The Space Needle in Seattle was completed in 1962.
The tower was built for the Century 21 Exposition, Seattle’s 1962 world’s fair, and became the fair’s defining landmark. Construction started in April 1961, and the completed structure opened to the public on April 21, 1962, the day after the exposition began.
The design is credited to architect John Graham and designer Edward E. Carlson, whose early sketch suggested a saucer balanced on a giant balloon. Structural engineer John K. Minasian helped turn that vision into a wind-resistant tower. Its foundation extends roughly 30 feet underground and uses a large mass of concrete to stabilize the structure.
The completion year is sometimes confused with 1961, when construction ended, or with the opening date in 1962. For a question asking when it was completed as a public landmark, 1962 is the canonical answer. The Space Needle stood 605 feet tall when finished and was briefly the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.