Content area
Full Text
Hundreds of people flocked to Queens yesterday to once again stand under the New York State Pavilion's futuristic towers, aging symbols of the 1964 World's Fair.
John Piro, 65, of Westbury and a dozen other volunteers from Queens and Long Island have repainted the pavilion's rusty steel-and-concrete exterior and hauled away decades' worth of debris.
Yesterday morning, for the first time in 27 years, part of the structure was reopened to the public in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. For several hours, at least.
"It's unbelievable ... it's amazing," Piro said of the large turnout.
He said he's inspired now to begin the next phase of restoration - cleaning out the pavilion's exhibition rooms.
"We'll just keep working inside the rooms...