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Contest Opens for a Sky-High Paint Job

Thursday, August 23, 2012

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The owner of Seattle’s landmark Space Needle is inviting the public to enter a design contest to adorn the 605-foot tower with a new paint job in honor of the icon’s 50th anniversary.

The Top Off Our 50th contest invitation went out via the roof, as the words “#TopThis For Our 50th!” were painted there earlier this week.

PR NewsFoto / The Space Needle

The Space Needle is challenging the public to come up with a new color and design for the roof. This will top off the Needle’s 50th Anniversary Celebration.

The tower was painted a retro “Galaxy Gold” color back in April to kick off the tower’s half-century mark; the same color coated the structure when it opened at the World’s Fair in 1962.

Space Needle LLC will accept new design and color submissions until Sept. 20.

A Paint Job to Make History

“For the first time, a fan of the Space Needle will see his or her design painted on the roof,” according to a release from Space Needle LLC, the company that owns and operates the futuristic structure.

The winning submission will adorn the roof from Oct. 21 through April 21, 2013 (the tower’s 51st birthday).

“Like its very creation enabled by a small, tenacious group of community leaders back in 1962, this challenge once again places the future of the Space Needle in the hands of the passionate community of dreamers, risk takers and daredevils it serves,” the company said.

The contest is open to all U.S. residents. A blank template for the design submission and other information about the contest are available here. 

“This really is a nod to our heritage,” said Ron Sevart, Space Needle president and CEO. “We were built as a symbol of the future, born of the imagination of a few, and embraced by the world. As we look ahead, this is our way to continue to stir the imagination and look ahead to our next 50 years.”

A panel of judges will review and select a number of finalists, who will be posted on Facebook for public voting. The winner will be announced Oct. 21.

Braggin’ Rights, Prizes

Painting will begin as soon as the weather permits, the owner said, and the winner will have some pretty legit bragging rights.

The winner will also receive various prizes, all tied to the Space Needle’s 50th Anniversary.

“Top Off Our 50th” will cap off a year that has also included a competition to send a private citizen to space and a retro day that returned the original $1 admission price for the 520-foot Observation Deck.

From Napkin to Reality

The Space Needle’s creation was the brainchild of Eddie Carlson, who doodled the famous structure on a placemat at a coffee house.

From inception to construction, the needle’s road was not an easy one. But the Howard S. Wright Construction Company built the tower, and the city has never been the same.

Now, the Space Needle is one of the top tourist destinations in the Pacific Northwest, with more than one million visitors each year.

Comment from Barry Lamm, (8/24/2012, 1:46 PM)

I think the architect for the Space Needle was Paul Thiery (not sure how to spell his name). I thought the original roof color was red, but it could have been that gold color and looked red from below under certain light conditions.