CORONA — The historic New York State Pavilion finished getting its fresh — and free — coat of paint on Thursday, just in time for a rare tour of the inside.
The 1964 World's Fair destination was restored to its original "American Cheese Yellow" with the help of a team of apprentice painters from the International Union of Painting and Allied Trades.
Work kicked off in May on the project, which is valued at more than $3 million, and finished in September.
The paint job will extend the life of the pavilion by at least 15 years, officials said.
"It took years to get started, took some months to complete, and now it will be preserved to the next generation," said Kieran Ahern, the president of the Structural Steel Painting Contractors Association, which was vital to the project.
Thirty bridge painters donated their time to the paint job, totaling 8,000 hours. It also took 1,600 gallons of paint to bring back its sparkle.
The pavilion has been mostly closed to visitors, but this weekend Parks officials will be offering tours of the closed-off site as part of Open House New York.
The pavilion will be open Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Officials expect big lines, but said no one will be turned away from getting a peak inside.
There will also be tours of other World's Fair sites around the park.
Officials at Thursday's ribbon cutting also announced the start of a $650,000 design contract to figure out the electrical and structural needs for the pavilion's adjacent observation towers.
Politicians and officials cut the ribbon outside the New York State Pavilion. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
Inside the historic New York State Pavilion. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
The New York State Pavilion was built for the 1964-1965 World's Fair but fell into disrepair through years of neglect.
Volunteers worked for years repainting its base, but it took a major partnership to help repair the top.
