Seattle Center, the location of city’s iconic Space Needle, will install a 200-foot tall observation wheel in April and leave it up for the Center’s 50th Anniversary in 2012. This isn’t the only manifestation of the global mega wheel trend in Seattle. The owner of Pier 57 plans to install one on his waterfront site and he’s not pleased that the city decided to put up their own first. The city responded that theirs will be gone before he can get his up (they said he has a “long permitting process” ahead of him, which I’m sure they didn’t mean in an obstructive way). Seattle is partnering with Great City Attractions, a British company that is operating wheels in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Singapore, which holds the record for tallest. The company’s plans for huge wheels in Beijing, Orlando, and Berlin have all stalled with financial difficulties. The Seattle wheel will be placed between the EMP and Center House, filling the gap left by the closed Fun Forest amusement park rides. The tippy top of the Space Needle’s aircraft beacon is at 605 feet, so the wheel will still be dwarfed by the city’s futuristic symbol.