SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2002 605 feet Observation Deck OF CHANGE 40 YEARS 520 feet 138-foot diameter Revolving SkyCity Restaurant 500 feet, 94.5-foot diameter 1962Mercer Street 2002 Plans for a World Fair started as the hope In 1962, dinner and a cocktail Today, the structures that comprise 23 18 of local boosters to put Seattle on the averaged $7.50 per person. Seattle Center are often derisively Mercer Street map. It was a sign of civic zeitgeist and referred to as a hodgepodge of 1st Avenue North 24 forward-facing optimism that so 1st Avenue North 17 architecture without any coherent style. many buildings could be erect- 1 20 But, with 10 million visitors and more 1 ed in such a short time and 19 Elevator 16 than 5,300 free events a year, Seattle that we would invite The last of the original Center is still this city’s elevators arrived just one the world to our 22 2 19 cherished gathering day before the Fair began, doorstep for a April 21,1962, which was Thomas Street 15 spot. Thomas Street dazzling six-month show. also the day the Space What was built on the fairgrounds 2 21 18 Needle opened. New was all about the future of Seattle — elevators were installed in 14 creating a lasting gathering place. 1993 and can go up to 10 3 3 11 17 mph. A trip from ground 4 BUILDING TORN level to the top takes 43 DOWN AFTER FAIR seconds. 4 5 9 16 13 7 6 8 12 15 Background 8 6 North Built in 1962 for the World’s 7 9 5 9 5th Avenue North Fair, the Space Needle was 10 It’s no 10 then the tallest building west 5th Avenue longer a tribute of the Mississippi River. It has and a pathway to the Denny Way 11 become Seattle’s No. 1 tourist future, but a place Denny Way attraction averaging more where the community 14 20 than 1 million visitors each comes together to 12 13 year. It took 400 days to BUILDING play, be entertained complete the Needle. The and, sometimes, to original cost of construction CONSTRUCTED Broad Street Broad Street AFTER FAIR grieve. was $4.5 million. In 2000, a $21 million revitalization was completed that included the pavilion-level Space Base retail store, SkyCity restaurant and Observation Deck redesign, Legacy Light 1 Washington State Coliseum FROM PREVIOUS PAGE ing heart. such expressions and demonstrations Just across the street is good view- classics. cha-cha, tango and more fill the 1 KeyArena installation, new lighting and Home of the Supersonics, Storm and World of Tomorrow exhibit showing a It could have been a very zany On seasonable days, it’s a magnet at Seattle Center were more frequent, painting. ing of skaters catching air on the For younger audiences and fami- Seattle Center House as you sway high-tech future Thunderbirds as well as a venue for place. In Seattle Center’s 40 years, for small bodies to run through water including a 1968 procession in trib- concrete bowls at the Seattle Center lies, the Seattle Children’s Theatre is and dip among couples of all ages concerts and other events 2 Flag Pavilion proposals have surfaced to add an streaming from its 283 jets and ute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Skate Park, added in 2000. nationally known and has produced and dress. The music starts at 8 p.m. 2 Pottery Northwest Flags from every state in the nation WORLD’S FAIR WORLD’S FAIR aquarium with a killer whale show, around its big silver orb. Larger bod- Vietnam War protests. The Center’s, and the city's, most more original works than any other ($7 per person), and there’s a 7 p.m. Community pottery studio 3 Food Circus SEATTLE CENTER 3 Fisher Pavilion (under construction) More than 50 concessions and the world’s rifle ranges, a bungee-jumping tower, ies often watch with envy or toss But locals and visitors are drawn to popular attraction is the privately major theater group in the state. lesson ($3 per person or $5 per Festival pavilion for community largest cake retail chain stores, an antique car Frisbees, play Hacky Sack and juggle Seattle Center largely for fun and owned, 605-foot-tall Space Needle, Kids also will enjoy the Children’s couple, that also gets you into the gatherings and shows, scheduled to open 4 Christian Pavilion and Children’s museum and more. on the surrounding green lawn. entertainment. Seattle’s most recognized icon and Museum, which puts exhibits at dance). in fall 2002 Center Skyline Banquet Collectively, Seattle Center gets 10 100 feet 4 Seattle Children’s Theatre Activities for 3- to 7-year-olds It wasn’t always so inviting. Water KeyArena is home to two profes- Facility scene setter. More than 1 million eye-level and offers many hands- Performances, classes and workshops for million visitors a year and offers used to spout from sharp spikes, and sional basketball teams, the Seattle Built in 1982 people a year zip up the 10 mph- on activities in art, technology 5 United States Science Pavilion children Six-acre science-themed pavilion more than 5,400 performances, the fountain hunkered at the bottom SuperSonics (1979 NBA champions) elevators to take in panoramic views and world cultures. 