The Robert Moses by Andy Warhol mosaic was one of a series of works recently paved over by city park officials. (all photos by and courtesy Michael Perlman unless noted otherwise)From Coney Island to Niagara Falls, there are few places in the state of New York that don’t bear traces of the controversial urban planner and public official Robert Moses. Until this summer, that included Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, where a color-blocked portrait of Moses by Pop artist Andy Warhol was depicted in an in-ground mosaic for nearly three decades. The tiled medallion, which harkens back to an infamous artist dispute at the 1964 World’s Fair, was one of 11 works embedded in the pavement of the park’s David Dinkins Circle to commemorate the international exhibitions that gave the “World’s Borough” its nickname. In June, city workers removed the group of mosaics due to “significant deterioration” due to weather-related factors, a spokesperson for the Department of Parks and Recreation told Hyperallergic.“The decision to remove the mosaic medallions, designed in 1997, was made after several attempts at repair in consultation with specialists, with the support of the original designer, and with an eye to public safety, as loosening tiles can present a hazard,” the spokesperson said. One mosaic paid tribute to Salvador Dalí’s Dream of Venus (1939) funhouse pavilion.Installed in 1998, the works revisited other significant moments spanning art, culture, architecture, and technological innovation showcased at the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, such as Salvador Dalí’s uncanny Dream of Venus funhouse pavilion, the Fountain of the Planets synchronized water and fireworks display, and Borden Dairy’s celebrity “spokescow” Elsie, who drew thousands of eager fans. Of all the works, the mosaic portrait of Moses has perhaps the most contentious backstory. Although it appears to be a tribute to the longtime New York City Parks Commissioner, it actually alludes to a notorious debacle at the 1964 World’s Fair, when officials censored Warhol’s “Thirteen Most Wanted Men” (1964) mural. Consisting of blown-up mugshots of men on the FBI’s most wanted list, it was Warhol’s initial submission for architect Philip Johnson’s Theaterama pavilion, which also featured murals by Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, and Robert Rauschenberg.The mosaic of the former park commissioner highlights an interesting dispute between Warhol and fair officials. (photo by and courtesy Gloria Nash)But just days before the fair’s opening, Governor Nelson Rockefeller reportedly ordered Warhol’s mural removal over concerns that it would offend his Italian constituents in Queens, as several of the men pictured in the work were apparently of Italian descent.In response, Warhol took aim at Moses, then the president of the World’s Fair Corporation, by creating a new mural featuring 25 silk-screened identical images in his likeness. Johnson characterized this move as Warhol “thumbing his nose” at the fair officials, given Moses’s high-profile status at the fair. (Unsurprisingly, this mural was also vetoed for Johnson’s pavilion.) “Philip [Johnson] gave me the assignment, but because of some political thing I never understood, the officials had it whitewashed out,” Warhol recounted in his 1980 memoir POPism.Now, the mosaic recalling this fascinating slice of art history has been replaced with a lackluster round of pavement.The last of the mosaics were uprooted and paved over this summer.In recent years, a grassroots group of longtime residents has been advocating for the restoration of the tilings. Several mosaics had already been removed by the park’s department due to cracked tiles that posed a risk to pedestrians, including depictions of Robert Indiana’s 1964 electric “EAT” sign, Billy Rose’s 1939 Aquacade show, and the 1964 New York state pavilion showing what appears to be Warhol’s “Thirteen Most Wanted Men” mural. Local Forest Hills preservationist Michael Perlman, who has been leading the community effort to restore the works, told Hyperallergic that residents did not receive notice from parks officials when the remaining five medallions were removed over the summer.“Banal pavers were installed in their place, and we consider it an insult to our borough’s history and the World’s Fair theme, as well as the art world through the ancient art of mosaics,” Perlman said in an email. His group has submitted a proposal to the parks department that envisions a new educational pan-shaped display in the park that would feature restorations of the recently removed mosaics and reproductions of the ones previously excavated. Perlman said that they have also sought the help of Manhattan architectural and art salvage business Demolition Depot to potentially restore the works.“Parks are public property, so the wishes of residents among preservationists should be fully respected,” Perlman said.Another mosaic paid tribute to Borden Dairy’s celebrity “spokescow”spokescow” Elsie.An NYC parks spokesperson said that the mosaics were removed due to weather-related deterioration.A mosaic commemorating the Fountain of the Planets synchronized water and fireworks display