Thursday, September 30, 2010

More from the Belgium Pavilion restaurant

Here's another view of the restaurant at the Belgium Pavilion from the 1939-40 New York World's Fair.



It looks like they had quite a staff on hand, doesn't it? This is actually only part of the crew as I have other shots of different waiters, bartenders, etc. It would be interesting to know how many patrons the restaurant could seat and how large the staff was.

I would love to find a menu from the place as well. I'm willing to bet they served some fine meals there indeed.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

1939-40 New York World's Fair - Belgium Pavilion #2



This is the main dining room for the restaurant at the Belgium Pavilion. Many of the foreign pavilions went all out to showcase their cuisine, and Belgium was no exception. I would imagine that dining here would have been quite an experience. I'll be adding more shots of the restaurat and its outdoor dining area soon.

If anyone has any information on who did these beautiful murals, and what became of them after the fair ended, please let me know.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

1939-40 New York World's Fair - Belgium Pavilion #1

While most of the 1939-40 New York World's Fair has long been lost to the passage of time, the former Belgium Pavilion is still with us. The building is now part of Virginia Union University. I thought it might be fun to take a look at the pavilion during the fair, especially as it was one of the larger and more elegant foreign pavilions.



The awning on the taller part of the building shades the windows of the pavilion's restaurant. There was also an outdoor seating area on the balcony just below the awning. We'll be visiting both of those sections of the pavilion, and others, in the days to come.