The centrepiece of Seattle’s 1962 Century 21 Expo, the Space Needle was initially conceptualised by the Expo’s chairman Eddie Carlson (inspired by Stuttgart’s Fernsehturm) to serve as a beacon of forward-looking technological advancement, with the Cold War and its Space Race very much in motion. A massive, slender mix of steel and concrete – the largest single-pour at the time – the Needle became an instant icon of Seattle, projecting unabashed American optimism and enabling one of the most successful Expo’s in history.
Space Needle [1962]
Eddie Carlson and John Graham
