Renovation of the Space Needle just got a big lift.
A ring of scaffolding, called an “elevated lift platform,” was hoisted 500 feet in the wee hours of Saturday, a key step in the Space Needle’s glassy face-lift.
Nestled into place by 12 motor-driven cables, the platform will create an enclosed workspace under the Space Needle’s “Tophouse,” or crown.
From there, flooring in the Needle’s restaurant — closed until May 2018 — will be replaced with glass.
The observation deck’s cage-like enclosure will be replaced with glass floor-to-ceiling panels. The aim is to expand views by more than 25 percent.
Work on the observation deck will be done in sections, like slices of a pie, moving counterclockwise one-sixth of the Tophouse at a time, sparing the deck from a complete shutdown.
The entire renovation will probably take years, but the revamped restaurant and observation deck are expected to be completed by next summer. The more-than-$100-million renovation will be funded entirely by the Wright family, which owns the Needle.
