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Sunday, August 7,1960
Century 21 To Highlight Sixties In Seatt
LOOMING BIG on the economic horizon, Century
21 Exposition promises to dominate Seattle's
J era of dynamic growth in the 1960s.
Embracing an investment of more than 70 million dollars, the international space age world fair
is generating dollar activity with a total impact
expected to surpass the upsurges of both the Alaska-
Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 and World War II.
PAYROLLS, both direct and indirect, will reap
a lion's share of the dollar turnover.
Joseph E. Gandy, exposition president, estimates that some 40 million dollars of the total investment will be spent locally, with roughly half going
into paychecks.
Century 21 Exposition now has a full-time paid
staff of 50 persons in its headquarters at 312-lst
Ave. N. on the fair grounds. It is estimated that
the staff will number 200 by the time the exposition
opens, and will be supplemented by 800 temporary
workers during the six months of the fair.
SOME OF Seattle's most astute business leaders
have identified Century 21 Exposition as a tnagnet
drawing millions of dollars from all over the nation
and the world.
They pinpoint the exposition as the highlight
of the Sixties—and possibly of the century.
Keyed to the theme of Man in the Space Age,
with ''something for everybody'' throughout the 74-
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country.
OF PARALLEL importance, the Bureau of International Expositions in Paris
has sanctioned Century 21
Exposition participation by
its many member nations. It
is the nation's second fair
in history to receive this approval. As a result, there
should be large-scale foreign
participation.
Also, the United States
government has appropriated 9 million dollars for its
participation, a sum much
larger than any budgeted
for previous fairs and expositions.
TOGETHER, these give
unprecedented stature and
prestige to Century 21
Exposition.
The exposition attained its
first substance in the Legislature of 1955, which created
the World Fair Commission.
The next year, Seattle
voters authorized a IV2 -million-dollar bond issue for
land and buildings, and the
following year the state appropriated an equal amount
for the same purpose.
Congress appropriated the
9 million dollars last year
to create the exposition's
stellar attraction, the federal World of Science exhibit, and to erect the dramatic permanent structures
to house it.
EXISTING facilities already on the site have an
exposition value of 15 million dollars and replacement
costs would be much higher,
A total of 207 old and
substandard buildings have
been removed from the exposition grounds, which include 35 city blocks.
Groundbreaking ceremonies launching new construction for the exposition were
held last May 12, when work
was begun on the spectacular 4-million-dollar, state-financed Coliseum.
DURING THE exposition,
the Coliseum will house one
of the major exhibits, the
World of Tomorrow—a demonstration of how man will
live, work and play in the
21st Century.
The Coliseum is designed
for conversion after the exposition into an 18,000-seat
sports-convention facility in
the permanent civic "center
complex.
Supporting the aim of
"something for everybody"
and complementing the scientific and ultramodern exhibits, will be the following
thematic areas:
WORLD OF ARTS, inter
national offerings of both
the fine arts and performing arts; World of Commerce and Industry, memorable presentations by leading industrial -firms of the
world, and World of Entertainment, traditional and sophisticated amusement zone
packed with new thrills and
fun.
All of these will be linked
by the gay and colorful
Boulevards of the World, a
web of malls where exposition visitors will become
world travelers regaled by
acre grounds in the heart of Seattle, the exposition
has its sights set on a paid attendance of 10 million
persons.
CENTURY 21 Exposition has become international big business, unique in several ways, that will
focus world attention on this area between April 21
and October 21, 1962, and in years that follow,.
Initially, the United States Department of State,
at the direction of the President, has officially invited 85 foreign nations to participate in Century 21
Exposition. Such governmental recognition never before has been accorded any fair or exposition in this
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exotic restaurants, bazaars,
specialty shops and handicraft marts.
A FOCAL point of spectacular beauty will be at the
International Plaza, where
the Boulevards converge at
the center of the fair
grounds. It will be an arresting composition of playing water, sculpture and
lights,
The display is being financed by the city at a cost
of $250,000 and the Seattle
Art Commission is conducting an international competition for its design.
Another area of particular
local interest will be the
Washington State Pavilion,
housing elaborate exhibits
by the state's industries and
business organizations.
In addition to the economic activity generated by
the giant fair, the collateral
benefits are numerous.
An early-stage example is
the state-wide Century 21
E x p 0 s i tion beautification
program in full stride with
114 communities participating.
TOURISM, already one of
the region's largest industries, will get a big boost
from the fair.
In recognition of this,
Expo Lodging Service, Inc.,
has been formed by hotel,
motel and apartment operators to insure adequate planning, standards, prices and
expediting of reservations.
A similar non-profit organization covering food and
beverage operations is in the
formative stage.
