During my “day job” as a game designer, one of the first steps we take in creating spaces is to whip up a few rough concept sketche
s.
Architects use the practice as well, as these early Space Needle design sketches illustrate. I found these in an old ’62 World’s Fair book I was flipping through last night.
While definitely not as stunning as the
set over at the Architecture of the Pacific Northwest Database, they do show a nice progression of ideas. The final design is said to be a compromise of Edward Carlson’s cabled balloon idea and architect John Graham’s flying saucer. Click on the thumbnails for a higher-res look. [see also:
Part 1,
Part 2,
Part 3,
Part 4 of "Erecting The Needle" photo feature]
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| Early cabled balloon design; flying saucer on a spire. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
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| Revolving restaurant with planetarium dome; cruciform shaft and disk first called the “space needle” from Art Edwards. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
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| Bennett’s crossed cables sketch; Ridley’s tripod in plastic form. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
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| Steinbrueck’s later sketch; Ridley’s new tophouse detail sketch. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
I can’t quite put my finger on it – but many of those designs have an oddly 30′s vibe, especially the first (cabled balloon) sketch. Maybe it’s the art style of the first four, which I always thought was archaic by the 60′s.
Hi Cliffe,
What game company do you work for?
We make Shoot em ups.
it’s nice to see these Cliffe, great post!
love the first sketch, and especially love Left 4 Dead – go Valve!
Awesome website. As a native of Seattle, Washington, I’ve always been interested in historic parts of Seattle. While I’ve never lived IN the city of Seattle, I’ve visited more times than I can count. My favourite parts of Seattle are Capital Hill, Queen Anne Hill and Downtown Seattle. I love looking at pictures of Seattle that go back 50+ years
Very nice drawings in any case.
I only hope none of the historic buildings get demolished. It seems to be happening way too often these days in favour of more modern, but less interesting buildings. Unless it’s been damaged in a fire or earthquake, and cannot be saved, I’d say fix up the buildings (homes, businesses, etc.) and sell them at a reasonable price.
I grew up in Seattle and have been to th3 Space Needle many times (the first at the World’s Fair as a two-year-old. I have long admired its architecture. In all that time I never once thought about the fact that there had to have been several conceptual designs. I first saw these concept drawings in late October when the wife and I stayed at the Camlin. I was blown away! As futuristic as the final design was, I was struck by how retro the other designs were. Thanks for the site.
I too think thus, perfectly pent post! .