Seattle Now and Then

Seattle Now & Then: April Fools!

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(click to enlarge photos)

THEN: Rising above the Champ de Mars in 1888, the Eiffel Tower’s iron lattice begins to dominate the Parisian skyline. Its completion provided a staggering exclamation point for the Exposition Universelle in 1889 — the same year Washington, thousands of miles west, joined the Union as the 42nd state. (Public Domain)
NOW: The Eiffel Tower stands 1,083 feet tall (including antennas). Despite its massive scale, it remains a masterpiece of airy efficiency: the iron framework weighs approximately 7,300 tons, for a total weight of roughly 10,100 tons. Beneath it, Olaf and Laura (who declined to offer their last names for privacy reasons) demonstrate that even in Paris, the lightest structures may be matters of the heart. (Bérangère Lomont)
THEN: Construction crews work at a fever pitch on the Space Needle’s core, racing toward the 1962 opening of the Century 21 Exposition. This utilitarian lot at 400 Broad Street — once a municipal fire-alarm center — became the most recognizable 120-by-120-foot patch of land in the Pacific Northwest. (Victor Lydgate / Paul Dorpat Collection)
NOW: Standing 605 feet tall, the Needle is a structural iceberg built to withstand extreme wind. Though only 60% the height of its Parisian cousin, it weighs nearly as much — 9,550 tons — anchored by a 5,850-ton foundation buried 30 feet deep, heavier than the steel tower above. Beneath it, Katie Phelps and Ethan Sherrard lean into the promise of an April kiss. (Jean Sherrard)

Published in The Seattle Times online on March 26, 2026
and in Pacific NW Magazine of the printed Times on March 29, 2026

April Foolery Quiz: Think you know the towers of Seattle and Paris?
By Jean Sherrard

Springtime in Paris brings “poisson d’avril” — literally “April Fish.” On the first of the month, children across France tape paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting people in a ritual of gentle mischief dating back to the 16th century. While some link the tradition to the lean meals of Lent, it primarily celebrates the “catch” of a good-natured prank.

For several years, we at “Now & Then” have marked the arrival of cherry blossoms and the promise of warmer weather with our own brand of civic April Foolery. With the help of noted Parisian photographer Bérangère Lomont, a longtime collaborator of our column, we offer an exercise featuring two great structures: the Eiffel Tower and the Space Needle. Each is shorthand for its city. But which is which — and which is not?

Space Needle or Eiffel Tower?

Choose one answer per question:

  • The Space Needle
  • The Eiffel Tower
  • Both
  • Neither

1. Which tower was built for a world’s fair celebrating technological progress?

2. Which one was conceived as a dining destination as much as an observation platform?

3. Plans for this one were first sketched on a napkin (or serviette, in French).

4. Which was primarily financed with significant government funding?

5. Financed largely with private capital, this structure generated enough revenue in its first year to repay its principal investor.

6. This one debuted in varied shades of red.

7. It was attacked by prominent artists as a monstrous eyesore.

8. Its official height increased after antennas were added.

9. Originally, it was intended to stand for only 20 years.

10. Which one was famously climbed by a reigning British monarch during its inaugural year?

The Answers (No Peeking!)

1: Both. The Eiffel Tower (1889) marked the centennial of the French Revolution. The Space Needle (1962) celebrated the Space Age.

2: Space Needle. Its revolving restaurant was central to the Century 21 vision.

3: Space Needle. Edward E. Carlson sketched his early concept after visiting Stuttgart’s TV tower.

4: Neither. Both relied primarily on private financing.

5: Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel’s personal underwriting reportedly paid off during the first year of operation.

6: Both. The Eiffel began “Venetian Red.” The Needle’s “Galaxy Gold” was more orange than gold.

7: Eiffel Tower. A “Committee of Three Hundred” artists protested it in 1887.

8: Both. Each gained height through later antenna additions.

9: Eiffel Tower. Its permit ran 20 years. Radio transmission saved it.

10: Neither. Queen Victoria never climbed the Eiffel (she died in 1901). Queen Elizabeth II visited Seattle in 1983, long after the Needle’s debut.

Scoring Your ‘Catch’
  • Master angler, 7–10 correct: You know your statehood and your steel. You’ve navigated the currents of history without getting snagged.
  • Expert troller, 4–6 correct: Deepwater understanding, though on technical details you may have swallowed a bit of bait.
  • Nibbler, 1–3 correct: You’ve got a taste for history, but big truths slipped the line.
  • The poisson d’avril, 0 correct: You are the catch of the day — hooked, lined, and sinkered by our historical lures. Wear your paper fish with pride. And if you’ve discovered that one of these towers has been quietly affixed to your back, consider yourself properly celebrated. After all, April belongs to the fish.
WEB EXTRAS

For a narrated 360 video of this quiz on location at the Seattle Center, click right here!

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