The Anatomy of A New Project, Preview : 25 : Century 21 Exposition, Project, State of Washington, City of Seattle, Clients, Paul Thiry, FAIA, Primary Architect, Herb Rosenthal, Primary Exhibition Designer

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architectural
& engineering
Reprinted from:
Architectyral  &  Engineering  News January  1961  Volume 3 Number 1
THE ANATOMY OF A NEW PROJECT     l"^M E
CENTURY 21 EXPOSITION
STATE OF WASHINGTON, CITY OF SEATTLE
PAUL THIRY, FAIA
HERB ROSENTHAL
VIEW
5
project
clients
primary architect
primary exhibition designer
General  information
The Century 21 Exposition will be the first international
exposition held in the United States since 1939. The
U. S. Department of State, on behalf of the President,
has invited 84 nations to participate, and the Congress
has appropriated $9 million for the official U. S. exhibit.
From April 21 to October 21, 1962, the Exposition will
be visited by an estimated ten million people.
The theme of the Exposition is "Man in the Space Age."
An attempt will be made to cake the millions of visitors
from the cultures of today's world into a projection of
what lies ahead in the next century—to preview the
ways man will work and play and live in the year 2000.
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The Century 21 Exposition will be located in Seattle,
which is bounded by Puget Sound and the Olympic
Mountains to the west and Lake Washington and the
Cascade Range to the east. The State of Washington
and the City of Seattle have invested $6 million in the
purchase of land which, together with adjacent property
already owned by the city, will form the Exposition site.
Exhibit buildings and utilities valued at $15 million are
already on the site. An additional $23 million will be
spent by the Century 21 Corp. and the City, State and
Federal Governments for new buildings and site development.
The 74-acre Exposition site is just 1 mile north of
Seattle's downtown business area and a few hundred
yards from its salt water port facilities. The site lies
only three blocks from, the state's major north-south
highway.
The site will be divided into the five Worlds of Century
21,. connected by a network of walkways, streets and
plazas known as the Boulevards of the Worlds. In all,
the Exposition provides 400,000 square feet of exhibit
space in permanent buildings, 350,000 square feet in
temporary structures and 550,000 square feet of outdoor area for the construction of pavilions, restaurants,
shops and amusement attractions.
The  world  of  science
In September of 1959, the U. S. Government appropriated $9 million for the sponsorship of the World of
Science area in the Century 21 Exposition. The World
of Science will occupy 6y2 acres of the Exposition site.
The dominant structures in this area will be the $31/2
million U. S. international science buildings. Architects
for this complex are Minoru Yamasaki and Associates
of Detroit, and Naramore, Bain, Brady and Johanson,
of Seattle.
The United States Science Pavilion will consist of a
complex of five structures joined around a courtyard
pool and fountains, with arching domes on the terrace
entrance. It will be comparable in size and scope with
the American Pavilion at the Brussels World Fair. It
will be the principal theme project for the Exposition,
housing the most extensive science exhibit ever assembled by the United States, to depict the role of science
in modern civilization.
As a visitor approaches the entrance to the U. S. Science
Pavilion, he will see five arching towers, angular columns of concrete reaching to heights of 100 feet and
forming a vertical symbol of man's continuing quest of
knowledge from the universe. The five units of the pavilion actually form a group of attached buildings, varying in height from 30 to 50 feet. The entire complex is
built from precast, prestressed concrete, with a brilliant
light-reflecting finish of white quartz. Walls facing the
courtyard and major thoroughfares will gain additional
Century 21 Exposition, which will be held in Seattle, Wash., from April 21 through October 21, 1962, is shown here in model
form. Included in the exposition are the Coliseum Century 21, $4 million state of Washington financed pavilion, the $3.9 million U. S. Science Pavilion, the new Seattle Civic Center complex, including concert hall seating 3,100, exhibit banquet hall,
and small theater, and the  Memorial Stadium.
Five arching towers highlight the entrance of the U.S. Science Pavilion for
Century 21 Exposition. Featured in
the pavilion, a complex of five structures Joined around a courtyard pool
and fountains, will be a spacearium
enabling the viewer to study the solar
system as if from a point in outer
space. Architects are Minoru Yamasaki and Associates of Detroit, and
Naramore, Bain, Brady and Johnson of
Seattle. Exhibit designers are Walter
Dorwin Teague and Associates of New
York.
January  1961
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