

Wright Construction Co., but is now dwarfed by other structures along the Seattle skyline, among them the Columbia Center, at 967 ft (295 m). Īt approximately 605 ft (184 m), the Space Needle was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River at the time it was built by Howard S. The main stairwell has 848 steps from the basement to the top of the observation deck. Ī 1962 Seattle World's Fair poster showed a grand spiral entryway leading to the elevator that was ultimately omitted from final building plans. It did remain lit for eleven days in a row from September 11, 2001, to September 22, 2001, in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks. Originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year, it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year. It is somewhat controversial because of the light pollution it creates.

The concept of this beam was derived from the official 1962 World's Fair poster, which depicted such a light source although none was incorporated into the original design. Known as the Legacy Light or Skybeam, it is powered by lamps that total 85 million candela shining skyward from the top of the Space Needle to honor national holidays and special occasions in Seattle. On December 31, 1999, a powerful beam of light was unveiled for the first time. The new elevators descend at a rate of 10 mph (16 km/h). In 1993, the elevators were replaced with new computerized versions. These were closed in 2000 to make way for Sk圜ity, a larger restaurant that features Pacific Northwest cuisine. Also made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds, the Space Needle sways only 1 in (25 mm) per 10 mph (16 km/h) of wind speed.įor decades, the hovering disk of the Space Needle was home to two restaurants 500 ft (150 m) above the ground: the Space Needle Restaurant, which was originally named Eye of the Needle, and Emerald Suite. The Space Needle will not sustain serious structural damage during earthquakes of magnitudes below 9.1. The 2001 6.8 M w Nisqually earthquake jolted the Needle enough for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms.

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The Space Needle was built to withstand wind speeds of 200 mph (320 km/h), double the requirements in the building code of 1962. Victor Steinbrueck introduced the hourglass profile of the tower. Carlson's sketch (on a napkin) of a giant balloon tethered to the ground (the gently sloping base) and architect John Graham's concept of a flying saucer (the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck). The two leading ideas for the World Fair involved businessman Edward E. The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of two people, Edward E. On April 19, 1999, the city's Landmarks Preservation Board designated the tower a historic landmark.Īrchitecture Left to right: CN Tower ( Toronto), Willis Tower ( Chicago), Stratosphere ( Las Vegas), Space Needle Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators, which take 41 seconds. The Space Needle features an observation deck 520 ft (160 m) above ground, providing views of the downtown Seattle skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay, and various islands in Puget Sound. The tower is 138 ft (42 m) wide, weighs 9,550 short tons (8,660 metric tons), and is built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph (320 km/h) and earthquakes of up to 9.0 magnitude, as strong as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake. The Space Needle was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River, standing at 605 ft (184 m). Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, it was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors.

Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a Seattle landmark. The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States.
