Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has fond memories of the World’s Fair, specifically watching the Space Needle built, piece by piece. Watch him tell his story and share his experiences.
Some historical perspective from the Space Needle:
All kinds of famous folks have enjoyed the Space Needle, including entertainers like Elvis Presley, Walt Disney, John Travolta, Mike Myers and Bono; royalty such as Prince Philip of Great Britain and the Shah and Empress of Iran; presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and Jimmy Carter; and astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. In fact, martial arts legend Bruce Lee brought his future wife Linda Emery to the Space Needle for their first date on October 25, 1963. They were married the following August.
The Needle by the numbers:
- 605 feet tall
- Original cost: $4.5 million
- Remodel cost in 2000: $21 million
- Visited by 1.2 million people a year
- Repainted 4 times, using 8,000 gallons
- On hot days, the Needle expands about 1 inch
For more information on this weekend’s Next 50 opening celebration at the Seattle Center, visit http://www.thenextfifty.org/.
Seattle Municipal Archives has some excellent resources on the 1962 World’s Fair. Click to view digital files, text files. Image files can be viewed here and here.