Sunsphere
Encyclopedia
The Sunsphere, in Knoxville
, Tennessee
, is an 81.07 m (266 ft) high hexagonal steel
truss
structure, topped with a 23 m (75 ft) gold-colored glass sphere
that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair
.
ural firm Community Tectonics, the Sunsphere was created as the theme structure for the 1982 World's Fair. It was noted for its unique design in several engineering publications. Most of the World's Fair site is now a public park and a convention center, but the Sunsphere remains.
In its original design, the sphere portion was to have had a diameter of 86.5 feet (26.4 m) to represent symbolically the 865000 miles (1,392,079.1 km) diameter sun
. The tower's window glass panels are layered in 24-karat gold
dust and cut to seven different shapes. It weighs 600 tons and features six double steel
truss
columns in supporting the seven-story sphere. The tower has a volume of 203689 cubic feet (5,767.8 m³) and a surface of 16742 square feet (1,555.4 m²).
. The tower served as a restaurant and featured food items such as the Sunburger and a rum and fruit juice cocktail called the Sunburst. In the early morning hours on May 12, 1982, a shot was fired from outside the fair site and shattered one of the sphere's windows. No one was ever arrested for the incident.
The Sunsphere has been used as a symbol for Knoxville, appearing in postcards and logo
s. Between 1993 and 1999, the Sunsphere was featured in part on the logo for the Knoxville Smokies
minor league baseball
club. The 2002 AAU Junior Olympics mascot
Spherit took its inspiration from the landmark. It featured red hair and a body shaped like the Sunsphere. On Sunday, May 15, 2000, nuclear weapons protesters scaled the tower and hung a large banner that said "Stop the Bombs." They remained on the tower for three days before surrendering to police. The Sunsphere is also featured in the logo for the Hard Knox Roller Girls
women's flat-track roller derby
league and their mascot, Sphere This also took it's inspiration from the Knoxville landmark.
Although the Sunsphere is the most recognized feature of the Knoxville cityscape, it has remained vacant or underutilized for most of its post-fair life. Various proposals have been submitted to the city from time to time for its redevelopment. Many argue its relevancy as a tall structure, because it was built in one of the lowest parts of the city.
In March 1991 officials from the Pensacola Tornados
of the Continental Basketball Association
were looking at Knoxville for possible location and said of the Sunsphere as potential office space, "What better place for basketball offices than a giant gold basketball in the sky."
A pair of failed proposals was presented to the World's Fair Park Development Committee on March 31, 1994, that sought to reopen the Sunsphere as a restaurant (similar to Dallas' Reunion Tower
, which features a restaurant at the top of the tower). The proposal from CEB Enterprises would have opened a casual dining restaurant called World's Fare Restaurant. The proposal from Cierra Restaurant Group would have opened a fine dining restaurant.
The Sunsphere was proposed to be included as part of the new Knoxville Convention Center
. While not physically incorporated into the final design, the Convention Center was designed with an open curve along its north edge to allow access to the Sunsphere. During construction of the Convention Center, the observation deck, which had been briefly reopened by the city (still sporting the original World's Fair-era displays and explanations of the panorama), was closed while the tower was commandeered by the Knoxville Public Building Authority as offices for, quite literally, overseeing the construction of the Convention Center. The Convention Center was completed in 2001.
Kinsey Probasco Hays of Chattanooga propose reopening the tower complete with a renovated restaurant, snack bar, office space and a public observation deck.
.
On August 27, 2008 the 5th floor was opened as the SkyBox bar and lounge. It has since closed, and now business offices are on the 5th, 7th, and 8th floors.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, is an 81.07 m (266 ft) high hexagonal steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
structure, topped with a 23 m (75 ft) gold-colored glass sphere
Sphere
A sphere is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in two dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance r from the center point...
that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair
1982 World's Fair
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...
.
Design
Designed by the Knoxville architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
ural firm Community Tectonics, the Sunsphere was created as the theme structure for the 1982 World's Fair. It was noted for its unique design in several engineering publications. Most of the World's Fair site is now a public park and a convention center, but the Sunsphere remains.
In its original design, the sphere portion was to have had a diameter of 86.5 feet (26.4 m) to represent symbolically the 865000 miles (1,392,079.1 km) diameter sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. The tower's window glass panels are layered in 24-karat gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
dust and cut to seven different shapes. It weighs 600 tons and features six double steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
columns in supporting the seven-story sphere. The tower has a volume of 203689 cubic feet (5,767.8 m³) and a surface of 16742 square feet (1,555.4 m²).
History
During the fair it cost $2 to take the elevator to its observation deckObservation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
. The tower served as a restaurant and featured food items such as the Sunburger and a rum and fruit juice cocktail called the Sunburst. In the early morning hours on May 12, 1982, a shot was fired from outside the fair site and shattered one of the sphere's windows. No one was ever arrested for the incident.
