Marvels of Modernism: Pacific Science Center Courtyard

Image

Minoru Yamasaki designed what is now the Pacific Science Center’s courtyard as the U.S. Science Pavilion for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington.

Yamasaki incorporated white “wedding cake” courtyard walls, white sculpted arches, and concrete platforms “floating” in serene reflection pools to create an abstractly classical and thoroughly unique space. Yamasaki’s design featured ornate formations of cast concrete and high-tech materials decorated with a Modern Gothic motif. While significant both regionally (as the only remaining outdoor space originally designed for the 1962 World’s Fair) and internationally (as a design by the noted architect of the World Trade Center Towers), the Pacific Science Center lacks the funds for needed maintenance of the space.

> View Online Exhibit