Seattle Space Needle returns to golden glory for anniversary celebration

I've always been impressed that some of the most iconic structures in the world such as the Seattle Space Needle, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris were originally built for the World's Fair. One thing I never knew about the iconic Seattle Space Needle was originally its roof wasn't white; rather the roof was painted gold.

The Seattle Space Needle was built to celebrate the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. The needle is 605 feet tall and when it was built, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The needle is on a 74-acre chunk of land that was designed specifically for the 1962 World's Fair and is now used for other things. Originally, the roof was painted Galaxy Gold.

With 2012 being the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Space Needle boring roof is being repainted the original Galaxy Gold color. When the building was designed back in 1962, it was an example of what buildings might look like in the future. The design still looks futuristic while typical buildings maintain the normal rectangular design common since the 60s, for the most part. Oddly, the gold roof will only stay on the Space Needle for six months before returning to its current white color.

[via Time]