I’ve had a number of people e-mail me recently asking for more architectural Space Needle drawings in addition to the ones
posted in May 2008. So, I went straight away to the VS.org archives and started digging. Here are some top-down schematics I found showing the restaurant, plaza, and observation levels from an old 1962 publication.
Click for the high res and show us your 3d model if you build one!
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| Space Needle architectural diagram, Restaurant Level & Plaza Level, elevation 628.00 feet. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
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| Space Needle architectural diagram, Observation Level, elevation 646.75 feet. Copyright 1962, The Craftsman Press, Inc. |
Good god, these are gorgeous! I want to frame them and put them on my wall. Where can I get my hands on these?
I’m surprised to learn that the Plaza Level — something I have opposed since I saw it being constructed in, what, the late ’70s or early ’80s? — was planned from the beginning. I had always figured it was an afterthunk.
“Automatic Canteen”?!! I want them to bring this back.
[Matt] The “Plaza Level” above isn’t what you’re thinking it is – it’s the ground level where the gift shop exists today.
@Matt
I haven’t been in/up for a long time, but… really? It says elevation 128 feet. Is that from sea level, then?
I believe the level Matt the Journeyman is thinking of is technically called the “Skyline Level”, which is the addition at the Needle’s 100 foot level (not elevation above sea level). It was not an originally planned feature.
Um… where’s the bathrooms?
Colin, the bathrooms are located between the Observation Deck and the Restaurant Deck (today called the O deck and Sky City respectively. The entrance level to tower is 128 feet above sea level.
The Skyline room was added in mid 1985 or so and is about 100 feet up, hence the confusion. It has three sides somewhat similar to the original temporary base. They barely completed the Needle in time for the fair. Elevator parts arrived just three days before the opening. If you get a chance to see the Elvis movie, it shows the base fairly well.
The drawing shows the “Temporary Entrance” which the Space Needle used until its remodel prior to it’s 40th birthday. The new Space Base and the remodel added a lot to the place.
Sky City is 500 feet above the Seattle Center grounds, and the O deck is 520. The Needle tops out at 605, and was topped with a gas flame. For a period of time, Washington Natural Gas would light the flame to coincide with the top of the hour radio news on KIXI. One of the big sellers during the fair was a heavy polished brass model of the needle, topped by a built in Zippo Lighter. You could replicate the flame in your own home. My grandparents had one and used it the rest of their smoking lives.
The O deck also had a “remote” studio that served as home to a few radio stations over the years. I seem to recall KIRO AM, and KVI having long stints of live broadcast from the top of the Needle. Electronics back then required a lot more investment to run a radio show away from ones main studios.
The interiors of the Observation deck were far more sparten compared to the great displays found today.
Very cool. Reminds me of the Starship Enterprise drawings.
http://www.startrekdesktopwallpaper.com/wallpapers/11_Star_Trek_Enterprise_NX01_starship_schematics_wallpaper_s.shtml
I have that lighter! Elvis also lights Joan O´Brien´s cigarette with one in “It Happened at the World´s Fair”
I found this http://bcvk.net/space_needle_cut_01.jpg – a cutaway schematics of the space needle. Gives a little different view. Maybe it will help a little.
Mike: They reposted my scan from 2008:
http://www.vintageseattle.org/2008/05/16/a-deep-cleaning-in-deep-space/
I also posted this link in the article above.
Cliffe
Maybe anyone will identify where the in order to this particular will be from? I’ll curious about learning a lot of this.
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