Crystal Windows Gives Panorama a New Look

NONPROFIT NEWS CRYSTAL CLEAR: BUSINESS UPDATES PANORAMA

BY SARA KREVOY

Since 1972, the Panorama of the City of New York has given visitors to the Queens Museum a bird’s eye view of the Big Apple in miniature.

Now, that perspective will be a little clearer, thanks to a donation of new glass flooring for the walkway surrounding the exhibit by Crystal Window & Door Systems.

“The whole city shines through because of your gift,” said museum executive director Sally Tallant. “For the first time, you can actually see the Bronx. We can walk around the Panorama and actually have the experience of flying through the space.”

Several members of the museum Board of Directors, as well as Councilman Barry Grodenchik, joined Tallant and Crystal Window founder Thomas Chen at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crystal Walkway on February 25.

A team of ten workers from Crystal Window worked to fit and replace more than 100 custom made tiles of special glass for the walkway in just a few weeks.

Chen has been a board member of the museum for 15 years. Over the course of that time, he has become a major sponsor of the museum’s exhibit space. Chen raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for programming, including $250,000 for the Queens Museum’s Taiwan Gallery.

When the museum approached him about restoring the glass walkway, Chen saw it as another opportunity to invest in an institution that means a lot to him.

“I couldn’t refuse,” he said.

As an expression of gratitude for Chen’s donation, the Queens Museum named one of the buildings in the 10,000-square-foot Panorama - the world’s largest architectural scale model - after Crystal Windows, presenting him with a certificate of ownership.

Commissioned by Robert Moses for the 1964 World’s Fair, the Panorama was designed as

SINGH AIMS TO BE AN INSPIRATION a celebration of the city’s infrastructure. The original exhibit featured a continuous lighting cycle that simulated the daily transition from dawn to dusk to night.

The lighting system was recently updated to LED, and many model buildings were decorated with phosphorescent paint in order to glow under the “nighttime” black light.

The 1964 Panorama also offered a nine-minute “helicopter” ride around the model in molded plastic tracked cars. This came with a guided tour called “The City of Opportunity,” read by famed broadcaster Lowell Thomas.

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away, they sought a second opinion at Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center in Manhattan, where they were told King needed more intense chemotherapy. Michael said his son was already having trouble with the standard chemo, so they sought a third opinion.

This time, they went to Boston Children’s Hospital, which they said was the best in the region. Their doctors agreed for more aggressive chemo, but said King could not backtrack after starting in the standard chemotherapy.

“It was a blessing in disguise because he couldn’t tolerate 100 percent of the standard therapy,” Singh said.

Despite his ordeals over the past four years, King has become an advocate, and as his father described him, a philanthropist for cancer research organizations.

He is affiliated with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, and the American Cancer Society.

While in chemotherapy treatment, Singh raised $3 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, his parents said. Subsequently, he was honored as the group’s Hero of the Year for 2020.

King has also volunteered at events, modeled during New York Fashion Week, walked to spread awareness about childhood cancer, and hosted drives to deliver toys to children like him. He recently hosted a toy drive with the St. John’s University women’s basketball team.

“I love seeing smiles on the little kid’s faces,” he said.

Shameeza also started a foundation in honor of her son.

“Many families wait until their child passes away to start it,” she said. “We didn’t want to do that.”

His family has diligently documented King’s journey battling cancer on social media and shared his story with everyone, from fellow children fighting cancer to dignitaries and the media.

As a result, King is the first child to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. He has met Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, and recognized by elected officials like Governor Andrew Cuomo, Congressman Gregory Meeks and Councilman Donovan Richards.

Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee declared January 24th as “King Singh Day” in the borough in honor of his fight against cancer.

Some of the 5,000 followers on King’s social media pages have also shared with the Singh family their own struggles, and how King’s journey has “inspired them to keep pushing everyday,” Shameeza said.

“His journey has inspired us everyday to get up,” she said. “King is going to the hospital everyday, getting chemo. If he can do that, I can do anything.”

“Not only are we shedding a light on our journey and our story, we’re showing the need for research and why we want less toxic medication,” Michael added. “No child should go through what ours went through, and he’s been through it all.”

King is still getting infusions and going through immunotherapy. His father said he’s working on building up his son’s immune system, which can take months.

But he couldn’t help but feel that “divine intervention” has played a role in King’s life, allowing him to beat the odds. Michael said that’s why they named their daughter Faith.

“He’s a literal walking miracle,” Singh said. “We feel like God has spared him for a reason. He’s inspiring.”