The Space Needle has an observation deck at and the rotating ( currently closed ) SkyCity restaurant at . The downtown Seattle skyline , as well as the Olympic and Cascade Mountains , Mount Rainier , Mount Baker , Elliott Bay and surrounding islands can be viewed from the top of the Needle . Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at . The trip takes 41 seconds . On windy days , the elevators slow to . On April 19 , 1999 , the city 's Landmarks Preservation Board designated it a historic landmark . In September 2017 , the restaurant was temporarily closed as part of a US$ 100 million renovation . The renovation included the installation of a new rotation motor and see-through glass floors in the restaurant , as well as the replacement of the observation deck 's wire enclosure with glass panels . The latest addition to the Space Needle was unveiled in August 2018 : the world 's first and so far only revolving glass floor , known as " The Loupe . " Standing 500 feet -- or 50 stories -- above street level , the observation deck 's new see-through floor offers 360-degree views of the city . Powered by 12 motors , the floor is constructed of 10 layers of tightly bonded glass to ensure safety . The architecture of the Space Needle is the result of a compromise between the designs of two men , Edward E. Carlson and John Graham , Jr . The two leading ideas for the World Fair involved businessman Edward E. Carlson 's sketch of a giant balloon tethered to the ground ( see the gently sloping base ) and architect John Graham 's concept of a flying saucer ( see the halo that houses the restaurant and observation deck ) . Victor Steinbrueck introduced the hourglass profile of the tower . The Space Needle was built to withstand wind speeds of , double the requirements in the building code of 1962 . The 6.8 Nisqually earthquake jolted the Needle enough in 2001 for water to slosh out of the toilets in the restrooms . The Space Needle will not sustain serious structural damage during earthquakes of magnitudes below 9.1 . Also made to withstand Category 5 hurricane-force winds , the Space Needle sways only per of wind speed
Nisqually earthquake
2001 Nisqually earthquake
Space Needle