| Designed by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen Associates — whose works ranged from landmark office furniture to St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, respectively — the IBM Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair rested above a grove of 45 steel “trees” that rose 32 feet into the air. Shaped like the rotating ball in the company’s then revolutionary Selectric typewriter, the Pavilion’s exterior was embossed with 1,000 logos. The interior was divided into six sections, including the “Information Machine,” a 90-foot-high main theater that opened up at the bottom and admitted 500 visitors at a time. Ten million people visited the exhibit, designed to convince them that the computer was friend, not foe. |
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