Space Tower to come down at State Fair Park

The Arrows to Atoms Space Tower — the last reminder of an era when State Fair Park was home to futuristic attractions and tributes to the city’s past — is set to come down this winter, ending 50 years as an iconic part of the city’s skyline.

In an interview with The

Oklahoman on Thursday, Oklahoma State Fair CEO Tim O’Toole said the 330-foothigh tower and ride has stood dormant since it was damaged by flooding in the spring of 2010. The same high waters also led to the closing and ultimate demolition of another landmark — downtown’s Stage Center.

“It’s an old structure,” O’Toole said. “We were in the process of evaluating the electrical controls, the European and American mechanical systems, and then the fairgrounds and a large part of Oklahoma City were flooded.”

Both Stage Center and the Space Tower (also known as the Space Needle) were built with submerged plazas at their bases, which led to extensive damage to their electrical and mechanical systems.

Increased frequency of high winds led to further concern about the tower’s stability. High winds took down a nearby arch that was a smaller replica of the arch in St. Louis.

“Three significant wind storms came across the fairgrounds and we had a structural engineer under the city’s guidance look at the base and the structure,” O’Toole said. “It wasn’t a total shock when we learned about the deteriorated conditions.”

A community discussion was recently launched by Mayor David Holt in which ideas are being sought for a potential MAPS 4. Ideas discussed on social media have included restoring the Space Tower, but O’Toole said the cost just to stabilize the rusting tower and base would top $1 million.

Millions more would be needed to restore the cab and

[THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES] The Monorail and Space Tower at State Fair Park both enjoyed corporate sponsors and were still iconic symbols of the annual State Fair of Oklahoma when this photo was taken in 2001.