DNA Tower (King's Park)
The King's Park DNA Tower is a structure in Perth, Western Australia.[1]
It was built in 1966 by the Gradisen family, a Dutch migrant family who had migrated to Australia in 1951.[2] The person responsible for it being build was the park's director at the time, John Beard, who was also responsible for setting up the park's botanic gardens.[1] The double-helix design was decided upon for pragmatic reasons, for the convenience it provided for people to climb and descend from the staircase.[1]
It is built on the highest point of the park, and is a white 15 metres (49 ft) high double helix staircase with 101 steps. It was inspired by a double staircase in the Château de Blois in France. Its design resembles the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule. The paving below the DNA Tower is made with stones sent from 11 towns and 80 shires in Western Australia.[1]
The tower was briefly closed in 2021 due to corrosion but was refurbished and repainted in 2021.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Wynne, Emma (2021-07-18). "Genomic climb: Perth's romantic DNA tower to reopen after refresh". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
- ^ "Success in the Gradisen family's DNA". Community News. 2021-06-03. Archived from the original on 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-08-16.