Although planning for the fair coincided with the start of World War I in August 1914, organizers believed that the war would be over quickly. However, when a groundbreaking ceremony was hosted on August 1, 1916, the war was still ongoing, and news of the groundbreaking was overshadowed by the Black Tom explosion in New York Harbor, which had occurred two days prior. The U.S. Congress refused to provide funding for the world's fair due to the ongoing war and issues with the proposed large Latin American buildings at the fair. The New York, Westchester and Boston Railway declined to build a train station for the fair, even though the railroad's line ran right next to the fair site. In November 1917, the organizers bought land on Tremont Avenue to create an entrance for the fair. The job employed over 400 workers.