Ford Motor Company
Depiction of the concept for the Ford Pavilion, painted by Don Whitney, as seen in the May 1974 issue of Ford Times.
“Ford Motor Company’s exhibit at Expo ‘74 tells the story of portability and mobility beginning with the American Indian and continuing into the world of tomorrow,” says a press release describing the planned Ford pavilion. “Display elements range from an original Indian dugout canoe, and an actual ‘covered wagon’ used by early American settlers, to a motorized pogo stick that has the look of tomorrow.”
Press releases also described a 3,000-lb Styrofoam mountain that Ford had made to celebrate the environment in its exhibit. A replica cougar would stand atop the mountain, looking down on a Mercury Cougar below.
While General Motors tried to communicate a willingness to address automobile-related pollution, the Ford Motor Company took a more breezy, blasé approach to the environmentalism theme. The overt message of the Ford Pavilion was that the best thing to do for the environment was to go mindfully appreciate it from the driver’s seat of a Ford. “The overall display theme of the Ford exhibit – ‘Sharing The Environment’ – is expressed in a motion picture, an environmentally-oriented film which emphasizes sharing the environment intelligently. It depicts the happiness that can result from an honest appreciation of the natural beauty around us.”
Two sources of air pollution far worse than automobiles, according to Ford’s “The Clean Air Quest”: volcanoes and pine trees.
The subtext of the Ford presentation was that cars aren’t going anywhere and environmentalists should stop picking on them so much. As the official guidebook states, “the aim of the [Ford] exhibit, which will cover 12,500 sq. ft., is to show that everyone - individuals, corporations, communities, nations - is responsible for making proper use of the earth’s resources.” Where General Motors said that car-related pollution was only responsible for around 10 percent of air pollution “by health effects,” Ford’s The Clean Air Quest brochure puts this amount at 12% (while simultaneously admitting that automobiles are 45% of air pollution by weight). In other words, Ford and GM felt that the automobile industry should only be on the hook for approximately 10-12% of the cases of heart disease, COPD, stroke, cancer, and respiratory infections caused by air pollution.
The Clean Air Quest also takes great pains to emphasize that man-made pollution is not the primary source of pollutants in the atmosphere. In an Olympic-level leap of whataboutism, it calls out the pine trees of the Great Smokey Mountains and historic volcanic eruptions such as Krakatoa as examples of nature polluting the air far more than any man-made source. “The existence of natural pollution in no way means we can excuse emissions from man-made sources,” the booklet assures us, “But it does underscore the need to view the air pollution problem in perspective. A zero-pollution level is not attainable, regardless of the extent to which man-made emissions are controlled.”
After positioning Ford’s contribution to air pollution as a very small part of a large, mostly uncontrollable problem, The Clean Air Quest spends the next several pages spelling out Ford’s efforts at managing automotive emissions. It takes a brief detour to disparage electric cars: “Even the electric-powered vehicle, which many have termed pollution-free, has serious drawbacks. Because it would require charging from an external energy source, it would be suitable only for relatively short-range urban and suburban use. Also, the source of pollution is merely transferred from the car to an electric power generating station, which could actually worsen pollution in the area.”
Possibly one of the least visually comprehensible charts ever made, this final exhibit from The Clean Air Quest nonetheless manages to convey that the cost of emission controls is projected to grow exponentially, apparently as a function of time passing.
The Clean Air Quest concludes with a section called “You And Clean Air.” It emphasizes that drivers are responsible for scheduling regular maintenance on their vehicles to avoid contributing to the auto emissions problem more than necessary, following this with: “You may notice differences in your newer-model car even when it is properly tuned. Driveability - the responsiveness of your car - sometimes is hampered by emissions control equipment. The equipment also contributes significantly to lower gas mileage. […] Cleaner air will not come cheaply. Controls on Ford’s 1973-model cars cost the buyer about $80. Additional emissions-control equipment on 1974 California cars cost the consumer another $70-$80. On cars that require catalysts in 1975, that number could double again.” On that note, the Quest concludes its message with, “Automotive emissions control has become a serious issue. It is one you can’t afford to ignore; you are affected in too many ways.”
Interior of the Ford Pavilion, as shown in a Viewmaster Slide Reel.
