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The Space Needle is a Tower in Seattle, Washington . It is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and the symbol of Seattle. Located in Seattle Center , it was built for the 1962 World's Fair , during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators — 2.3 million visitors in all for the World Fair. The Space Needle is 605 feet (184 m) high and 138 feet (42 m) wide at its widest point and weighs 9,550 Tons . When it was completed it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River .1 It is built to withstand Wind s of up to 200 mph (320 km/h) and Earthquake s up to 9.5 magnitude (which would protect the structure against an earthquake as powerful as the 1700 Cascadia Earthquake ) and has 25 Lightning Rod s on the roof to prevent Lightning damage. The Space Needle features an observation deck at 520 feet (160 m), the SkyCity Restaurant at 500 feet (152 m), and a gift shop. From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the Downtown Seattle skyline, but also the Olympic and Cascade Mountains , Mount Rainier , Mount Baker , Elliott Bay and surrounding islands. Photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle in a prominent position, even appearing sometimes to tower above the rest of the city's skyscrapers. This occurs because the Space Needle sits roughly four-fifths of a mile (1.3 km) northwest of these skyscrapers, and photographers must capture the city with the Space Needle in the foreground in order to include both it and the rest of the tall buildings. (This angle offers the added bonus of affording a view of Mount Rainier in the background.) At 60 stories it is not remarkably tall, and it is not as close to the cluster of downtown skyscrapers as one might think judging only from the typical angle from which the skyline photographs are taken. Visitors can reach the top via Elevator s that travel at 10 mph (16 km/h). This trip takes 43 seconds and some tourists wait in hour-long lines in order to ascend to the top of the tower. It was designated a historic landmark on April 19, 1999.2 It is now owned by the privately held Space Needle Corporation. ARCHITECTURE ]] The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between designs. The two leading ideas for the World Fair involved businessman Edward Carlson 's sketch of a giant Balloon tethered to the ground (see the gently sloping base) and architect John Graham 's concept of a Flying Saucer (see the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck). Although Edward Carlson and John Graham most often get the credit, it was really Victor Steinbrueck who designed the Space Needle. The Space Needle was built to withstand severe earthquakes by doubling the building code of 1962. But an earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter Scale jolted the Needle enough in 1965 for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms. The Space Needle can escape serious structural damage during earthquakes of magnitudes below 9. Also made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds, the Space Needle sways only 1 inch per 10 mph (16 mm per 10 km/h) of wind speed. For decades, the "hovering disk" of the Space Needle was home to two restaurants 500 foot (152 m) above the ground: the Space Needle Restaurant, which was originally named Eye of the Needle, and Emerald Suite. These were closed in 2000 to make way for SkyCity, a larger restaurant that features Pacific Northwest cuisine. It rotates 360 degrees in exactly forty-seven minutes.3 In 1993, the elevators were replaced with new computerized versions. Traveling at 10 mph (16 km/h), the elevator descends at the same speed as raindrops. On December 31 , 1999 ( New Year's Eve ) a powerful beam of light was unveiled for the first time. Called the Legacy Light or Skybeam, it features lamps that total 85 million Candle Power shining skyward from the top of the Space Needle to honor national holidays and special occasions in Seattle. 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. It is somewhat controversial because of the Light Pollution it creates for astronomers."Big beam for Space Needle is protested", '' Seattle Times '', November 30, 1999. Originally planned to be turned on 75 nights per year, it has generally been used fewer than a dozen times per year. It did remain lit for twelve days in a row from September 11 , 2001 to September 22 , 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks . The same 1962 World's Fair original poster showed a grand spiral entryway leading to the elevator, but this, too, was omitted from the final building plans. The stairway was recently realized with a new two-story Pavilion Level enclosed in glass. Some feel that this level's design resembles that of a Nautilus . There are 832 steps in all from the basement to the restaurants on the observation deck. At approximately 605 feet (184 m), the Space Needle was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River at the time it was built, but is now dwarfed by other structures along the Seattle skyline, among them the Columbia Center , at 967 feet (302 m). HISTORY Edward E. Carlson, chairman of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, originally had an idea for erecting a tower with a restaurant at the top as part of the World's Fair celebration. Carlson was then president of a hotel company and not previously known for art or design, but he was inspired by a recent visit to the Stuttgart Tower of Germany . John Graham, a noted architect who had won praise for designing the world's first shopping mall ( Northgate Mall in Seattle) soon became involved in the planning and design. Graham's first move was to make the restaurant featured in the plans revolve, in the same manner as a tower he had previously designed for the Ala Moana shopping center in Honolulu. Even then, the proposed Space Needle had no land on which to be built. Since it was not financed by the city, land had to be purchased that was within the fairgrounds. It was thought that there would be no land available to build a tower and the search for one was nearly dead when in 1961, a 120 foot by 120 foot (37-by-37 m) plot was discovered and sold to the investors for $75,000. At this