38 Years Ahead - Century 21 Historical Displays (nonextant) - Seattle, WA
N 47° 37.230 W 122° 20.959
10T E 548893 N 5274326
These historical, informative panels were located at the top of the Space Needle, within the observation deck (fees apply) in Seattle, WA but have been removed and replaced with new interpretive displays.
Waymark Code: WMG7YJ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/26/2013
Views: 22
***THESE HISTORICAL DISPLAYS HAVE BEEN REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH NEW AND DIFFERENT DISPLAYS***
Visitors to the ever-popular Space Needle will have to pay a fee to access the observation deck (unless they plan to eat in the SkyCity Restaurant, then they get access to the deck as part of their meal), but once they get to the top, they are welcomed with beautiful views of the Seattle skyline, day or night. Inside the observation deck are a few food courts as well as a wall of informative panels that highlight the history of the Space Needle, from its vision as potential centerpiece for the 1962 World's Fair by Eddie Carlson to the construction concepts of the Needle, to the current structure that it's known as today.
There is much text to read on the numerous panels on the wall but a few excerpts from these panels focus on the history behind it:
A World's Fair...In Seattle?
With a dream bigger than the century and 98% of local business owners behind him, Eddie Carlson, C.E.O of the Seattle-based Western International Hotels, persuaded the Seattle City Council that their young, energetic city would be the ideal host for the 1962 International Exposition. Carlson was determined that there would be nothing "down home" about the event. The proposed title "festival of the West" was rejected. Instead, the Exposition would celebrate Seattle's forward-looking identity, positioning the city as a leader of future technologies. Carlson and his colleagues formed Century 21 Incorporated and set about to find the funds that would launch Seattle into the 21st Century - 38 years ahead of time.
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In 1957, the launch of the Soviet Sputnik and Tokyo's plan for its "21st Century City" moved science fiction from magazines to mainstream. The American/Soviet race to conquer space spurred a focus on scientific imagination, and funding for the visionary fair in Seattle began to fall into place.
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At the Bureau of International Expositions in Paris, Century 21 President, Joe Gandy, out-shined the New York delegation to cinch Seattle's bid to get official status for the 1962 Exposition. With 40 countries, more than 400 companies and a theme song by a popular swing band - the fair was coming to town!
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Time was slipping by when Carlson visited Stuttgart, Germany, in 1959. He noted that in rebuilding the city after the bombardments of WWII, a new form had developed. Among the remaining medieval castles, Carlson was inspired by a soaring television broadcast tower topped by a restaurant with a view of the entire city. On a table napkin he excitedly sketched a similar structure resembling a space ship atop a beam. This was the monument that would mark Seattle forever in people's memroy. Carlson was certain, "Century 21 needs...a restaurant in the sky."
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The Space Needle was completed at a total cost of $4.5 million, and just in time for the opening of the World's Fair on April 21, 1962. Each morning during the fair, 240 visitors paid $6 for a ride in a golden capsule elevator and breakfast in the revolving restaurant served by hostesses in gold coveralls. Publicity for the Space Needle appeared in major magazines from coast to coast. Approximately 20,000 people visited the Needle daily throughout the duration of the fair. By the fair's end, the Needle had hosted more than 2.3 million visitors. the financial success of the thrilling attraction enabled the Space Needle Corporation to retire its loans during the first 18 months of the operations. The Great Gamble had paid off!
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With the opening of the Sapce Needle and the 1962 World's Fair, Seattle made its debut as a 20th Century World City. Named an historical landmark by the City of Seattle in 1999, the Needle today stands as a symbol of the century it was built to inaugurate. To greet the new millenium with appropriate style, Seattle's perennial landmark underwent a $20 million rejuvenation that realized many of the imaginative dreams and original plans of its founding fathers.