About:
The Seattle Space Needle is a historic landmark that draws in millions of visitors every year. Located at the Seattle Center the Space Needle serves as a observation deck where visitors can get a indoor and outdoor panoramic views of the Seattle Skyline, Puget Sound, and surrounding mountain ranges. The Space Needle also has its own restaurant located at the top where the observation deck is, and is Seattle's only rotating restaurant. The Space Needle is a treasured landmark for locals and tourists.
For more information about the Space Needle and visiting the landmark read more below.
(Images above feature the early years of the Space Needle)
History:
The Space needle opened in 1962 and was "built for the 1962 World’s Fair—the Century 21 Exposition whose theme was “The Age of Space”—the tower’s futuristic design was inspired by the idea that the fair needed a structure to symbolize humanity’s Space Age aspirations.Within the first days of being open for the world fair an estimated 2.65 million people visited the structure. The Seattle Center the home of the Space Needle was also built for the World Fair. A science pavilion, monorail and arena were built alongside the Space Needle making up the Seattle Center. Edward Carlson a Seattle businessman and chairman of the World Fair came to John Graham an architect to design a tower for the World Fair, later Howard Wright was picked to be the primary builder, and Victor Steinbrueck also joined Graham in designing the tower. Many people contributed to the creation of the tower but Carlson, Graham, Steinbrueck, and Wright are most known for their contribution. The Space Needle was privately funded as King County declined to fund the project, so developers raised funds to build the tower. The site was purchased for $75,000 dollars in the early 60s from a fire department and the size site was 14,400 sq ft. The land purchased became the site of the Space Needle and today the landmark and site remains in private ownership. Architect John Graham designed the space needle for the 1962 World Fair and was behind the idea of having the top of the tower resemble a flying saucer. Fellow architect Victor Steinbrueck helped Graham design the tower and is responsible for the towers hourglass shape. The top of the tower has a halo like shape to resemble a flying saucer and in the halo is where the observation deck and restaurant are located at which was Grahams Idea. The Space Needle towers over 605 feet. In 1999 the Space Needle was designated an official Seattle Landmark. The Space Needle originally was painted astronaut white for its base, for the halo top it was painted orange, and he needle top above the halo was painted gold. Today the space needle is painted astronaut white all around. On special occasions the halo top is painted a different color to celebrate a special occasion. In 2022 the halo top was painted galaxy gold to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Today the Space Needle is one of the most photographed landmarks in the world and is seen as a symbol for Seattle.
(Space Needle featured in a magazine from 1962 World Fair)
Design & Build Of The Space Needle
The Space Needle costed 4.5 million dollars to build and was constructed in only 400 days. The Space Needle is one of the safest structures in the world in its size range. The Space Needle was built to withstand up to 200 mph in wind velocity, and earthquakes with a magnitude of 9.1. The Space Needle survived a 6.8m earthquake in 2001 with little to none damage to the structure. in 2018 it went under renovation upgrading the observation decks and inside, in addition floor to ceiling windows were installed in the halo top giving visitors a even better view of the skyline. The world's first and only rotating glass floors "The Loupe" were also installed so visitors feel like they are walking above the skyline. There is a total of 848 stairs in the tower. The needle on top is actually a lightning rod and is also surrounded by 24 other lighting rods which protects the tower from lightning strikes. The foundation is made up of 5,600 tons of concrete and the tower is fastened to it by 72 bolts that are 30 feet long and 4 inches thick.
(Images above are the early stages of The Space Needle being built)
Facts About The Space Needle
- Elevators that take visitors up to the top travel at the speed of 10mph.
- You need legal consent to jump off the Space Needle with a parachute.
- From 1962-2017 60 million people visited the Space Needle.
- The first manager of the space needle had a fear of heights.
- A washington town called Fife tried to buy the landmark for 1 million dollars.
- During the winter when it's snowing the elevators create an illusion that snow is falling upwards as the speed of the elevators are faster than the rate of a falling snowflake.
- The Space Needle every year hosts a firework show for New Years.
