Event: Hop On The Monorail to Century 21

I wish there were more expositions like the one held in Seattle in 1962. Going under the name Century 21, it showcased the best, brightest and most future minded technology available at the time – including pagers, exciting cars that looked like they could fly, various satellites and the NASA Mercury project to name a few. The grounds of the fair were divided into different areas for easier navigation with names such as World of Science, World of Century 21, Show Street, Gayway, Boulevards of the World, Food and Favors and so on. I love how the photos below bring out the innocence and positive future thinking from that time, something that the world needs more of today I think. Additional Century 21 goodness after the jump.

Below is a 15 minute film produced at the fair for Bell Systems (yes the phone company), centered around their pavilion and showing off their latest technology breakthroughs. It starts with a ride on the Monorail from downtown Seattle and follows two youngsters and their adventures around the fair, ending up in a trip up iconic Googie landmark the Space Needle, which has become synonymous with Seattle. The movie is well worth seeing.

Images via Gorillas Don’t Blog and The University of Washington Libraries

About the author: Chris

Founded Ultra Swank in 2005. Has a crush on Pan Am, Disneyland and the Century 21 Exposition. Lives life as an expat in Barcelona, Spain.

Show all my posts | Print / PDF version

Ride the Monorail

The Seattle World’s Fair in 1962 with the theme Century 21 has to be the coolest fair ever! Go from downtown Seattle on the monorail, speeding along high above the streets of Seattle. The fair (Read more)

Century 21 – Seattle World’s Fair ...

Let’s climb aboard the Alweg Monorail in Downtown Seattle and take a trip back to the 1962 World’s Fair: Man in the Space Age. The Century 21 Exposition brought the first World’s Fair in North (Read more)

1964 New York World’s Fair

I have two favorite World’s Fair expositions. The first one being the 1962 held in Seattle, also known as Century 21, the second one is the fair that was held in Queens, New York in (Read more)

http://telstarlounge.blogspot.com Charles

Great pictures and it is a treat to eat in the Space Needle.
http://www.ultraswank.net Chris

I wouldn’t know Charles, seeing I have yet to visit the needle. But I trust your Californian judgment.
http://telstarlounge.blogspot.com Charles

I was there when I was perhaps 20 and stayed at the Tropics Motel–a great tiki-themed motel–that has since been bulldozed of course. The Alweg monorail is a blast. We rode it from the Space Needle to the Bon Marche to go shopping. On vacation, it’s important to spend LOTS of money.
http://www.ultraswank.net Chris

Sounds like a great trip Charles! I wish there were Tiki-themed bars, motels and monorails here in Sweden also. I agree with you about spending money, it’s important to do whatever you like and have fun on vacations. Money is meant to be spent!
http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com Yowp

If you want to check out an industrial film about part of the Fair, check out http://www.archive.org/details/Century21964
It’s rather drab but it’s got the Capitol Hi-Q library in the background and opens with Roger Roger’s Vitesse from the Sam Fox library.
http://www.ultraswank.net Chris

Thank you Yowp. I guess you got too overexcited reading the post so you didn’t even see that I embedded that one movie in it?
http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com Yowp

I see what the problem was, Chris. I didn’t hit “continue reading” so I didn’t see the video embedded.

The Space Needle is about 135 miles south of here. It’s been many years since I’ve been up to the restaurant up top. It’s a fun little elevator trip.

By the way, I’m looking forward to more of your music compilations. I’ve been trying to collect copies of the music on the Hi-Q library ‘L’ series.

Ultra Swank takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic and swank living of the 50s, 60s and the 70s. We mainly focus on the design, architecture and the lifestyle of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times. Ultra Swank is run by Chris, a Swede born in the wrong decade that currently resides in Barcelona. Read more

Subscribe and follow Ultra Swank

Retro Airline and Host...

Mark Shaw’s Lost...

Classic Las Vegas Hote...

Beautiful End Titles...