12-07-2025
Space Needle Official Addresses Crack in Glass Floor with Wild Football Analogy to Prove the Strength of the Glass
A Space Needle official told PEOPLE that the Seattle attraction is 'absolutely safe to visit' after a video circulated showing a crack in the observation deck's glass floor
'Our glass floor is so strong, you could invite the entire Seattle Seahawks' defense — and all of the offenses they would face in the course of a season — to take a group photo on the glass floor without breaking a sweat,' the official explains
The deck's glass floor is about 500 feet above the groundThe 605-foot-tall Space Needle is still 'absolutely safe to visit' despite a video revealing a crack in the Seattle attraction's glass floor.
Addressing a visitor's July 1 Instagram video showing the crack on the observation deck, a Space Needle official told PEOPLE that the crack is on a top layer similar to a screen protector on a phone.
'The viral video circulating is old footage that shows a crack in the scuff plate on our glass floor, The Loupe. Scuff plate is like a screen protector on your cellphone,' says Genny Boots, Space Needle's PR manager.
'It's a non-load-bearing, aesthetic protective layer that is meant to scuff, scratch, and even sometimes crack, all while keeping the 10 layers of structural glass clear for a breathtaking view 500-feet down,' Boots adds. 'We replace the scuff plate about twice a year.'
The official compared the strength of the glass to the city's football team.
'Our glass floor is so strong, you could invite the entire Seattle Seahawks' defense — and all of the offenses they would face in the course of a season — to take a group photo on the glass floor without breaking a sweat,' Boots explains of the Space Needle, which opened in 1962.
The Space Needle was built in 400 days and cost $4.5 billion to build.
Safety of the structure is paramount.
'Our technicians and engineers check the building every day for safety, and our team of glasskeepers maintain all 176 tons of glass at the Space Needle so our guests enjoy the 360-degree views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier and the Puget Sound,' she explains.
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The red aircraft warning beacon at the top is 605 feet off the ground, and there are 848 stairs from the ground to the observation deck.
In May, as part of a years-long modernization project, the Space Needle launched Skyliner, a new floor-to-ceiling glass, double-deck outdoor elevator. Two more elevators will be modernized in 2027 and 2028.
'Construction like this at the Space Needle is like assembling a rocket in the sky,' Karen Olson, Space Needle's chief operating officer, said in a statement at the time. 'We are doing work on the Space Needle that has never been done before, at 500 feet in the air.'
Read the original article on People
