Editing Unisphere (section)

{{short description|Steel structure in Queens, New York}}
{{About|the structure|the networking company|Unisphere Networks}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name                = Unisphere
| image               = Unisphere-2 (27835155267).jpg
| image_size          = 300px
| alt                 =
| caption             = The Unisphere with its fountains and spectators
| locmapin            = New York City#New York#United States
| coordinates         = {{Coord|40|44|47|N|73|50|42|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| type                = Steel structure
| etymology           =
| location            = [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]]<br />[[Queens]], New York, U.S.
| area                =
| elevation           =
| height              = {{convert|140|ft}}
| beginning_label     = Dedicated
| beginning_date      = {{start date and age|1964|03}}
| formed              =
| built               = 1963–64
| built_for           = [[1964 New York World's Fair]]
| restored            = 1993–94, 2010
| restored_by         =
| architect           = [[Gilmore David Clarke]] (landscape architect)<br>[[Peter Muller-Munk Associates]] (industrial designers)
| sculptor            = [[American Bridge Company]]
| visitors_num        =
| visitors_year       =
| visitors_ref        =
| governing_body      = [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]
| owner               =
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| designation1        = NYCL
| designation1_number = 1925
| designation1_date   = May 16, 1995<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1995|page=1}}</ref>
}}

The '''Unisphere''' is a spherical stainless steel [[Globe|representation of the Earth]] at [[Flushing Meadows–Corona Park]] in  [[Queens]], New York City, New York. The globe was designed by [[Gilmore D. Clarke]] for the [[1964 New York World's Fair]]. Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the [[space age]], the Unisphere was conceived and constructed as the theme symbol of the World's Fair. The theme of the World's Fair was "Peace Through Understanding", and the Unisphere represented the theme of global interdependence, being dedicated to "Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe".

Clarke devised plans for the Unisphere while aboard an airplane in 1960. [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] commissioner [[Robert Moses]], who had already rejected two plans for iconic structures at the 1964 fair, approved Clarke's proposal in early 1961. After further refinements, the Unisphere was constructed by [[American Bridge Company]], a division of [[U.S. Steel]], from March to August 1963. Over 51 million people visited the Unisphere during the World's Fair, after which it became a permanent attraction of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. The Unisphere became an unofficial symbol of Queens after the World's Fair. In the 1970s, the Unisphere was not maintained and became visibly dirty; it was restored in the early 1990s. The Unisphere was made a [[New York City designated landmark]] in 1995 and, after another period of disrepair, it was restored in the early 2010s.

The Unisphere measures {{convert|140|ft|0}} high and {{convert|120|ft|0}} in diameter. It sits atop a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[tripod]] base with over 500 steel pieces representing the countries, as well as three steel rings representing the first artificial [[satellite]]s orbiting Earth. Around the Unisphere is a reflecting pool measuring {{convert|310|ft}} in diameter, surrounded by 48 pairs of fountainheads.