point, only one year remained before the World's Fair would begin. The earthquake stability of the Space Needle was ensured when a hole was dug 30 feet (10 m) deep and 120 feet (40 m) across. An army of cement trucks (467 in all) took one full day to fill it up. In fact, the foundation alone weighs almost 6,000 tons and there are 250 tons of reinforcing steel in the base. With this concrete base weighing the same as the above-ground structure, the Needle's center of gravity is just 5 feet (1.5 m) above ground level. The entire structure is bolted to the foundation with 72 bolts, each bolt being 30 feet (10 m) long. With time an issue, the construction team worked around the clock. The top dome housing the top five levels (including the restaurants and observation deck) was perfectly balanced so that the restaurant could rotate with the help of one tiny electric motor, originally 1 hp (0.8 kW) but later replaced with a 1.5 hp (1.1 kW) motor. With fresh paint of such names as Orbital Olive for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer, and Galaxy Gold for the roof, the Space Needle was finished in less than one year. It was completed in April 1962 at a cost of $4.5 million; the last elevator car was installed the day before the Fair opened on April 21. During the course of the Fair nearly 20,000 people a day rode the elevators to the Observation Deck. The 20,000 mark however was never reached, missing by fewer than 50 people one day. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in the West, taking the title from the Smith Tower across town that had held that title since 1914. In 1974, author . In 1982 The SkyLine level was added to the tower at the 100 feet (33 m) level. The original plans for the Space Needle included a structure at this level, but it was not added until 20 years later. Today, the SkyLine Banquet Facility can host groups from 20-360 people. In June 1987, the Space Needle moved 312 feet (95 m) to the southwest. This movement only occurred on maps though, as the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had begun a 10-year endeavor to re-map the world by satellite images. Major structures and landmarks such as the Space Needle were the first to be mapped out. Renovations were completed in 2000 that cost nearly five times the original price ($21 million). Renovations between 1999 and 2000 included the SkyCity restaurant, SpaceBase retail store, Skybeam installation, Observation Deck overhaul, lighting additions, and of course, new coats of paint all over. On May 19 , 2007 , the Space Needle welcomed its 45 millionth visitor. The guest, Greg Novoa of San Francisco , received a free trip for two to Paris which included a VIP dinner at the Eiffel Tower .4 JUMPERS Three people have committed Suicide by leaping from the Space Needle's observation platform. Each of these events occurred in the 1970s. Two of them jumped in 1974, before a "safety grid" was installed around the platform. The third suicide took place four years later, in 1978. Others have occasionally made it through the safety grid, but negotiators have coaxed them to safety.5 Twice as many jumpers have used parachutes to break their fall as part of a sport known as BASE Jumping . Six parachutists have leaped from the tower since its opening, but this activity is illegal without prior consent. Four jumpers were part of various promotions, and the other two were arrested. CULTURAL REFERENCES The Space Needle was used as a location for the films '''' (1999) with Mike Myers . It also features prominently in the opening credits, and occasionally during the program, of the TV sitcom '' Frasier ''. It was also prominently featured in the television shows '' Dark Angel '', '' Grey's Anatomy '', '' The Itchy & Scratchy Show '', and in the ''Skinless in Seattle'' of '' The Simpsons '' episode " Bart Sells His Soul ". It was also used in the NBC miniseries '' 10.5 '', where one of a series of super earthquakes topples the Space Needle. In the novel '' Invisible Monsters '' by Washington-born author Chuck Palahniuk , the characters visit the top of the Space Needle, and write secrets on pieces of paper, which they throw off of the deck. The Jetsons prime time television cartoon show which also appeared in 1962 was set in a city were all the circular buildings were built on towers like the Space Needle. On April 1 , 1989 , Seattle area TV program '' Almost Live! '' set up a phony broadcast room and dressed actors as TV anchors to pull an April Fool's joke of legendary proportions. The mock newscast reported that the Space Needle had collapsed in a windstorm, featuring footage of downed parts of the needle and hysterical eyewitness accounts (also by actors). Local hospitals prepared for the inevitable onslaught of injured patients. One man, whose daughter worked at the Space Needle, in a panic, drove from Spokane to see if his child was safe.6 The end of the skit gave the prank away, but by that time the panic was out of control. TV station KING 5 , the creator and broadcaster of ''Almost Live!'', later apologized. A commercial for the Washington State Lottery featured a fake news report that a lottery winner had purchased the Space Needle and moved it to Moses Lake, WA — renaming it in his own honor "The Steve Needle". Kate Pierson , later of The B-52's , once worked at the Space Needle. The Space Needle appears in the video game Killer 7 where the main antagonist Kun Lan catches a bullet and is "carried" to it. In Spongebob Squarepants , there is a building called the Sea Needle, a parody of the Space Needle. In the video game , the Space Needle makes a brief appearance in one of the cutscenes In the 1990s, a wall poster was produced showing Seattle Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson – the tallest player in Major League Baseball – leaning up against the Space Needle with his arm resting on the top of the "saucer." A copy of the poster hangs in a fast-food restaurant near Seattle Center. Australian rock band The Church included a song called "Space Needle" on their 2006 album Uninvited, Like The Clouds . The Space Needle can be destroyed in the video game World In Conflict during the Soviet invasion of Seattle. GALLERY |
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