Demolition begins on Seattle Center NASA Building that played key role in 1962's space race

A piece of Seattle and NASA history is being torn down in the process of redeveloping the arena at Seattle Center for a new NHL hockey team. The NASA building was part of the 1962 World’s Fair. It displayed key space technology and was visited by the likes of John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.

The NASA building sits right next to the arena at 1st and Thomas. If you didn't realize that the building had so much history, don't worry you're not alone. It was only a NASA building for two years. In 1964, it was converted to storage.

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NASA's $2 million exhibit was its first large-scale attempt to tell the story of the space program. Visitors got an up-close look at present-day technology, like the Mercury Space Craft.

The Friendship 7 Space Capsule was displayed in the Seattle Center NASA building shortly after John Glenn orbited the earth in it. The Friendship 7 was then taken directly to the Smithsonian Museum.

The building was part of a Seattle Landmark study in 2013, but it wasn't given landmark status.

Its historical use was brief, but very significant, and the demolition will make way for more history to be made with Seattle's new NHL hockey team scheduled to start play in 2021.

Cox Media Group