1984 Louisiana World Exposition

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1984
Expo '85 in Tsukuba
Universal expositions
PreviousExpo '70 in Osaka
NextSeville Expo '92 in Seville
Horticultural expositions
PreviousInternational Garden Expo 83 in Munich
NextExpo '90 in Osaka
Simultaneous
Horticultural (AIPH)International Garden Festival

The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a

World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984, and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984.[1]
Its theme was "The World of Rivers—Fresh Waters as a Source of Life".

Plagued with attendance problems, the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was the only exposition to declare bankruptcy during its run.[2] Many blamed the low attendance on the fact that it was staged just two years and two states from Knoxville's 1982 World's Fair,[2] and because it coincided with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Others believe that the 1982 opening of Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center may have also drawn more people to Orlando, Florida. As of 2023, there has not been a World's Fair in the United States since the exposition in New Orleans.

This expo also had the distinction of being the first World Exposition in the history of expos to have an official fair mascot. Seymore D. Fair, a large white costume pelican, became one of the most recognizable figures of any modern-day World Exposition.

U.S. Navy's host ship for the 1984 World's Fair was USS Stump.

The Fair

The government of Louisiana spent $5 million on the fair; that amount was overseen by Ralph Perlman, the state budget director, who tried to obtain maximum use of the funds.[3] An 84-acre (340,000 m2) site along the Mississippi River was cleared of rundown warehouses, replaced by the structures of the Fair. This was to be a "Class B" exposition as defined by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international body governing world's fairs. There were no major exhibits such as had been seen at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair, which started predictions that the fair could be a flop. Although 7 million guests[2] toured the fair, it was not enough to recoup the $350 million spent to host the event. Paychecks started bouncing, and it was only through government intervention that the gates remained open through the scheduled run. The fair drew 30,000 fewer people in the first month than was predicted.[4] One of the fair's more famous attractions was the Mississippi Aerial River Transit (MART). This was a gondola lift that took visitors across the Mississippi River from the fair site in the Warehouse District to Algiers on the West Bank. Also on display was the Space Shuttle Enterprise; in contrast, the US Coast Guard sail training barque USCGC Eagle was open for tours adjacent to the shuttle for the week immediately before the official opening and the week after.

The Fair was held along the

railroad yard. While the Fair itself was a financial failure, several old warehouses were renovated for the fair, which helped to revitalize the adjacent Old Warehouse District. The fair suffered from poor attendance, but many New Orleanians have fond memories of their fair experiences. Highlights included a monorail, a gondola across the Mississippi River, an aquacade, an amphitheater for concerts, the Wonderwall, and the mascot Seymore D. Fair (also commonly spelled Seymour D' Fair). There also were many dining choices, including the Italian Village, the Japanese Pavilion, and Pete Fountain
's Reunion Hall.

USS Lexington visited the fair and was open for tourist visits while much of the crew enjoyed liberty.

USS Harlan County LST-1196 visited the fair for three days and was open for tourist visits, while much of the crew enjoyed liberty.

Legacy

Seymore D. Fair

Some traces of the fair remain today. In the Warehouse District, many of the streets were improved and many old buildings were renovated for businesses that hoped to cater to fair guests. These buildings later were converted to commercial and residential uses. These improvements paved the way for the city's arts district seen today.

The

Charles Willard Moore and his partner William Turnbull
.

A bronze copy of Ivan Meštrović's sculpture Christ and the Samaritan Woman was exhibited at the Vatican pavilion and is found today at the Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans.[6][7]

On November 11, 2014, on the Fair's 30th Anniversary, a large bronze commemorative plaque was unveiled at the corner of Julia Street and Convention Center Boulevard, the heart of the world fair site.

Gallery

  • Main entrance
    Main entrance
  • Worlds Fair New Orleans troll and child
    Worlds Fair New Orleans troll and child

See also

Notes

External links