Why Was the Space Needle Built?
The Space Needle is a tower located in Seattle, Washington in the United States and is recognized for its unique and exciting architecture and is a symbol of the city of Seattle. The observation is five hundred and twenty feet high in the air and takes a short 41 seconds to get to the top of, as the elevators travel at an unconventionally fast 10 miles per hour.
In total, the Space Needle is 605 high, 138 feet wide and weighs almost 10,000 tons. Upon its completion in 1962, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi river and was specially built to be resistant to very strong winds and can withstand an earthquake of up to 9.1 magnitude. It features several lightning rods to prevent damage to the structure and the surrounding areas.
It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, which saw two to three million visitors. Edward E. Carlson, the chairman of the fair, had the idea of erecting a tower with a restaurant at the top after allegedly being inspired by the Stuttgart Tower in Germany.
An architect, John Graham, got involved with the project and added the ambitious prospect of having the restaurant revolve slowly, offering a constant panoramic view of the city.
Construction Challenges
A few problems persisted in the building of the Space Needle. For starters, there was no clear land on which to build the tower. Crunched for time, the board for the World’s Fair surmised that they couldn’t build on the land they’d already purchased for the event. However, in a stroke of luck some land was sold to the board for under a hundred thousand dollars.
Once they found the land, they only had a year in which to construct the tower. Yet the Pentagram Corporation, who built and financed the tower, managed to build it in time and to build it to be resistant to damaging forces of nature.
The foundation of the structure alone weighs over 6000 tons due to massive amounts of concrete and almost three hundred tons of steel reinforcing the base, making the structure resistant to earthquakes and strong wind.
Another interesting architectural feat is that the dome top contains five separate levels, including the featured restaurant, yet is perfectly balanced. Because of this fact, only a very small motor is required for the dome to rotate.
Although the team was under significant pressure regarding the timing of the construction, they managed to complete the tower in time. About 20,000 people a day used the elevators to the top of the tower during the World’s Fair and over two million people in total visited during the event.
Renovations to the Space Needle
Some renovations to the Space Needle have been made. A safety netting was constructed in the 1970s after three people committed suicide by jumping from the observation deck. An additional hundred feet were added to the Space Needle in 1982, officially completing the original design.
Renovations that totaled almost as much as the total construction costs of the Space Needle were made in 2000, overhauling the restaurant which can now hold up to 360 people at once, observation deck and even more parts of the structure. Every year, Seattle hosts a New Year’s celebration at the base of the tower which features fireworks that are in sync with various musical selections, making quite an impressive display.
A Symbol of Progress
The Space Needle was intended as a symbol of technological progress and world unity for the 1962 World’s Fair, and this aim is reflected in the quirky, tech-forward names given to the paint shades chosen for the structure: “Orbital Olive,” “Astronaut White” and “Galaxy Gold” are a few.
Like other world icons, it too has “copycat” recreations—this one’s counterpart being located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Space Needle still stands a popular, recognizable destination in Seattle and is a symbol of the Pacific Northwest region in the United States.