Today marks 60 years since the Seattle Space Needle opened its doors in 1962. The Space Needle’s grand opening took place on April 21, 1962 and was especially designed for the Century 21 World’s Fair Exposition of that year. The theme of the fair was “The Age of Space”, inspiring the futuristic design that made the notorious structure so famous. It is this design that made the Needle one of the most recognizable towers on the planet, and funny enough – the chief organizer of the World Fair, Edward E. Carlson, had originally made the sketch of the concept outline on a napkin! The final design of the tower was a mix of ideas between that original concept and that of the architect John Graham. The curvy shape of the base was introduced by Victor Steinbrueck and inspired by a sculpture by Don Lemon. The construction started on 17 April 1961 and was completed about 400 days later on December 8, 1961. The cost of construction was $4.5 million.
In the year 1999, the tower was designated as an official landmark by Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board. In that same year, the Sky Beam came to life – three powerful beams that shoot light up the sky for special occasions. The tower is also famous for their iconic annual New Year’s Eve celebration, with fireworks and during the last years, influenced by weather circumstances and the pandemic, using lasers and innovative technology to create a phenomenal augmented reality show.
The iconic tower stands proudly at 605 ft (184 m) and is home to the first and only rotating glass floor in the world – 500 feet above the city in the Loupe Lounge. This thrilling attraction was added to the tower during a big renovation in 2018, the cost of which was a whopping $100 million! It takes a mere 41 seconds to reach the top in the high-speed elevators. Guests can also enjoy the indoor observatory and the outside observation deck at 520 feet (160 m). Nearly 60 million visitors have visited the tower since it opened in 1962, the popular landmark attracts approximately 1.3 million visitors from all over the world each year.
To celebrate their very special anniversary, the Space Needle will paint their roof in the same Galaxy Gold color as it had been for its debut at the 1962 World’s Fair! During their ‘Celebrating 60‘ Contest the Needle selected 5 winners to help paint the roof. A dream come true for many Needle lovers!
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