Inge Johnsson Photography

Great Wheel

The Seattle Great Wheel is a giant Ferris wheel at Pier 57 on Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington, United States. With an overall height of 175 feet, it became the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast of the United States when it opened on June 29, 2012. Seattle was the third city in North America to offer a wheel of this design, following the Niagara SkyWheel at Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Canada, which is also 175 feet tall, and the larger Myrtle Beach SkyWheel in South Carolina, which is 187 feet tall. The Seattle wheel is the only one of the three to be built over water. The Seattle Great Wheel has 42 climate-controlled gondolas, each able to carry up to eight passengers (except the "VIP" gondola, seating four), giving a maximum capacity of over 300. The 12-minute ride extends 40 feet out over Elliott Bay. Seattle businessman and waterfront developer Hal Griffith has envisioned a Ferris wheel on Elliott Bay for nearly 30 years. Along with his family, he is the owner of the Pier 57 upon which the Seattle Great Wheel is located. In addition to the wheel, the pier is the location of Miner's Landing, which consists of souvenir gift shops, tourist attractions, and variety of seafood restaurants. During the 1980s, Griffith began developing plans to ensure the perpetual existence and success of the family's business ventures on the pier. His plans had long included continual development of the waterfront on Puget Sound to provide entertainment and recreational opportunities for tourists and local residents. His goal was to drive success through innovative ideas, staying a step ahead of the competition. Griffith often met logistical and political roadblocks that inhibited development on the waterfront, but he was determined to build the Ferris wheel on Pier 57, located adjacent to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

Filename: SeattleGreatWheel2.jpg
Copyright: Copyright for these photos belongs solely to Inge Johnsson. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Image Size: 3840x5760 / 2.3MB; America American Elliott Bay Ferris Wheel Great Wheel North America Pacific Pacific Northwest Puget Sound Seattle US USA United States Washington architectural architecture blue boat boats building buildings cities city cityscape cityscapes color colorful colors colour colourful colours direction downtown dusk evening exterior exteriors harbor harbour high rise high rises high-rise high-rises horizontal icon icons landmark landmarks light lights location locations marina metropolitan nature night nightfall outdoor outdoors outside pier piers port ride scenery scenic scenics skies sky skyline skylines skyscraper skyscrapers sundown sunset tall transportation travel travels trip twilight urban west western wheel
Contained in galleries: Seattle

The Seattle Great Wheel is a giant Ferris wheel at Pier 57 on Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington, United States. With an overall height of 175 feet, it became the tallest Ferris wheel on the west coast of the United States when it opened on June 29, 2012. Seattle was the third city in North America to offer a wheel of this design, following the Niagara SkyWheel at Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, Canada, which is also 175 feet tall, and the larger Myrtle Beach SkyWheel in South Carolina, which is 187 feet tall. The Seattle wheel is the only one of the three to be built over water. The Seattle Great Wheel has 42 climate-controlled gondolas, each able to carry up to eight passengers (except the "VIP" gondola, seating four), giving a maximum capacity of over 300. The 12-minute ride extends 40 feet out over Elliott Bay. Seattle businessman and waterfront developer Hal Griffith has envisioned a Ferris wheel on Elliott Bay for nearly 30 years. Along with his family, he is the owner of the Pier 57 upon which the Seattle Great Wheel is located. In addition to the wheel, the pier is the location of Miner's Landing, which consists of souvenir gift shops, tourist attractions, and variety of seafood restaurants. During the 1980s, Griffith began developing plans to ensure the perpetual existence and success of the family's business ventures on the pier. His plans had long included continual development of the waterfront on Puget Sound to provide entertainment and recreational opportunities for tourists and local residents. His goal was to drive success through innovative ideas, staying a step ahead of the competition. Griffith often met logistical and political roadblocks that inhibited development on the waterfront, but he was determined to build the Ferris wheel on Pier 57, located adjacent to the Alaskan Way Viaduct.