Space Needle celebrates 60th with painting contest

SEATTLE — The Space Needle will be painted “Galaxy Gold” for its 60th anniversary, the original color when the Seattle landmark debuted at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962.

The 605-foot (184-meter) tower got a fresh coat of gold for its 50th anniversary, with the first strokes of paint applied by a select three people involved with either the fair or the Needle’s construction and operations. This time around, the Needle is holding a contest for five winners to help paint the sloped roof, The Seattle Times reported.

You can enter to win at spaceneedle.com/60 by sharing a memory of the Space Needle in 200 words. Five people will be selected to help paint and an additional 55 winners will be randomly selected for other prizes, including tickets to the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass, a VIP package to the Loupe Lounge and passes to the Seattle International Film Festival.

Contestants must be 21 or older and live in Washington to enter. Winners will be contacted by phone or email on Monday, April 18.

The Space Needle opened in 1962, the same year John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Female elevator attendants dressed in gold “spacesuits” during the fair in a nod to the space theme and the Needle was considered a monument to technology, with its fast elevators and revolving restaurant.

Before the Needle opened to the public, Seattle World’s Fair Chairman Eddie Carlson made a prediction for what the $4.5 million tower would mean to the city.

“This will be to Seattle what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. The Space Needle will be the great symbol of a great city,” he said.