Sixth Grade
Worksheets
The Space Needle: A Washington Landmark
The idea for the Space Needle got its start in a Seattle, Washington, coffeehouse. The chairman of the World's Fair committee was Edward E. Carlson. Carlson had seen the Stuttgart Tower in Germany. Carlson believed a "restaurant in the sky" would attract international visitors. He drew a sketch of his idea on his place mat. The Stuttgart Tower was the inspiration for his drawing. That drawing was the origin of the Space Needle. It was later built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair held in Washington. The Seattle World's Fair was named the Century 21 Exposition. The focus was on ideas for the future.
Carlson's drawing was revised several times. The first sketch looked somewhat like a tethered balloon. The next looked more like a flying saucer. Turning the sketch into a structurally sound building was not easy. Several architects were hired to work on Carlson's idea. One of them was John Graham. He was the architect who had designed a revolving restaurant in Hawaii. He was primarily responsible for the final design of the Needle.
Carlson tried to enlist the financial support of the city of Seattle. They turned him down. So five Seattle businessmen privately financed the Space Needle. Carlson was able to secure a plot of land inside the fairgrounds in 1961 for $75,000. He had only thirteen months to construct this project. Construction began in April of 1961. The structure was completed less than a month before the Word's Fair opened on April 21, 1962.
