of Seattle. The whole idea of the
Space Needle goes way back to 1959
in a coffee house in Stuttgart,
Germany.
Edward E. Carlson was inspired by
the Stuttgart Tower, so he started
drawing on a paper napkin a spacey
dominant looking structure for the
1962 World's Fair in Seattle WA. Little
did he know that what he drew would
become one of the most recognizable
towers in the world.
After much debate, they found a
place in Seattle to built the tower...in
March 1961! Thirteen months from
the Fair's opening!
Lukily, after construction began, it
progressed quickly. The foundation
would weigh as much as the needle
itself! They finished the Tophouse in
December 1961. It originally was built
without the Skyline Level. It was built
in 1983. It was in the original plans,
but was not built due to costs.
In the years after the Space
Needle's completion famous
people such as Prince Phillip, John
Glenn, Tim Robbins, and the
Shaw of Iran would all visit the Space
Needle.
1. The Space Needle has 832 steps from the
basement to the restraunt.
2. It took 467 cement trucks and 12 hours to pour
the foundation.
3. The Original name for the Space Needle was the
Space Cage.
4. The last elevator arrived the day before the fair
opened.
5. During the World's Fair, nearly 20,000 people
visited the Needle daily.
6. Visitors annualy exceen 1.4 million.
7. The top of the needle was originally painted
"Galaxy Gold."
The Space Needle is 605 ft tall.
The foundation weighs 5,850 tons and extends
30 feet into the ground.
The Space Needle has 147,000 punds of steel.
The Space Needle has 74,000 high tension bolts.
The Revolving Restraunt makes one revolution
every 45 minutes.
It has the highest gear ratio in the world.
It was originally the tallest building west of the
Mississippi River.
The Elevators travel 800 feet per minute.
