If you leave home on vacation you begin to get a little homesick for something Mid-Century Modern. No matter where you go in the United States, if you look hard enough you can inject a little MCM flair into your vacay.
Tom and Stacy recently embarked on baseball road trip that took in ballgames in Denver, Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle. The last stop harbors one of the most iconic structures from the Atomic Age: The Space Needle.
The Atomic Age is a subset of the Mid-Century genre. It encompasses approximately 1940-60, when Americans were both fascinated with the promise nuclear power offered and terrified of what a nuclear war might bring. Even a smaller division of the Atomic Age is the Space Age, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957 until the latter mid-sixties.
Towering 605 feet, the Space Needle was built in 400 days for the 1962 World’s Fair. The top portion, that now hosts an observation deck and a revolving restaurant, was designed to resemble a flying saucer. Even the original colors were space-aged being: orbital olive, astronaut white, re-entry red and galaxy gold.
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| View from the top |
When we venture outside of Lortondale it is always nice to find a spot, structure or other MCM haven to make us feel at home again. If in Seattle don’t miss it, the view of the mountains against the skyline is stunning.
