The Unisphere

The second globe featured in the New York skyline is the Unisphere, a spherical stainless steel representation of the earth located at Flushing Meadows - Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York. It measures 140 feet (43 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in diameter, and was commissioned as part of 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, with the theme "Peace Through Understanding," and represented the theme of global interdependence. It was dedicated to "Man's Achievements on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe". During the 1964 fair, dramatic lighting at night gave the effect of sunrise moving over the surface of the globe. Additionally, the capitals of nations were marked by lights. Important renovations were done between late 1993 and completed on May 31, 1994. The fountains were shut off in 1970, but they reopened on August 12, 2010, after a $2 million restoration of its pumps, valves, and paintwork. 

It was used as a backdrop to various films, including Men in Black, Black Rain, Iron Man 2 – Captain America and Spiderman – Homecoming. These photos were taken when I attended the Tennis US Open in 1987 in Flushing Meadows.