Stairway to the Stars - BGT History - Busch Gardens Tampa History

The first part of a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for many years, Stairway to the Stars was often listed as a separate attraction in early maps and brochures. The large outdoor escalator transported guests to the observation deck on the roof of the brewery, over a reflecting pool below.

Fast Facts:

Official Open Date: March 22, 1961
Close Date: December 21, 1995

History

In a June 1960 newspaper article, Anheuser-Busch company president August A. Busch Jr. shared details on two new projects at the gardens, including one for $350,000 with an escalator to carry guests to the brewery roof as part of their tour. It was to be named Stairway to the Stars.

The park officially announced the project on October 22, 1960. The project’s centerpiece was Stairway to the Stars, an outdoor escalator billed as the longest in the world at 86 feet, carrying guests up to the 43-foot tall brewery roof. Once atop, guests would enjoy the views from a 1,000-square-foot observation deck before continuing their tour inside the brewery. The project also included a 5,000-square-foot reflecting pool below Stairway to the Stars, with fountains, lights, and large plantings.

Concept art from a newspaper article on the project announcement:

The project was designed by Eleanor Le Maire, a New York interior decorator. St. Petersburg landscape architect Charles R. Wedding, who designed the gardens for its opening, returned to design the landscaping for this project. Otis Elevator Co. built the escalator and said it was the longest continuous motorized stairway in the world at the time. Construction was underway when the park announced the project in October 1960, and it was initially reported it would be completed in January 1961.

Stairway to the Stars formally opened on March 22, 1961, with a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Tampa mayor Julian Lane, Mrs. August A. Busch Jr., her husband (president of Anheuser-Busch) and several members of the company’s board of directors were on hand for the ceremony, which included cutting a ribbon of flowers to celebrate the opening. One newspaper article covering the event noted that the public would begin using Stairway to the Stars as part of the brewery tour several days later on March 27.

Shortly after the opening, the pool became the home to imported Peruvian penguins.

By 1974, the pool beneath Stairway to the Stars housed sea lions.

The escalator continued to serve as the entrance to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour for several decades, but by the mid-1970s was no longer listed as a separate attraction on park maps.

Images

Since the Anheuser-Busch Brewery was a common subject in early postcards, Stairway to the Stars was often featured as the main subject or in the background.