| Sunsphere |
 | | Information | | Location | Knoxville, Tennessee, USA | | Status | Complete | | Constructed | 1982 | | Use | Observation tower, restaurant | | Height | | Roof | 81.07 m (266 ft) | | Companies | | Architect | Community Tectonics | | Structural Engineer | Rentenbach | | Services Engineer | Rentenbach | The Sunsphere is an 81.07 m (266-foot) high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a 23m (74-foot) bronze glass-plated sphere. It is the most distinctive structure on the Knoxville, Tennessee skyline. Sunsphere, Knoxville TN - used by permission File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Nickname: The Marble City, K-Town, Big Orange Country, Knox Vegas, 865 Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee Coordinates: Cities in Tennessee Tennessee Government - Mayor Bill Haslam (R) Area - City 254. ...
1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ...
A regular hexagon. ...
The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ...
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a static structure consisting of straight slender members inter-connected at joints into triangular units. ...
A sphere is a perfectly symmetrical geometrical object. ...
Nickname: The Marble City, K-Town, Big Orange Country, Knox Vegas, 865 Location within the U.S. State of Tennessee Coordinates: Cities in Tennessee Tennessee Government - Mayor Bill Haslam (R) Area - City 254. ...
A skyline is best described as the overall or partial view or relief of a citys tall buildings and structures consisting of many skyscrapers. ...
Designed by the Knoxville architectural 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. Today, most of the World's Fair site is a public park and a convention center, but the Sunsphere itself shows no sign of going away. The 1982 Worlds Fair Logo. ...
In its original design, the sphere portion was to have had a diameter of 86.5 feet to symbolically represent the 865,000-mile 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 203,689 cubic feet and a surface of 16,742 square feet.
During the fair it cost $2 to take the elevator to its observation deck. The tower served as a restaurant and featured items such as the Sunburger and a drink called the Sunburst. It was then was painted blue but has since been repainted forest green.
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. May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (133rd in leap years). ...
1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Sunsphere has been used as a symbol for Knoxville, appearing in postcards and logos. 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 and it featured red hair and a body shaped like the Sunsphere. In October 1987, the sphere was illuminated to represent a huge jack-o-lantern. 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 on Tuesday, May 17, 2000. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
Arizona Diamondbacks National League AAA Tucson Sidewinders AA Tennessee Smokies A Lancaster JetHawks South Bend Silver Hawks Yakima Bears R Missoula Osprey The Tennessee Smokies are a minor league baseball team based near Knoxville, Tennessee. ...
The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the pinnacle competition held annually by the Amateur Athletic Union. ...
1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
As a result of migrating American starlings leaving too much guano on the towers frame, in 2003, the Knoxville Public Buildings Authority purchased from Avian Systems Corporation a device that emits various noises to scare the birds away from the tower. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A similarly designed tower by architect Marc Cardoso called the Tower of Power was rejected by fair planners in 1977.[citation needed] For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
To most residents the Sunsphere is seen as an iconic symbol of the city of Knoxville, but to some it is more frequently "appreciated" for its eccentricity and uselessness than its unique design[attribution needed]. University of Tennessee students (adjacent to the site) have occasionally held competitions for "alternate uses" of the Sunsphere. The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ...
Redevelopment Although the Sunsphere is the most recognized feature of the Knoxville cityscape, it has remained vacant for most of its post-fair life, being used however from 1992 to 1997 as the Knoxville Welcome Center. 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. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...
1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1991 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." 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) is a professional mens basketball league in the United States. ...
1994 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). These proposals included: 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...
Dallas redirects here. ...
Reunion Tower Reunion Tower, known locally as The Ball, The Big Ball, The Dandelion, or The Microphone, is an 170. ...
- 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.
1999 The Sunsphere is proposed to be included as part of the newly constructed Knoxville Convention Center, but those plans never fully materialized. Instead, during construction of the Knoxville Convention Center, it served as the contractors office for parties involved in the construction of the center.
2005 Kinsey Probasco & Associates of Chattanooga propose reopening the tower complete with a renovated restaurant, snack bar, office space and a public observation deck. Chattanooga is a city located in United States of America. ...
Sunsphere in popular culture A March 1996 episode of The Simpsons, 3F17 (Bart on the Road), features the Sunsphere. As they arrive at the World's Fair site, the sign reads "WO..D F.IR", as if the sign were deteriorating. Nelson, the series' bully, accidentally topples the object (which, in The Simpsons' universe, has become a center for wig outlets) during the episode, which pays ironic tribute to the 1982 World's Fair. There is some speculation that the wig shop angle was inspired by J's Mega Mart, a nearby emporium notable for its selection of Korean snack food and a large stock of wigs. Simpsons redirects here. ...
Bart on the Road is the twentieth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. ...
Irony, from the Greek εἴÏων (iron), is a literary or rhetorical device made of iron, in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says, and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history). ...
See also Worlds Fair is any of various large expositions held since the mid-19th century. ...
This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. ...
References - Hullander, Douglas. (March 6, 2006) "Monumental stats; Ever Wonder?; From the Sunsphere to Sharps Ridge, some facts and figures about our local landmarks." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Hayes, Hickman. (January 26, 2005) "Park Pitches; Four finalists present plans to renovate World's Fair properties." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Higgins, M. Trevor. (December 30, 2003) "Hootin', honkin' Sunsphere." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- News Briefs. (May 17, 2000) "Bomb protesters surrender." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Balloch, Jim.(January 21, 1999) "Future of Sunsphere is up in air; Empty now, it may become function of convention center." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Dean, Jacquelyn B. (April 1, 1994) "Restaurant groups envision Sunsphere for 'high dining'." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Hyams, Jimmy. (March 17, 1991) "CBA team executives to pay visit." Knoxville News-Sentinel.
- Staff writers. (November 1, 1984) "World's Fair designers cleared of copying plans." Engineering News-Record.
- Staff reports. (May 13, 1982) "Fair Structure Damaged." The Washington Post.
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