The Sunsphere has been used as a symbol for Knoxville, appearing in postcards and logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s. Between 1993 and 1999, the Sunsphere was featured in part on the logo for the Knoxville Smokies
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in the Knoxville, Tennessee metropolitan area. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball as of the 2011 season...
minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
club. The 2002 AAU Junior Olympics mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
Spherit took its inspiration from the landmark. It featured red hair and a body shaped like the Sunsphere. On Sunday, May 15, 2000, nuclear weapons protesters scaled the tower and hung a large banner that said "Stop the Bombs." They remained on the tower for three days before surrendering to police. The Sunsphere is also featured in the logo for the Hard Knox Roller Girls
Hard Knox Roller Girls
Hard Knox Roller Girls or HKRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 2006, the league played their sixth season in 2011. HKRG is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association . HKRG is a 5013 non-profit organization that is skater owned and...
women's flat-track roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league and their mascot, Sphere This also took it's inspiration from the Knoxville landmark.
Redevelopment
In March 1991 officials from the Pensacola Tornados
Pensacola Tornados
The Pensacola Tornados were a basketball team that played in Pensacola, Florida in the Continental Basketball Association from 1985-1991.-1985-1986 Season:...
of the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
were looking at Knoxville for possible location and said of the Sunsphere as potential office space, "What better place for basketball offices than a giant gold basketball in the sky."
A pair of failed proposals was presented to the World's Fair Park Development Committee on March 31, 1994, that sought to reopen the Sunsphere as a restaurant (similar to Dallas' Reunion Tower
Reunion Tower
Reunion Tower is a observation tower and one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas, Texas. Located at 300 Reunion Blvd. in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, the tower is part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex, and is the 15th tallest building in Dallas...
, which features a restaurant at the top of the tower). The proposal from CEB Enterprises would have opened a casual dining restaurant called World's Fare Restaurant. The proposal from Cierra Restaurant Group would have opened a fine dining restaurant.
The Sunsphere was proposed to be included as part of the new Knoxville Convention Center
Knoxville Convention Center
The Knoxville Convention Center is a 500,000-square-foot convention center in Knoxville, Tennessee. It offers of exhibit space.- External links :http://www.knoxvilletennessee.com...
. While not physically incorporated into the final design, the Convention Center was designed with an open curve along its north edge to allow access to the Sunsphere. During construction of the Convention Center, the observation deck, which had been briefly reopened by the city (still sporting the original World's Fair-era displays and explanations of the panorama), was closed while the tower was commandeered by the Knoxville Public Building Authority as offices for, quite literally, overseeing the construction of the Convention Center. The Convention Center was completed in 2001.
Kinsey Probasco Hays of Chattanooga propose reopening the tower complete with a renovated restaurant, snack bar, office space and a public observation deck.
Reopening
25 years after the Fair, the level 4 observation deck was reopened July 5, 2007 to give visitors a view of Knoxville. The observation deck can hold 86 people. At the time of its reopening, level 5 became a cafe with sandwich and drinks service and an early evening drinks service. Level 6 served as an open space leased out for functions. Both levels 5 and 6 are being managed by Southern Graces Catering and Events. Level 7 (Upper Restaurant level) & Level 8 (Mountain View Observation Level) will become the offices for the Knoxville magazine Metro PulseMetro Pulse
Metro Pulse is a weekly newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee.It was founded in 1991 by Ashley Capps, Rand Pearson, Ian Blackburn, and Margaret Weston. Metro Pulse has been a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies since 1993....
.
On August 27, 2008 the 5th floor was opened as the SkyBox bar and lounge. It has since closed, and now business offices are on the 5th, 7th, and 8th floors.
In popular culture
- The rockabilly band Jason D. Williams and the Scorchers performed on top of the Sunsphere on Memorial Day 1990 as a part of Knoxville's holiday celebration and to film a promotional video for Tennessee Illustrated Magazine. The resulting video appeared on MTV and Entertainment Tonight, and the stunt made front page news across the state.
- A March 1996 episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, 3F17 ("Bart on the RoadBart on the Road"Bart on the Road" is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 1996. In the episode, Bart makes his own fake driver's license. He rents a car with it and takes Milhouse, Martin, and Nelson on a road trip to...
"), features the Sunsphere. BartBart SimpsonBartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and three friends travel to Knoxville and find that the Sunsphere has become a dilapidated storage warehouse for a wigWigA wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
store, known as "The Wigsphere". Nelson MuntzNelson MuntzNelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role...
then topples the Sunsphere after he throws a rock at it causing it to land on top of and completely crush their rental car.
External links
- The Sunsphere (World's Fair Park website)