Slide Show: The Space Needle v. Other Cities’ Famous Monuments

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EIFFEL TOWER
Paris, France • 1,063 feet
Decidedly ahead of its time: 47 prominent Paris writers and artists wrote a letter condemning the tower’s “barbarous mass” as a “stupefying folly” whose “odious shadow” would spread like an ink stain across their beloved city.

Image: Alexander Chaikin/Shutterstock

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GATEWAY ARCH
St. louis, Missouri • 630 feet
Free of sci-fi associations, period design trends, or commercial kitsch, the Arch is a better candidate for timeless excellence than most other monuments. The open Mississippi River waterfront offers more drama than the Space Needle’s congested urban site.

Image: Planet5D LLC/Shutterstock

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STRATOSPHERE TOWER
Las Vegas, Nevada • 1,149 feet
Overall rocket shape is interesting, but vast, plain concrete surfaces are tedious. Stratosphere Tower makes a stronger impression at a distance than the Space Needle because of its larger size, but the Space Needle rewards with finer detail at close range.

Image: Jeremy Zawodny

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TOWER OF THE AMERICAS
San Antonio, Texas • 750 feet
Like the Space Needle, San Antonio’s tower was the centerpiece of a world’s fair—HemisFair ’68.

Image: Visit San Antonio

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