In 1959, Edward E. Carlson penciled
his vision of a dominant central structure for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair on a placemat
in a coffeehouse. That futuristic image would become the internationally known symbol of
Seattle, the Space Needle.
Turning a Vision into Reality Carlson and his supporters soon found that moving the symbol
from the placemat to the drawing board to the construction phase was not an easy process.
The structure's unique design presented obstacles and underwent many transformations -
from a tethered balloon to a flying saucer. A final design compromise was reached just a
year and a half before the fair was to open. The privately-financed Space Needle was to be
built on land which could be acquired for public use but built within the fairgrounds.
Just before an unsuccessful search for land was abandoned, a suitable 120-foot-by-120-foot
piece of land beneath a fire station was found.
Building the Massive Needle Fortunately, construction progressed quickly. The huge 30 feet
deep and 120 feet across underground foundation required 467 cement trucks an entire day
to fill the hole, the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. Once
completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Needle itself. The steel construction
followed, using massive and unusual shaped members to form the slender legs and top house.
During construction, special attention was paid to the Observation Deck and revolving
restaurant level. Remarkably, the perfectly balanced top level restaurant rotated with
just a one horsepower electric motor. In keeping with the Century 21 theme of the 1962
Seattle World's Fair, the final coats of paint were dubbed Astronaut White for the legs,
Orbital Olive for the core, Re-entry Red for the halo and Galaxy Gold for the sunburst and
pagoda roof.
The Space Needle was completed in December 1961 for a mere $4.5 million and officially
opened four months later on the first day of the World's Fair, April 21, 1962.
Weathering the Storms. Although the Needle is built to withstand a wind
velocity of 200 miles per hour, storms occasionally force closure of the Space Needle. The
structure closed during the Columbus Day storm of 1962 due to wind gusts of 83 miles per
hour, and in 1973 during a 73-mile-per-hour wind. More recently the Space Needle closed
for an hour and a half during the "Inauguration Day" storm of 1993 when winds
reached 90 miles per hour. In December 1996 a severe snowstorm also
forced periodic closures due to snow accumulation on the tower and transportation
difficulties.
Standing up to Earthquakes. The Space Needle has withstood several
tremors, including a 1965 earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale. Frosty Fowler was
broadcasting his regular KING-AM radio show from the Needle's Observation Deck during the
quake. While the Connie Francis record he was playing never skipped a beat during the
jolt, it was reported that the
Space Needle swayed enough for the water in the toilet bowls to spill out. The original
designers of the Space Needle
doubled the 1962 building code requirements, enabling the structure to withstand even
greater jolts.