The Space Needle

400 Broad Street

Seattle, Washington 

(you can find the iconic landmark at the Seattle Center in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood)

Space Needle History

1959

.. It all started with a doodle ..

In 1959, Seattle hotel executive Edward E. Carlson who was a chief organizer of the 1962 World's Fair, traveled to Stuttgart Germany where he was inspired by a broadcast tower featuring a restaurant.  He doodled an idea of a dominant central structure for the fair on a napkin in a hotel cafe convinced that such a tower could make a permanent center-piece for the fair and an enduring symbol for Seattle.  He called it a "Space Needle".

.. With innovation comes challenges ..

Carlson and his supporters soon found moving the symbol from doodle to drawing board and then to the construction phase was far from easy.  The first obstacle was the structure's final design.  Carlson's initial sketch underwent many transformations including designs that resembled a landed UFO, a tethered balloon and even a cocktail shaker with a tram ferrying visitors to the top.  Architect, John "Jack" Graham, Jr. fresh from his success in designing the world's first auto-centric shopping mall (Seattle's Northgate) and experimenting with a revolving bar in Hawaii, focused on a flying saucer-shaped top house.  Graham's team worked on sketches and ideas before a final design was reached just a year and a half before the World's Fair.  

1961

.. Home sweet home .. planting our three legs ..

Location and financing were also major challenges.  The tower had to be privately financed and situated on land that could be acquired for private use on the fairgrounds.  Early investigations indicated such a plot of land did not exist.  However, just before the search was abandoned, a suitable 120-foot-by-120-foot lot on the site of an old fire station was found and sold to investors for $75,000 in 1961, just 13 months before the opening of the World's Fair.  Construction, managed by the Howard S. Wright Construction Company, progressed quickly.  An underground foundation was poured into a hole 30' deep and 120' across.  It took 467 cement trucks an entire day to fill the hole and the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West.  Once the pour was completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Space Needle, itself, establishing the center of gravity just five feet above ground.

December 1961

..Let's get 'Spacey'

The basic Space Needle tower was completed in December 1961, eight months after it began.  In keeping with the 21st Century theme of the World's Fair, the final coats of paint were dubbed 'Astronaut White' for the legs, 'Orbital Olive' for the core of the structure, 'Re-entry Red' for the Halo and 'Galaxy Gold" for the sunburst and pagoda roof.  The Space Needle's chief engineer, John Minasian, had also designed rocket gantries for NASA.

April 21, 1962

Opening day.  Hooray!

The Space Needle officially opened the first day of the World's Fair.  During the expo the tower hosted an estimated 2.65 million visitors.  They included world celebrities including Elvis Presley, Prince Philip of Great Britain, Bobby Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, John Wayne, Bob Hope, Chubby Checker, Billy Graham, John Glenn, Jonas Salk, Carol Channing, Neil Armstrong, Lyndon Johnson, Walt Disney and scores of others.  The mast originally topping the structure was a natural gas torch that was lit up at night in rainbow colors. 

1963

After the fair, a radio broadcast booth was built in the Space Needle for a local radio station.

1982

Skyline

The 100' Skyline Level was added as a special event space, hosting view-spectacular weddings, receptions and business meetings. 

1999

Legacy Lights

The Space Needle unveiled its Legacy Lights for the first time.  The powerful beam of light is powered by lamps that total 85 million lights shining upwards from the top of the tower to honor national holidays and special occasions.  In 2001, the Legacy Lights remained lit for eleven days in response to the September 11th attacks.

April 21, 1999

37 Looks good on you.  Happy Birthday!

On April 21, 1999 the Space Needle's 37th birthday, the City's Landmarks Preservation Board named it an official City of Seattle Landmark.  In its Report on Designation, the Landmarks Preservation Board wrote the following:

"The Space Needle marks a point in history of the City of Seattle and represents American aspirations towards technological prowess.  It embodies in its form and construction the era's belief in commerce, technology and progress."

On April 19, 1999 the Space Needle was designated an historic Seattle Landmark.

2000

The tower completed a $20 million revitalization in 2000.  The project included construction of the Pavilion Level, SpaceBase retail store, SkyCity restaurant, Observation Deck improvements, exterior lighting additions, exterior painting and more.  In comparison, the Space Needle was built for about $4.5 million dollars in 1962.  If the Space Needle were to be built today, it would cost $100 million.

2012

Space Race

For the Space Needle's 50th anniversary, it sponsored "Space Race 2012".  It was a contest that selected one lucky individual to win an actual flight into orbit.  The contest was announced by Buzz Aldrin, the Apollo 11 astronaut who was the second man to walk on the moon.

2017

Century Project

In September 2017, the Space Needle commenced construction on the largest renovation project in its history, "The Century Project".  The renovation aimed to reveal the tower's internal structure and harken back to the original conceptual sketches, all while expanding and improving its views.  The Space Needle remained open to the public during its 360-degree "Spacelift" revealing its new look in late summer of 2018.  Guests are now surrounded by two breathtaking, multi-level, floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experiences including an outdoor observation level with open-air glass walls and Skyriser glass benches.  The upper observation level is now connected by the Oculus Stairs to The Loupe, the world's first and only rotating glass floor below. 

The Space Needle is designed to withstand Category 5-plus wind speeds of 200 mph and an earthquake magnitude up to 9.1. It is designed to sway, approximately 1 inch for every 10 mph of wind. In 2018, the Space Needle received a $100 million upgrade.  It is now a multi-level, floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experience offering seriously breathtaking vistas.  Approximately 1.3 million people visit the historic landmark each year with 60 million having ticked it off their bucket list since its opening.

The 1962 World's Fair theme was "The Age of Space" therefore the Space Needle's futuristic design continues to symbolize the innovative spirit of Seattle. America was in the midst of a 'Space Race' during this time, with Seattle already recognized as an 'aerospace city' thanks to the opening of a Boeing airplane assembly line. 

The Space Needle's second architect, Victor Steinbrueck drew inspiration from the abstract sculpture, 'The Feminine One' giving the Space Needle its graceful hourglass shape. Standing 605 feet, it takes approximately 41 seconds to travel in the elevator from the ground to the tower's highest level, 520 feet above Seattle. The panorama view takes in downtown Seattle skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier and Puget Sound.  

Seattle at Night 

from

The Space Needle