Cotter - The 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair

IMAGES
of America

THE 1984
NEW ORLEANS
WORLDS FAIR

From May 12 to November 11, 1984, one of these tickets would have provided entrance to the last worlds fair to be held in the United States. (Courtesy of the author.)

ON THE COVER: King Triton stands guard and a lovely mermaid relaxes with a trio of fierce alligators, all to the amusement of visitors entering the 1984 Worlds Fair. This was the scene at the Bridge Gate, one of the two entrances to the fair. The oversized figures helped introduce the fun to come inside while also invoking images of the famous Mardi Gras celebrations. Once safely past the imposing gate guardians, guests entered Bayou Plaza, one of the fairs six themed sections. (Courtesy of the author.)

IMAGES
of America

THE 1984
NEW ORLEANS
WORLDS FAIR

Bill Cotter

Copyright 2009 by Bill Cotter
ISBN 978-0-7385-6856-0
Ebook ISBN 9781439642177

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008935751

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To Carol. Thank you for your understanding of all of the hours spent on the computer and phone while working on my research and writing, for your invaluable suggestions on the manuscript, and most of all, for your love and support all these years.

This book would not have been possible without the kind assistance of a great number of individuals. A special thanks to those who worked at the fair and shared their memories of its creation and operation, especially Petr L. Spurney (president and chief executive officer of the fair), Mark Romig (the fairs director of protocol and guest relations), Daniel Bud Oakey (manager of Corporate Pavilions), Barry Howard (designer of the Petroleum Industries and United States pavilions), and Peggy Scott Laborde (on-site television producer/host for WDSU). They were invaluable in helping put the story of the fair into perspective, and their time is greatly appreciated.

Most of the photographs in the book are from my own collection, but I had many views of some areas and none of others. I am in debt to those who allowed the use of their own photographs to fill in those holes: James Pilet, Hap Owen, Barry Howard, David Nicholson, Eric Bouler, Ivan S. Abrams, Mike Hoffman, Ron Magill, Lee Taylor, Edward R. Cox, and Mitchel Osborne. Thanks also to the photo staffs at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (Rosalie Mortillaro), NASA (Margaret Persinger, Berta Alfonso, and Jeanne Ryba), the Port Of New Orleans (Donn Young and Matthew Gresham), New Orleans Public Library (Irene Wainright), and Jackson Hill Photography.

The 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair, also known as the Louisiana World Exposition, was divided into six sections on an 84-acre plot bordering the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans.

As a fan of worlds fairs, the 1984 New Orleans Worlds Fair has long fascinated me. It was widely panned while it was open, and many people blame its financial problems for ending the possibility of future such events in the United States. Indeed, it was the last worlds fair to be held in America. And yet, despite the problems the fair encountered, it has a host of loyal fans who still recall it fondly today.

To say the fair lost money is undoubtedly true, for it ended up awash in a sea of red ink. It has the dubious distinction of being the only fair forced to declare bankruptcy while the gates were still open. Many of its participants lost large sums of money, and a long list of creditors went unpaid. Fair executives were forced to defend themselves in a long series of lawsuits that went on for years. Despite these problems, the fair has to be properly measured against the test of time.

To do so, one must first look back at the years that led up to the fair and understand the economic and political forces that brought it to life. An event as large as a worlds fair just doesnt come into being without a reason, and it should not come as a surprise that the reason for this fair was money. Specifically, from the start, the fair was intended as a means of bringing more touristsand their moneyto town.

When the first talk of a worlds fair surfaced in 1974, the potential exposition was touted as a way to garner sufficient state and federal funds to build a new convention center. While New Orleans has long been famous for the annual Mardi Gras celebrations, when thousands of tourists arrive to enjoy the parades, costumes, and partying, the city had failed to develop much in the way of a steady year-round tourist or convention business. New Orleans had a lot to offer, including some well-known restaurants and nightclubs, but the infrastructure simply was not there to support a significant convention trade or to attract families interested in seeing the city or the rest of Louisiana.

This was the reason that New Orleans would eventually come to host a worlds fair. The fair designers built their entire project around the new convention center, for there could not be one without the other. In doing so, they brought new life into the run-down area surrounding the site. They also threw a party the likes of which most cities could only dream about.

For the six months of the fair, New Orleans had a special reason to celebrate. The fair offered visitors a variety of pavilions and shows, which is expected at any worlds fair, but more importantly, it provided a condensed version of some of the excitement that is New Orleans. Visitors to the fair could enjoy live music in several different venues, ranging from small stages to a massive new amphitheater. There were daily parades capped by a fireworks show each evening, but perhaps most importantly, the fair offered some unique dining and drinking experiences to local visitors and those new to the area.

Its this feeling of fun and entertainment that made me want to tell the complete story of the fair. It wouldnt be right to gloss over the problems of the fair, but it would be worse to focus on them and ignore the fact that millions of guests came and enjoyed themselves. That is the reason that most people go to fairsnot to be educated, but to try a new experience or two and have fun in the process.

Petr Spurney, the man who ran the fair, mentioned that they had seriously miscalculated how often season pass holders would come to the fair. The official estimate of 5 to 10 uses turned out to be quite wrong; it was not uncommon for pass owners to come back 30 to 40 times. While the rest of the world may not have come in the numbers hoped for, many local residents did make the most of the event. They kept coming back because they were having fun.

Now, almost 25 years after the fair closed, and after the last of the lawsuits was settled, numerous critics have started reevaluating the fair and its impact on the city. The fair is now credited with increasing the convention and tourism businesses as originally planned, but it is also now widely acknowledged as having been the impetus behind the revitalized surrounding community. A lively arts district has taken hold, with pricey lofts replacing the little-used warehouses that were there before the fair. The city not only has its convention center but a busy cruise ship terminal, a successful mall, and numerous hotels, all on the former fair site.