Built for the Century 21 exposition at the 1962 World’s Fair, the now 55-year-old Iconic Seattle landmark is set to undergo its first major renovation since 2000. The $100 million Space Needle renovation facelift, also known as the Space Needle Century Project, will update the Space Needle’s physical systems and enhance the visitor experience.
The renovation will be funded entirely by the Wright family, who owns the Needle. Designed by Alan Maskin and Blair Payson of Olson Kundig, they set out to do what the Needle’s designers were unable to do due to the limits of the building materials available at the time. “Today, a half-century of technological advances later, the Space Needle will reemerge with a guest experience and sustainable improvements intended to keep the landmark relevant for the next 50 years and beyond.”
The Space Needle’s Observation Deck’s metal safety cages will be replaced by floor-to-ceiling outward slanted glass panels, each strategically positioned to avoid the sun’s glare and open up the uninhibited 360° views of the Puget Sound area. Glass benches will be affixed to the glass barriers so visitors are able to “sit down and lean back into the sky.” Work on the observation deck will begin in September and be done in sections, moving counterclockwise one-sixth of the saucer at a time preventing a complete shutdown of the deck.
Unlike the Observation Deck, the Space Needle restaurant will close from September 2017 to May 2018 for the renovation. During that time the rotating restaurant’s motor will be replaced and the menu will get an overhaul. The new rotating floor will be made of glass, unveiling downward views of the structure and Seattle Center below while also showing off its mechanics. It will be the first rotating glass floor restaurant in the world.
In order to ensure the integrity of the original design, Olson Kundig worked closely with the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board, local architecture historians and preservationists, and a surviving original Space Needle structural engineer.
The project aims to achieve LEED silver certification. Work on the seismic upgrades began on July 18th with steel splices being added to the Needle’s core.
This phase of the project will be an estimated $1.6 million out of the $100 million budget.
Space Needle Century Project
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