New York City plans to remove cherished mosaics from World's Fair site

New York City's Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, home to the iconic Unisphere, faces the potential removal of ground-level mosaics designed in the 1990s by artists including Michael Golden. The mosaics, which pay homage to historical figures and art, have been a part of the park since the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. City officials have expressed concerns over the condition of the mosaics, citing safety issues and the need to prevent tripping hazards as reasons for their potential removal. Despite several repair attempts, the city has determined that the mosaics must go, an act that many preservationists, including Michael Perlman and Jason Antos, find disheartening. They argue the mosaics should be considered cultural landmarks deserving of protection, even if their origins within the 1990s are relatively recent. Michael Perlman has proposed alternatives to preservation, such as seeking donations and apprenticeships to salvage the mosaics and reset them properly, but feels that it's a challenging battle to fight. Evan Blum from the Architectural Art Reclamation Fund believes that keeping the mosaics intact might be just as affordable as removing them, and he is optimistic about potentially saving them through careful experimentation and restoration efforts. Preservationists and city officials continue to search for common ground to address the issue while there is still a chance to act.