October 26, 2023

Space Needle to get a temporary tiny crown

Image courtesy of Space Needle LLC [enlarge]

The enclosure will be built on the uppermost flat roof of the Space Needle.

Those with eagle-eye vision may spot some unusual construction goings-on this week and next at the top of the Space Needle.

Crews are installing a small construction enclosure on the uppermost flat roof of the Space Needle, above the larger sloped roof. This enclosure, which will remain in place through mid-May of 2024, will allow crews to work on an elevator modernization project that started last month. The Space Needle will also add a construction work platform on the interior tower hoistway as part of the $18 million project.

Turner Construction is the contractor for the job, which is replacing the landmark tower's three elevators. The DJC reported last month that the Space Needle will replace the golden cab elevators at the rate of one per year, keeping two open to move visitors and supplies to the top during construction. Installation of the first new elevator will begin in September 2024, and it will be commissioned by May 2025. Otis Elevators is the cab manufacturer.

Project documents show crews will replace existing elevator cabs with modernized cabs, install a new hoistway system and attachments, reconfigure the machine room to accommodate new equipment, improve existing elevator pits, and raise the existing mezzanine floor level.

The new cabs will resemble the existing ones, except two will be double stacked. The third, for freight, will retain the single-stack design.

Construction is scheduled during the Space Needle's off season, September to May, over four years. Most work will be performed overnight.

The new elevators are the final component of the $100 million Century Project renovation, which mostly wrapped up in 2019. That project added over 176 tons of glass and the world's first revolving glass floor.

The elevator project designer is Olson Kundig, the same architectural firm that designed the prior improvements under the Century Project. Hoffman Construction was the primary contractor for the Century Project.