325-foot-tall Space Needle-like tower proposed for Rosslyn

A new, sky-high tourist destination is planned for Rosslyn, Virginia. ARLnow reported that local developer James H. Burch plans on constructing a 325-foot-tall, Space Needle-like tower, called, “Spirit of America Tower.”

The tower is planned to be interactive and an “introductory museum” on Washington, D.C. and its founding principles. The description of the project reads, “This monument will be one in which [visitors] see the radical beauty in those plans and that they have the opportunity to live up to the founders’ hopes for America.”

There will be at least three levels on the tower, including an observation deck, a landing deck, and an event facility deck, as reported by ARLnow. In an email, Burch further told ARLnow:

“It will be one floor of parking (all parking on site), one floor of introductory experiences on top of the garage, and all covered by a 4-acre landscaped public park, with walking and bike paths. There will be one 10,000 sq. ft. floor at the top of a spindle, accessed by glass elevators, and another 10,000 sq. ft. floor at that elevation for events — 650 sit-down dinner or 1,000 for a standing reception.”

On the location, “the tower would be built on VDOT land alongside Route 110, near the junction with I-66,” reported ARLnow. Construction is estimated to begin a year and a half from now.

• Developer Planning ‘Spirit of America Tower’ in Rosslyn [ARLnow]