The Ford Motor Company’s Pavilion at Expo ‘74 was a white geodesic dome, 45 feet high and 120 feet across. Given the strong associations between geodesic domes and world’s fairs, plus the strong associations between geodesic domes and environmentalism, it’s surprising that more pavilions did not adopt this shape.
The 1964 New York fair introduced the fair-going world to geodesic domes, using a half-sphere dome as the “major indoor assembly hall.” (Today, it is the Queens Aviary.) The United States pavilion at Montreal in 1967 also took the form of a geodesic dome, this time as about 80% of a sphere (now the Montreal Biosphere). The most recognizable geodesic dome to people in the 21st century is probably “Spaceship Earth,” better known as the EPCOT Ball. Although it does not contain any of the Disney attractions that originated at world’s fairs,* EPCOT is the Disney theme park that most closely resembles a traditional international exposition with its emphasis on national pavilions, demonstrations of industrial progress, and focus on “edutainment.”
* Walt Disney created four attractions for the 1964 fair in New York. The Carousel of Progress, originally part of the General Electric pavilion, has lived in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida since 1975, while the original “It’s A Small World” ride, created for the UNICEF pavilion (sponsored by Pepsi) has been in the Magic Kingdom since 1971. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, originally developed for the State of Illinois pavilion, is on Main Street, U.S.A. in the original California Park. Sadly, the Ford Magic Skyway was dismantled after the fair.
Left to right: Queens Aviary, Montreal Biosphere, “Spaceship Earth” a.k.a. the EPCOT Ball., Ford Pavilion at Expo ‘74.
The Ford Pavilion was located on the south side of the river, in the fork between Washington Street and Stevens Street. Today, that space is better known as the site of “The Childhood Express,” better known as the world’s largest Radio Flyer red wagon. The wagon sits slightly west of where the Ford geodesic dome was located.
The Ford Motor Company Exhibit (Official Guidebook, p.28 and 30)
The history of America’s development started with wheels. Trains crossed the continent and opened up the west: Conestoga wagons, laden with the material goods and tools of settlers, contributed to the westward expansion. But it wasn’t until the automobile arrived that the vastness of America was made accessible to everyone. And America’s love affair with the automobile has grown apace with the need to seek physical and spiritual refreshment in nature. With the recent development of myriad recreational vehicles, popularly known as RV’s, the American can take the creature comforts of civilization into the wilderness.
The story of portability and mobility – and how they have served man’s needs from the beginning of time – is told dramatically in the Ford Motor Company exhibit at Expo ’74.
The Ford exhibit site, located on the south side of the Spokane River, is dominated by a geodesic dome 120 feet in diameter and 45 feet high. You’ll find it right next door to the Washington State and Soviet Union pavilions.
The dome has been constructed of opaque laminated vinyl, and suspended from a natural aluminum skeletal structure. The imposing height and spherical shape of the pavilion lend a spaciousness to the interior which is especially appropriate for environmental displays.
The indoor-outdoor exhibit features a movie theater, a rustic landscaped area, including a flowing stream and waterfall, and the expansive exhibit area.
The overall display theme of the Ford exhibit – “Sharing The Environment” – is expressed in a motion picture, an environmentally-oriented film which emphasizes sharing the environment intelligently. It depicts the happiness that can result from an honest appreciation of the natural beauty around us.
The portability story will give you an opportunity to see feature exhibits from the “Portable World” show, which appeared at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York City from September, 1973, through January, 1974. One of the display sections will show man’s history in portability and will contain a range of historical and contemporary items. Part of the portability story features items used by Indians in their travels – shoes, cooking utensils and artifacts. According to the story, Indians are really the original campers, and a comparison of things they were able to get by with to those things campers today can’t get by without provide an interesting contrast.
The mobility story is told through displays dramatizing Ford’s involvement in outdoor living and versatile recreational transportation concepts.
Another area tells about Ford and the Environment – what Ford has done to contribute to an improved environment. Attractive outdoor displays adjacent to the enclosed pavilion highlight the diversity of Ford products for outdoor living.
Historically a major participant at world’s fairs and exhibitions, Ford was the first large U. S. Company to announce its commitment for Expo ’74. Its newest exhibit, perhaps more vital to the public interest than any before it, explores exciting new dimensions of how a transportation industry – so critically linked with the environment – is an imaginative contributor to its future.
Ford included several different press releases in its press packet.
