A friend (thanks, Nina!) recently introduced me to VintageSeattle.org and some pretty amazing photos posted earlier this month of the Space Needle mid-construction prior to the 1962 World’s Fair.

VintageSeattle blogger Jess Cliffe gave us permission to re-post a few of the pictures, which were provided to him courtesy of Josh Salwitz (thanks, Jess…and Josh!).

What strikes me most about these photos—other than how Lower Queen Anne seems to have really sprung up around the Needle and Seattle Center, and how crazy the Needle itself looks all yellow and half-built—is the very modern quality of the images.

All of the pictures are dated between 1961 and 1962, though they almost look like someone Photoshopped an unfinished Space Needle into a present picture—if it weren’t for the missing buildings and ’60s cars giving the year away.

The man or woman who was behind the lens, however, is a mystery. “Don’t know who the original photographer was, sadly,” Jess wrote.

Want to see more? You can view all of the photos here.

(Photos courtesy of Jess Cliffe and Josh Salwitz; thanks to Nina Pardo for the tip).

The Seattle Center Monorail just completed a $7.7 million overhaul of the red train, which returned to service last week–just in time for peak tourism season–according to our news partner The Seattle Times.

(Photo by Maarten van Stam courtesy of his Flickr page).

Funding for the work came from a mix of federal stimulus money, city bonds, and the monorail’s operating income. From the Times:

The suspension, interior electronics and pneumatic system were improved, and the electric-conducting rail on the concrete trackway has been replaced. Similar work was completed on the twin blue train in January 2009.

Since the one-mile monorail line opened nearly 50 years ago for the 1962 World’s Fair, the red train has traveled over 1 million miles–in other words, it was due for a tune up.

The Seattle Mural, which stands just under the Space Needle at the heart of Seattle Center, was commissioned over 50 years ago to world renowned collage/mosaic artist Paul Horiuchi for the 1962 World’s Fair. For the past five decades Horiuchi’s Venetian glass mosaic mural has been a gathering place at the Center as the face of the Mural Amphitheatre, and an artistic landmark of the city.

(Photo courtesy of Neil B. Waller via his Flickr page).

Partners in Preservation, an organization dedicated to preserving historic places across the country, has selected the mural as one of 25 historic sites in the Seattle/Puget Sound area up for a restoration grant. Because Partners in Preservation doesn’t have enough funding to restore all of the sites, they’ve put the decision to the community, inviting Seattleites and visitors to share their personal stories, pictures and experiences and vote for which places they wold like to see preserved, guaranteeing restoration to the site that receives the most votes.

From April 15 – May 12, vote here for the places you would like to see receive preservation funding. Each person can vote once daily for any of the 25 historic places. The winner of the public vote is guaranteed to receive a grant, so your votes really do count!

(Photo courtesy of John Hubbard via his Flickr page).

In an email sent out today, Partners in Preservation talked about its vision to restore the mural in time for the Center’s 50th Anniversary:

The Seattle Mural – created in 1962 for the Seattle World’s Fair – is pushing 50. And to be frank, the mid-century, glass mosaic masterpiece that serves as a colorful backdrop for the Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center is showing its age. Many of its pieces are missing, faded or cracked. It desperately needs a facelift.

With your vote, Seattle Center can revitalize this landmark artwork in time for the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair.

Partners in Preservation is also hosting an open house at the mural on Sunday, May 2 from noon to 5 p.m. There will be live music, cake, a paper collage workshop for kids, and a display of 1962 World’s Fair memorabilia.

Read up on Horiuchi’s Seattle Mural here.

(Disclaimer: Parnters in Preservation is a sponsor of QueenAnneView).