'Tent of Tomorrow' in Flushing Meadows Getting 'American Cheese' Paint Job View Full Caption

CORONA — An iconic World's Fair structure is going to get a fresh coat of paint courtesy of the painter's union, which is donating the time and materials for the $3 million project, officials said.

The upper portion of the "Tent of Tomorrow" will get a new paint job in the original World’s Fair color, “American Cheese Yellow," from apprentice painters from the International Union of Painting and Allied Trades, according to the Parks Department.

Work will begin this month and is expected to be complete in early fall, according to Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, who celebrated the news along with elected and other officials in front of the structure, which was designed by architect Philip Johnson for the 1964-1965 World's Fair.

Silver said the "Tent of Tomorrow" "is an iconic symbol of Queens, but we haven't been able to give it the treatment it deserves until now."

The New York State Pavilion also includes three observation towers and the 350-foot by 250-foot tent, featuring 16 100-foot towers that had been used to suspend a 50,000-square-foot roof with multicolored panels.

The Parks Department commissioned two studies of the structures, named a "National Treasure" in 2014, after years of disrepair.

The city has allocated $6 million towards improvements to the towers, but estimates put the total cost of renovation at nearly $52 million.