Seattle Culture
Space Needle Unveils Spaceship-Style Elevators
The double-deck, floor-to-ceiling elevators are the first in the world
By Seattle Mag May 27, 2025
Riding to the top of the Space Needle just got a lot more fun.
The Space Needle last Friday opened the world’s only double-deck, floor-to-ceiling glass elevator. Two similar elevators are slated to open in 2028.
The privately funded $100 million modernization project broke ground in 2023.
The Space Needle is the only tower in the world with double deck, all-glass outdoor spaceship-style elevators, though a similar elevator can be found at Bailong Elevators in China, which travel more than 1,000 feet up a granite cliff face.
The Space Needle elevators feature floor-to-ceiling wraparound glass, giving visitors 360-degree views of Seattle.
The elevator modernization is a continuation of the Century Project, which added 176 tons of glass to the Space Needle.
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