Unspecified/General

Just north of downtown Seattle in the Lower Queen Anne neighbourhood, the Seattle Center is the city's principal cultural and entertainment campus and the legacy of the 1962 Century 21 World's Fair. The seventy-four-acre campus was developed as the fairgrounds for the six-month exposition that ran from April through October 1962 and drew nearly ten million visitors to Seattle, putting the city firmly on the international cultural map and producing the iconic Space Needle that has defined the Seattle skyline ever since. Following the conclusion of the fair, the buildings and grounds were retained as a permanent city-owned cultural campus, with the various pavilions gradually adapted to permanent uses as museums, theatres, entertainment venues and outdoor public spaces. The result is one of the most concentrated clusters of major cultural institutions in the western United States. Anchoring the campus is the celebrated Space Needle, the 605-foot observation tower that opened with the fair and remains one of the most recognisable structures in the country. The Needle was renovated extensively in 2018 with the addition of the world's first revolving glass floor and the open-air outer observation deck, providing dramatic views in every direction. The adjacent Chihuly Garden and Glass museum, opened in 2012, houses the largest single permanent installation of works by the celebrated Pacific Northwest glass artist Dale Chihuly, with the spectacular Glasshouse pavilion centerpiece visible from much of the surrounding campus. The Pacific Science Center occupies the former United States Science Pavilion of the World's Fair, while the MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture, formerly the Experience Music Project) housed in the distinctive Frank Gehry-designed building celebrates popular music, science-fiction film and contemporary cultural history. The Climate Pledge Arena, the home of the Seattle Kraken NHL team and the Seattle Storm WNBA team, occupies the original 1962 Washington State Pavilion (the historic exterior preserved during the 2021 reconstruction), while McCaw Hall hosts the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Seattle Opera. A monorail connection to downtown completes the campus.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA, United States

Telephone: 206-684-7200

Website: seattlecenter.com

Opening Date: 21/04/1962