- Since 2015 The Space Needle hosts a charity event called First Base 2 Space where people climb the stairs of the tower on the first Sunday of October to raise money for the Space Needle Foundation and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and has raised over 1 million dollars for cancer research.
(Space Needle today shown above)
Visiting The Space Needle Today
Today if you want to visit The Space Needle here are some things to know about visiting.
The Space Needle is open year round and you are able to visit during the day and night. However special events can make it closed so check Seattle Space Needle's official website (spaceneedle.com) before visiting to check hours and availability as it changes monthly.
Dining In At The Space Needle:
The Loupe Lounge: The lounge is on the 500ft level of the tower and is on the rotating glass floor. The Loupe Lounge is a 21+ experience. It's a unique cocktail experience where you can lounge and explore a world of mixology and culinary artistry. You have to book ahead of time to experience the lounge. Depending on the season there are a variety of experiences/packages you can pick from when booking. Your experience is based around trying an array of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres that are perfectly paired together that you can select on a menu. Packages include admission to the Space Needle, food and beverage, taxes and gratuity. The Loupe lounge is closed during the summer time but is open during fall, winter, and spring.
Atmos Café: The café is open during the normal operating hours and features beer & wine, an espresso bar, and treats like cupcakes and icecream from local vendors. It is located on the upper observation level.
Atmos Wine Bar: The wine bar is also located on the upper observation level. You can grab soft drinks, coffee, snacks, beer and wine, and is open during normal operating hours.
(Cocktails being served at the lounge)
Gift Shop:
You can buy tickets to visit the space needle online on their website. You can also buy Space Needle souvenirs online and in person when visiting. The Space Needle gift shop is located by the entrance on the bottom floor of the tower. You can purchase apparel, drinkware, food, gift cards and other souvenirs at the gift shop.
Tickets and admission:
- When you book your ticket you will pick a time slot and arrival times are set every 15 minutes during hours of operation.
- You can buy tickets day of in person but are subject to availability and wait times. Kids ages 5-12 and seniors ages 65+, local residents can get discounted tickets, they also offer a military discount.
- Regular General admission tickets gives you a 15 minute minute arrival window but you can stay up there for as long as you want. Additional to admission you get a free digital professional photo you can save and store.
- You can purchase different kinds of tickets where some include admission to other attractions nearby. Prices vary.
- There is parking nearby but valet parking is offered, pricing will vary but some lounge packages provide complimentary parking.
Experience:
(The Space Needle today and Seattle Center around it)
When you visit expect spectacular views rain or shine. When you enter you can look around the gift shop on base level. When you decide to venture towards the top you will enter one of the elevators. Each elevator has glass floors and takes 43 seconds to reach the observation deck. Once on top you have access to 2 floors of the observation deck inside and outside. You will have a chance to get a free digital photo when on top. The observation deck wraps around giving visitors 360 views of the skyline. If you are looking for more to do when visiting the Space Needle, The Seattle Center where it is located also is home to the Pacific Science Center, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and the Seattle monorail creating a full day of fun. You can purchase tickets to the other attractions or packages that include admission to multiple attractions including the Space Needle. No matter when you visit
The Space Needle was built in 1962. It towers 605 feet above the Seattle skyline, offering visitors vistas of the surrounding area.
https://www.spaceneedle.com/home/
References:
- Chief, Facts. “20 Space Needle Facts - Purpose, Height, Design & More.” Facts.net, Facts.net, 28 Jan. 2022, https://facts.net/space-needle-facts/ .
- Ladwig, Samantha. “A History of the Seattle Space Needle.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 1 May 2018, https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/washington/articles/a-history-of-the-seattle-space-needle/.
- “Seeitall.” See It All – Where Seattle Starts, http://seeitall.com/?site=sn .
- “Space Needle (Seattle).” History Link.org, https://www.historylink.org/file/1424.
- Space Needle Fact Sheet: History. https://www.spaceneedle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Fact-Sheet-History.pdf.
- “Space Needle.” Space Needle, https://www.spaceneedle.com/.
