Five feet (15 m) from the bottom of Seattle's Space Needle is the center of gravity for the 605 foot (184 m) tall structure. Constructed in 1962 and serving as an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, it is designed to withstand winds of 200 miles (321.87 km) per hour. The Space Needle’s foundation is 30 feet (9.14 m) deep because it has such a small base in proportion to its height, at an area of just 120 feet (36.58 m). When the concrete was originally poured into the structure’s foundation, it set a record for largest continuous pour of concrete in the US West.
More about the Space Needle:
- Architect John Graham, who came up with the flying saucer shape design for the top of the Space Needle, was also the creator of the world’s first shopping mall.
- It took just over a year to construct the Space Needle and it was given the nickname “The 400 Day Wonder” by US Steel for its record-breaking construction speed.
- Hoge Sullivan, the original manager of the Space Needle, reportedly had a phobia of tall heights.