The world of tomorrow

Whitefish designer found inspiration at 1939 world's fair

For George Gardner, the world of tomorrow started in 1939 at the world's fair that popularized the phrase.

Gardner, who may be the only museum planning consultant based in Montana, moved to Whitefish in 2000 after a nearly 20-year career as the director of exhibition and graphics at the American Museum of Natural History.

He lives in a house of his own design, with his own art prints on the wall and samples of his work strewn about the loft. There isn't a Trylon or Perisphere in sight, but they are there in spirit.

Gardner, 78, grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island during the Great Depression. It was a difficult time, when a dime was a lot of money, but somehow his mother scraped together the 75-cent entrance fee for the New York World's Fair.

"It was a turning point in my life," Gardner recalled. "I thought it was fascinating. The theme was 'The World of Tomorrow.'"

At a time when nations were gearing up for World War II, architects from around the world were encouraged to submit innovative building designs. Engineers chipped in with futuristic cars and factories, and fanciful new products called "televisions" and "air conditioners."

The clean, pure lines of the Trylon and Perisphere welcomed visitors onto the fairgrounds. Once inside, a harmonious blend of color, form and function offered the promise of a better life.

The event attracted more than 44 million people over two years - and for one 11-year-old boy, it inspired a lifelong interest in design.

"During high school, I made scale models for architects and homebuilders," Gardner said. "Coming out of high school, my favorite subject was chemistry, but once I got into calculus and differential equations I did a 180-degree turn."

He ended up attending The Cooper Union, one of the oldest colleges in the country and the only private, free-tuition institution in the nation dedicated to teaching art, architecture and engineering. He graduated in 1951 and then attended the Pratt Institute, receiving his degree there in 1952.

After moving to California, Gardner spent the next few years in the Army. He was assigned to a military police unit, which he hated, but served his time at the Presidio in San Francisco, which he loved, describing it as one of the most luxurious Army bases in the country.

After returning to New York and working for a private design firm, he and a partner opened up their own office in 1960.

"This was the era of trade fairs, where the government was trying to foster international trade," Gardner said. "We worked mostly on overseas exhibits for the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture. We designed exhibitions in Kenya, Somalia and Rhodesia and throughout Europe."

In 1973, Gardner was hired as director of the American Museum of Natural History's department of exhibitions and graphics, where he was responsible for the design and maintenance of permanent and temporary exhibits.

"Historically, museums never had design departments," Gardner said. "The curator had a few artists and taxidermists working for him, and he'd put a new exhibit hall together. Design didn't enter the picture until the 1950s."

Like special effects and set decorations in a movie, the purpose of exhibition design is to create a visual framework that helps tell a story. Rather than just hand museum-goers a book about dinosaurs, for example, designers would arrange specimens, create models, paint dioramas and provide other images to supplement and expand upon the available written text.

"I had 45 very skilled people in the department, including artists, sculptors, taxidermists and modelmakers," Gardner said. "It usually took about two years to design and construct a new [permanent] exhibition hall. There were also frequent temporary exhibits. We'd sit with the scientists and writers and decide on the visual method to clarify and simplify the story. That was one of the nice things about the job: You were always learning."

Gardner retired in 1991. He subsequently moved to Whitefish, where his daughter and grandchildren live.

Since arriving here, he's become involved in a number of committees and organizations, including the Whitefish Architectural Review Committee, the Stumptown Historical Society and the Whitefish Transportation Plan Committee.

He's also done some consulting and design work for the Virginia City Preservation Alliance, the Museum of Mountain Flying in Missoula, and the Museum at Central School in Kalispell.

"I get a kick out of keeping my foot in the door with some museum work," Gardner said. "But my latest interest is Whitefish's new city hall. I'm encouraging the city to do an outstanding building. You get one chance in a hundred years to build a new city hall, and I'd hate to see a mediocre piece of architecture come in."

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com