Made for the 1939–1940 New York World’s Fair, this topographical model represents the water supply system in New York City. Blinking colored lights animate reservoirs, dams, and aqueducts that shuttle water from upstate New York to the City. In 1938, the Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity [now the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)] commissioned the approximately 600 square foot model for the Fair’s New York City Pavilion. It was created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to illustrate how the municipal government was enhancing city infrastructure. The Relief Map would have accompanied illuminated maps and dynamic water displays but it was ultimately too large for its designated space. Instead, it was exhibited in 1949 at the City’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary Exposition at Grand Central Palace in Manhattan.

After decades in storage, the 27 panels were rediscovered in 2005 and restored in 2008 through a partnership between the DEP and the Queens Museum. The model remains an enduring symbol of the Fair and its focus on engineering and technological solutions. Today, the water supply system extends more than 125 miles from the City, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes, bringing over a billion gallons of fresh water to the five boroughs each day through approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels, and aqueducts. 

The Relief Map of New York City’s Water System is on long-term loan from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It was conserved by McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation (Oberlin, OH), 2006–2008.

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Mapa en relieve del sistema de suministro de agua de la Ciudad de Nueva York

Para la Feria Mundial de 1939–40, se invitó a los organismos de la ciudad a producir exposiciones para el Pabellón de la Ciudad de Nueva York, que hoy es el Queens Museum. El mapa en relieve fue creado por el Departamento de Suministro de Agua, Gas y Electricidad para enseñar a los visitantes acerca de la cuenca y el sistema de suministro de agua de Nueva York, todo un logro de la ingeniería. Sin embargo, con sus casi 165 m2, el modelo era demasiado grande para la galería y no se exhibió hasta una década más tarde.