Seattle’s most recognizable landmark is finishing up a facelift. The family-owned Space Needle has undergone $100 million worth of renovation over about a year.
Tourism is booming in Seattle, Washington. Last year, a record 40 million visitors came to the city and the surrounding King County. They spent $7.4 billion in the area! The city has responded with rapid growth. Dozens of cranes compete with the Space Needle for a place in the skyline. They’re a necessary part of building the hotels and restaurants that will accommodate future floods of arrivals from the Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
Ron Sevart is president and chief executive officer at Space Needle LLC. He says obtaining financing to renovate the city’s famous tourist attraction wasn’t difficult. Lenders were “friendly with this type of investment,” he says. To keep Seattle thriving, it’s more than a financial investment to make “sure the Space Needle stays relevant.” The towering structure is an icon for the city itself.
Visitors to Seattle have for 56 years enjoyed the top viewing level of the Space Needle. After renovation wraps up, tourists can get an even better 360-degree view of the city. The circular, rotating observation deck now features floor-to-ceiling glass, opening it up to more light and broader vistas for people of every height The Needle’s popular restaurant is getting updated as well.
Outside, the Space Needle’s entire 600-foot height has new paint. Inside, visitors will ride up that distance in any one of three new elevators.
Deterioration is a normal part of life in an abnormal world—one that has been corrupted by sin and its effects. Everything requires maintenance. In Isaiah 58: 11-12, God compares His people to those who restore and rebuild. How do you think the material world is an example of the spiritual restoration believers live out by Christ’s power?
(AP Photo: Scaffolding remains around Seattle’s Space Needle. The 56-year-old landmark will unveil its biggest ever renovation next month—a $100 million investment in a single year of construction.)
