HemisFair '68 was the first officially designated world's fair (or international exposition) held in the Southwest United States. San Antonio, Texas hosted the fair from April 6 through October 6, 1968. More than thirty nations hosted pavilions at the fair. The fair was held in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio. The theme of the fair was "The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas"
The official world's fair sanctioning body, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) accredited HemisFair '68 on November 17, 1965. The venture, which had an announced cost of $156 million, was financed by a combination of public (United States, State of Texas and City of San Antonio) and private (Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Humble Oil (now Exxon Mobil), IBM, RCA, Southwestern Bell (now SBC Communications), Frito Lay, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola and others) funding.
The fair was built on a 96.2 acre (389,000 m²) site on the southeastern edge of downtown San Antonio. Many historic structures were demolished or removed to make room for the project. Only about 20 existing structures were preserved. Also, many long time residents were displaced.
The theme structure was the 622 foot (190 m) tall "Tower of the Americas" which remained after the fair closed. The top of the tower houses a revolving restaurant, a lounge, and an observation deck. The largest pavilion belonged to the State of Texas. It also remained after the fair closed and became "The Institute of Texan Cultures" which is operated as a museum and campus by the University of Texas at San Antonio. The city extended its famous River Walk (Paseo del Rio) one-quarter of a mile to link with the fairgrounds.
Attendance at the fair never matched estimates and the fair lost $7.5 million. The fair attracted 6.3 million visitors and brought international attention to San Antonio and Texas. Part of the fairgrounds remain as HemisFair Park; a 15 acre (61,000 m²) area with cascading waterfalls and fountains, lush landscaping, and restored historic buildings.
Resources
Last updated: 05-20-2005 03:49:59
