Have you seen these prefab structures? Aren’t they cool? They’re located on the Flushing Bay Promenade in Queens, a few hundred yards from the Mets’ new stadium. Millions of people have seen them over the past 45 years, but almost nobody knows anything about them.
The Candela Structures: A New York City History Mystery, a new exhibition at The City Reliquary, tells the story of these underappreciated fiberglass formations and the surprising culture of mystery and misinformation surrounding them, from their origins as exhibit spaces during the 1964 World’s Fair to their current status as neglected but enduring landmarks on the Queens waterfront.
The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception on May 16th, 7 pm. Arts and crafts materials will be provided, so guests can sculpt their own Candela Structures, and the Reliquary will also provide “Save the Candelas” letters and envelopes, so guests can petition city officials to provide the Candelas with sorely needed repairs. Beer and other refreshments will be provided, and DJ Stacher will kick out the jams with mid-1960s pop-garage, psychedelia, and Shea Stadium live concert hits.
The exhibit has been produced by journalist Paul Lukas and architect Kirsten Hively, who developed a crush on the Candela Structures last year and decided to investigate their backstory. What began as a quick research project turned into an eight-month odyssey of dead ends, wrong turns, and architectural obsession. The resulting exhibit should give these underrated structures the attention they’ve long deserved.
The Candela Structures: A New York City History Mystery will remain on view at the Reliquary through June 28th.
Tags: Candela, Exhibits, Kirsten Hively, Paul Lukas