Trylon and Perisphere, New York World's Fair, 1939.

These modernistic structures, designed by Wallace Harrison and J. Andre Fouilhoux, were constructed for the 1939 World's Fair. Plans for construction were changed multiple times due to limited resources due to the Great Depression. They were originally intended to be much larger than their final size of a 180-foot diameter sphere (the Perisphere) and a 610-foot spire (the Trylon).

The Trylon was a high spike that visitors were able to ride up on an escalator for a panoramic view. The Perisphere was a giant sphere had an elaborate display on the inside called "Democracity." It presented an image of an ideal future in which people were not forced to live in crowded cities—in this vision, factory workers could live in big houses with gardens and open space, and commute to work.

Unfortunately, the Trylon and the Perisphere did not survive World War II, and were destroyed to make ammunition and supplies shortly after the end of the Fair.