The final site chosen was a 92 acre parcel located on the southwestern edge of downtown. Prior to HemisFair the area was a residential neighborhood with several dozen homes, small shops, and St. Michael’s church. Many of the structures dated back to the late 1800’s. The church and a good number of old homes were demolished to provide space for all the new structures, however, a small number were not only saved but were incorporated in the fair.

Pre-HemisFair Map

Below is a scan of a city map from 1961 showing the site prior to the fair.