5 Seattle Center House/ 6 IBM Pavilion events and meetings annually, includ- of a steep slope, surrounded by and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. It also of the city below and Puget Sound, Another place for people of The Children’s Museum Computer displays ing 11 cultural festivals. jagged rocks and signs that read, doubles as one of Seattle’s largest Mount Rainier and the Cascade and any age to explore their curiosi- Food, retail shops and public 7 The Bell System exhibit events/galleries, studio spaces and “I don’t know of another place that “Danger: Keep Out.” A 1995 remodel venues for concerts, drawing major Olympic mountain ranges beyond ties is the Pacific Science Center, educational activities for children History and future of communication has the mix of people and things and made it people-friendly. recording stars. from the observation deck or to dine several buildings connected by 6 Mural Amphitheater 8 General Electric Living exhibit Outdoor performances, festivals and films Model West Coast home displaying interests,” says Virginia Anderson, The fountain, and the rest of The Fun Forest, originally dubbed SpaceBase in the rotating SkyCity restaurant (at reflecting pools and five Retail store electronic products of the future director of Seattle Center for the past Seattle Center, is sometimes imbued the Gayway during the fair, offers the 500-foot level). distinct arches. It features 7 Pacific Science Center/ Boeing Imax Theater 9 Pavilion of Electric Power 13 years. with more serious purpose – as an amusement rides and an indoor Seattle Center is also a major font interactive exhibits on Interactive science exhibits, a tropical 40-foot-high model of a butterfly house, two IMAX theaters, a hydroelectric dam Another thing that characterizes epicenter for political action and col- arcade. There are rarely lines to hop of the arts. everything from dinosaurs to planetarium, and laser light shows 10 Home of Living Light this place is an unpretentious mixing lective grief. on a gravity-defying roller coaster or Until 2003, performances of the physics, as well as two Imax 8 Fun Forest Entertainment Pavilion Model home featuring flexible wood of all social classes, according to local It drew thousands of people and the Jetspin – year-round, day or renowned Seattle Opera and refined theaters, a laser show and a Rides, laser tag, mini golf and video paneling and movable skylights historian Walt Crowley. mountains of flowers for a moving night. And while rides cost $3 to $4 TIME-WARP TRIVIA FOR THE SPACE NEEDLE Pacific Northwest Ballet are in the planetarium. arcade 11 State of Alaska building Origins “That's its magic,” he says. “It’s a community vigil following the Sept. each, it's the only amusement park in made-over Mercer Arts Arena. The If hunger starts to gnaw at 9 Fun Forest Amusement Park Exhibit of Alaska’s social and economic The Space Needle started as a scribble on a paper placemat in Rides and amusements history class-free zone where the hoity-toity 11 terrorist attacks. It was a gather- Seattle, complete with bright, flash- Stuttgart, Germany, by Eddie Carlson, a hotel executive who Opera House is undergoing a major you while exploring, casual wanted an icon for the World’s Fair. The privately-owned 10 Experience Music Project (EMP) 12 Ford Motor Co. Pavilion and the hoi polloi can mingle. And ing spot when Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain ing lights. renovation and will be reborn in the dining awaits at the food Space Needle is the most popular tourist attraction in Seattle, Paul Allen’s interactive music museum Simulated rocketship ride and futuristic that’s part of the traditional character died in 1993 and when John Lennon Seattle Center also has quiet spaces with more than 1 million visitors annually. summer of 2003 as the Marion Oliver court in Seattle Center with restaurant, lounge, live car called the Seattle-ite XX1 performances and event venues in of Seattle.” was killed in 1980. and little-known treasures, such as Getting to the top McCaw Hall, with seating for 2,890. House. During the 1962 13 Fashion Pavilion building designed by Frank O. Gehry The International Fountain is the In the past, the massive bronze bell that was a A ride to the top of the Needle was $1 in 1962.