of the sphere itself is 120 feet, or 36.57 meters. It is constructed of Type 304L stainless
  • @fordroad
    @rikner Many thanks for your comments, I have posted a simple explanation of the construction methods and materials used. Your comment regarding cast iron, the French Eiffel tower built in about 1897 for the Paris World expo, it is built of cast iron. Yes if NOT maintained it would eventual rust, however there is about 3500 gallons of paint applied with total maintenance team on the job 364 days of the year. Hope this helps.