When looking at images of the Pan-American Exposition grounds and buildings, I can’t help but find myself comparing it to an almost Disney World-like, amusement park environment. The design throughout the Exposition reminds me of being a kid and walking through fairs and amusement parks with a sense of wonder and total excitement.
The Exposition’s main goal was to display the friendship between the Americas and also display the different cultural and technological innovations of the day. However, it contained much more than simple exhibit space. An entire section of the Pan-Am was devoted to entertaining visitors, complete with a variety of attractions and amusements. This area of the Pan-Am, located at the north-western end of its grounds, was known as the “Midway”.
The Midway had over 300 vendors competing for the visitors’ attention. Several different types of attractions were present. One common genre were attractions that attempted to transport guests to various destinations around the globe. The attraction discussed in this blog post is the “Venice in America” attraction. The artifact spotlighted is a 1901 photograph of the attraction on the Pan-Am grounds.
As described by the Pan-Am’s official guidebook, “This is a perfect replica of the living city, with real palaces, shops, bridges and canals, gondolas and gondoliers. Visitors can ride in the gondolas and be steered through the windings of the palace-waterways, while the ear is charmed with sweet songs and the music of the mandolin or guitar.” While likely a bit overexaggerated for business purposes and attracting guests, the description of the ride still gives us a peek into how the attraction was advertised throughout the Exposition.
The boat ride above wasn’t limited to the Midway. A complete network of canals, known as the “Grand Canal”, allowed guests to embark on a gondola ride (for a small price of 50 cents, which equates to roughly 10 dollars in 2026) that took them across the Exposition’s main grounds. The gondolas had multiple stops across the Exposition. These stops allowed for guests to embark and disembark from the ride across the Pan-Am. The canals were serviced by 25 electric gondolas and served over 87,500 guests throughout the Pan-Am’s operation.
Notably, famed inventor Thomas Edison took a gondola ride, he even brought his camera! Edison described the ride as, “a refreshing one with charming views at every turn…romantic bridges span the waterway at convenient points, statuary placed everywhere contribute to the picturesque effect.” The full video of the gondola ride, courtesy of Thomas Edison’s aforementioned film camera, can be found on the Library of Congress website.
The fact that there is a video recording from 1901 of this attraction astonishes me. Such a cool thing that we are lucky to have available online. I encourage everyone to take a peek into the Midway of the Pan-Am.
– Will DeMartinis, (2026 Gardiner Summer fellow)