Two leaders behind the Seattle Space Needle’s massive redesign say it was a huge undertaking and one that was crucial to ensure the city’s iconic landmark is preserved for years to come.
“A big part of The Century Project as it got going was both the visitor experience but then also the realization that for it to really last 50 more years or to be in a really good spot for 100 years, it was a whole systems evaluation as well,” said Blair Payson, co-owner of the Olson Kundig architecture firm in Seattle and project architect for the Space Needle redesign.
“There were all these pieces that were at the, in our world, the end of their useful life,” continued Payson, “So things like the electrical, the air conditioning, the elevator systems, revolving floor, all these pieces really needed evaluation and really led to a rethinking of what the entire project-to-visitor experience could be.”
Alan Maskin, also co-owner of the Olson Kundig architecture firm and the lead designer on The Century Project, said he and Payson met with Space Needle CEO Ron Sevart and COO Karon Olson about their vision for the next chapter of the Needle.
“And Karen, in conjunction with the CEO, Ron Sevart, were imagining how they might create an entirely new visitor experience for the Space Needle,” said Maskin. “And frankly, what they were discovering was that there were declining revenues and attendance, and they needed to do something big for the future that would really guarantee that they are about the future.”
Early concepts of the Space Needle included double-deck, spaceship-style elevators. But, when the Space Needle was being built ahead of the 1962 World’s Fair, there was not enough time or technology to make that happen.
That changed with the signing off of a privately funded $100 million modernization project. Maskin and Payson got to work with the design phase in 2022.
“The original designers for the Space Needle had insanely huge, creative ideas that weren’t realizable but that led to the current sort of design that they created in 1962, and we wanted to do that exact same energy in thinking about what this project could be,” said Maskin.
What’s new?
The Space Needle debuted its new Skyliner elevator, the first of its kind in North America, to the public in May.
The new elevator was created by Otis, the world’s largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, and the company that built the original Space Needle elevators, as well as those at the Eiffel Tower.
The Skyliner is a double deck, floor-to-ceiling glass elevator, each cab fits 15-20 riders, and the ride still takes roughly 41 seconds in either direction. The next double decker elevator will be finished in 2027, and the third elevator facing downtown is a service elevator that will be replaced by 2028.
When you reach the top of the Space Needle, the old rotating restaurant from 1962 is no more.
“There was a rotating restaurant floor in 1962. It was the second one in the world. Same architect did another one in Hawaii, but perfected it here [in Seattle],” said Maskin. “But it was 54 years later, and you would sit in that restaurant, and you could feel the motor jerking. And I think our assessment was that this building had reached the end of its useful life in many respects, and so it was time to completely redo it on a lot of levels.”
“But there also was a chance to do something that had never been done before, just like in 1962, by taking that rotating floor, completely re-engineering it and turning it into the world’s first rotating glass floor, a 90-foot diameter glass disk that moves 500 feet in the air, that’s an entirely new way to observe cities and to actually create an observation tower,” said Maskin.
When visitors walk out on the upper deck, they’ll notice a lot more glass and a lot more views.
“We added 200% more glass than there was in 1962,” said Maskin “And by adding 200% glass, in our minds, we were adding 200% more view and more abilities to actually see and observe, which is what the building was intended to be.”
“The Space Needle has always been about looking out to the distance and the view beyond, but now it’s also about looking down and also looking at itself,” explained Payson.
“And so when you look through the revolving glass floor, for example, you see the tower legs splaying out below, you can see the elevators coming up, the mechanism they’re rolling for,” said Payson. “And now with the elevators, when you come up the elevator, you’ve got the view out to the distance, but you also have a glass in the back of the elevator so you can look at the kind of core of the building as you go up. And so the whole theme is that you both have the view, but you understand the building in a totally new way.”
Construction in space?
The Space Needle stayed open through the entire redesign and construction process, making for some interesting views for visitors.
“It’s a construction project that’s 500 feet in the air and we liken that to like, we might as well be in outer space,” said Maskin, “There was a crane that would lift up some of the heavier pieces. There were three elevators, and that was basically what brought hundreds of people up to work on the project. And the project never closed, so the Space Needle was always open while the construction was going on, and people could actually observe the construction.”
But much of the changes were covered up in scaffolding or a wrap, so many people didn’t know exactly what was going on. For Seattleites, you likely didn’t have any idea what was happening if visiting the Needle wasn’t one of your usual stops, but Payson said that’s what they were going for — a subtle change with a big impact.
“I think some people would look at the building and not immediately know what had changed until they had a chance to come inside. That’s when they really saw that like, ‘wow, this is a quite different, much more transparent experience,'” said Payson.
“But it was actually, in hindsight, kind of a great compliment, because in our mind, it meant that, we’ve changed the experience a lot. But actually from the exterior, we did not so dramatically change the building that it doesn’t feel like it always has, right? It’s still a very iconic figure on the skyline that is relatively unchanged unless you’re really looking for specific details.”
Visit the Space Needle
Maskin and Payson said this project was one of the highlights of their careers so far.
“Of anything I have ever designed in my entire life, this building is by far the most visceral in terms of how people use their entire bodies to engage,” said Maskin. “They will climb up on these glass benches, they will lean into the wall, they would be spread out having their pictures taken and documenting their friends and their families all over the entire building on the glass floor, and there is a sense of global delight.”
“You’ll hear people say things like, ‘come on, Grandpa, you know you can do it.’ You know, people find their limit, and then they push past it because they’re encouraged by their family, or their friends, or even strangers,” said Payson. “It’s a unique building in that sense, that you can kind of find the edge, and then you push a little bit further, and have an amazing experience.”
To plan your visit to The Space Needle, check out its website for hours and tickets.