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Core and legs of Space Needle under construction, September 15, 1961
Core and legs of Space Needle under construction, September 15, 1961
TitleCore and legs of Space Needle under construction, September 15, 1961
PhotographerDudley, Roger
Date1961
CaptionThe Howard Wright Construction Company broke ground at the Space Needle site on April 17, 1961. The result of a design collaboration among businessman Edward E. Carlson, architect John Graham and University of Washington architecture professor Victor Steinbrueck, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition (World's Fair) in Seattle. With the addition of the final torch tower, the construction of the 600 foot Space Needle was completed on December 8. 1961. Seattle's Pacific Car and Foundry Company was the subcontractor for the steel fabrication and erection.
This photograph depicts the partially completed core and legs of the Space Needle. The legs of the Space Needle consist of three 36-inch wide flanged beams welded together flange-to-flange and stiffened with diaphragms to form large three-sided tubes. The Needle's triangular core houses utilities and two stairways, with elevators mounted on its outside. This image also shows the derrick crane, designed by Pacific Car and Foundry Co. that climbed up inside the core and reached over the top to hoist the huge fabricated steel sections into position.
NotesCaption information source: Space Needle USA by Harold Mansfield and George Gulacsik, 1962.

Stamped on verso with business stamp of Roger Dudley, Commercial Photographer, Seattle.
Handwritten on verso: 42507
Printed on lower right border on photo: Space Needle, John Graham & Co. Architects, Howard S. Wright Construction Co.
A schematic of the footprint of the Space Needle is printed in the lower left border of the photograph, with an arrow drawn to indicate the viewpoint.
SubjectsArchitecture—Washington (State)—Seattle; Building sites—Washington (State)--Seattle; Building—Washington (State)—Seattle; Century 21 Exposition (1962 : Seattle, Wash.); Construction—1960-1970; Cranes, derricks, etc.—Washington (state)—Seattle; Space Needle (Seattle, Wash.); Towers--Washington (State)--Seattle
PlacesQueen Anne (Seattle, Wash.); United States—Washington (State)—Seattle
Digital CollectionMuseum of History & Industry Photograph Collection
Image Number2005.6.19
Ordering InformationTo order a reproduction or to inquire about permissions contact photos@mohai.org or phone us at 206-324-1126. Please refer to the Image Number and provide a brief description of the photograph.
Credit LineAlfred H. Fast Collection on the Space Needle, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved
RepositoryMuseum of History & Industry, Seattle (MOHAI).
Repository CollectionAlfred H. Fast Collection on the Space Needle
TypeImage
Physical Description1 photographic print: b&w; 8 x 10 in.
Digital Reproduction InformationScanned from original photograph using Epson Expression 10000XL as 4350 pixel TIFF image in 16-bit grayscale, resized to 640 pixels in the longest dimension and compressed into JPEG format using Photoshop CS5, JPEG quality measurement 5.
Photographer's Reference Number42507
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