Other local cities were considered for Expo 86: architect
Posted May 6, 2016 11:47 am.
Last Updated May 6, 2016 7:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It has been 30 years since Expo 86 opened in Vancouver and all week, the NEWS 1130 Midday Show is interviewing some of the key players who helped shape the event.
The event’s Chief Architect, Bruno Freschi can’t believe three decades have already passed since millions of people came to Vancouver for the world’s fair. And he wasn’t sure what to think when he found out he was going to be in charge of designing the look of the fair.
“It was kind of funny. I didn’t even realize I was being interviewed. An international committee came into town and invited me to tell them what I thought an exhibition should be. And I did that, of course, not realizing this was the selection committee. I was thrilled and humbled.”
Freschi says he drew inspiration from places like Paris and London. “Their inner sanctum was created around world’s fairs. We looked at sites like Abbotsford and Delta, but it was very clear to me in the initial stages that False Creek was the answer because False Creek is a beautiful garden in the middle of downtown.”
LISTEN: Bruno Freschi speaking with anchors Brock Hunter and Amelia John
Click here for photo galleries and NEWS 1130‘s week-long series on the anniversary of Expo 86.
