Panorama of the City of New York

[1][2] City officials planned to install suspended cars to allow visitors to see the model during the 1964 New York World's Fair.

[1] The Panorama was built by a team of 100 people working for Lester Associates in West Nyack, New York in the three years before the opening of the 1964 World's Fair.

[3] Commissioned by World's Fair Corporation president Robert Moses as a celebration of the City's municipal infrastructure, this 9,335-square-foot (867.2 m2) model includes every single building constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs, at a scale of 1 inch = 100 feet (1:1200).

It did however, play a role in the defeat of Donald Trump's 1980s Television City proposal, as a model put on the panorama by activists demonstrated the relative size of the development.

[8] Additionally, the opening of the Panorama was set to coincide with the 300-year anniversary of the English takeover of New Amsterdam—which occurred in 1664—and highlight the city's growth over that period.

[3] The current installation by Viñoly features accessible ramps and an elevated walkway which surround the Panorama, allowing viewers to proceed at their own pace, or to linger for as long a look as they desire.

Because of space constraints, portions of the walkway are cantilevered over the outer edges of the map, but a glass floor still allows views of the model below.

To raise funds and draw public attention, the museum will allow individuals and developers to have accurate scale models made of buildings newer than the 1992 update created and added, in exchange for a donation of at least $50.