The Space Needle’s nine-month, $100 million renovation is almost complete.
Crews began removing construction screen surrounding the top of the Space Needle late Thursday night. The suspended work platform will come down over the next 3 to 4 weeks.
The Seattle landmark has been a work in progress since last Labor Day. It’s been open to the public as crews have worked in segments, but passersby only see a tarp and platform covering the renovations.
The most notable changes are a clearer observation deck view and the first and only rotating glass floor in the world.
“There used to be a pony wall, a metal cage,” said Karen Olson, the Space Needle’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Now we’re completely opening it up. There’s glass barriers that slant out. There’ll be glass benches on every other bay.”
The 48 glass barriers weigh 2,300 pounds apiece. They were lifted one at a time up to the observation deck and then placed into the platform that’s 520-feet above ground.
“The view you see from I-5, from downtown, from your home won’t change. But when you come up, it’ll be entirely different,” said Olson.
A portion of the observation deck has remained open throughout the renovation. New glass benches called ‘Skyrisers’ will be open to the public Memorial Day weekend. The full two-story experience, including the world’s first rotating glass floor, will be revealed by the Fourth of July weekend.
