BONUS BUBBLEATOR EPISODE: Seattle Man Is Bringing Back The Iconic Bubbleator

About this episode

Feliks Banel interviews Ray Poletti about his project to create a replica of the iconic Bubbleator in Seattle.

Feliks Banel's guest on this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Ray Poletti, a Seattle man who's financing an effort - and leading a skilled team - to build a full-scale replica of the "Bubbleator." The Bubbleator was a spherical plexiglas elevator first created for the 1962 World's Fair for the World of Tomorrow exhibit in what's now Climate Pledge Arena, and which was later moved across the Seattle Center campus to the Food Circus (nowadays called The Armory). The original Bubbleator is privately owned and attached to a home near Des Moines, Washington. The new Bubbleator replica will go on display in Seattle at a yet-to-be-disclosed location during the summer of 2026. CASCADE OF HISTORY spoke with Ray Poletti on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Seattle Channel short feature on the history of the Bubbleator produced in 2022 by Feliks Banel: https://youtu.be/t6rRa52vDJc Links to more information as well as images related to most topics discussed on the show are often available at the CASCADE OF HISTORY Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/cascadeofhistory CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via flagship station SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and…

People in this episode

Host: Feliks Banel

Guest: Ray Poletti

Topics covered

• Bubbleator
• Seattle history
• 1962 World's Fair
• replica construction
• local culture
• elevators

Keywords

• Bubbleator
• Seattle
• Ray Poletti
• 1962 World's Fair
• replica
• elevator
• local history
• Seattle Center

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Seattle Channel

Books & works: Bubbleator

Places: Seattle, Des Moines, Washington, Seattle Center, Climate Pledge Arena

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