Wender·Vista
Sunsphere
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in downtown Knoxville, above World's Fair Park

Sunsphere

— the gold ball left from the fair.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The gold ball above downtown Knoxville, built as the centerpiece of the 1982 World's Fair and never taken down. The sphere is 74 feet across, sheathed in glass panes dusted with 24-karat gold, and sits on a steel truss tower above World's Fair Park. The observation deck is open to the public, free of charge, most afternoons of the week.

from the studio
Sunsphere
— bring it home

Sunsphere, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sunsphere

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Sunsphere stands at the south end of World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The full structure is 266 feet tall, with a 74-foot gold-glass sphere mounted on a steel truss tower designed by the Knoxville firm Community Tectonics. It was built as the centerpiece of the 1982 World's Fair, whose theme was Energy Turns the World, and is one of two such fair structures still standing on its original site in the United States, alongside the Seattle Space Needle.

— the stone

The tower is a steel truss column supporting a sphere clad in 360 reflective glass panes, each coated with a thin layer of 24-karat gold dust. The gold reading is most pronounced in late afternoon, when the western sun lights the panes directly across the park. The sphere houses five interior levels; the observation deck on the fourth level looks across downtown Knoxville to the Smoky Mountains on the southern horizon. The tower was repainted and re-clad ahead of its fortieth anniversary in 2022.

— the visit

The Sunsphere observation deck is open to the public, free of charge, most days of the week. Entry is via the elevator at the base, in World's Fair Park, beside the festival lawn that hosts the Rossini Festival each spring and Knoxville's Fourth of July celebration. Parking is available in the World's Fair Park garage. The park sits between the University of Tennessee campus to the west and the Old City neighbourhood to the east, both within a short walk of the base of the tower.

— informed by Visit Knoxville
— where
United States · Knoxville, Tennessee
— within
World's Fair Park
— position
35.9614° N · 83.9259° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km W
University of Tennessee
flagship state campus
1 km E
Market Square
downtown pedestrian square
1 km NE
Old City
historic warehouse district
1 km E
Tennessee Theatre
1928 movie palace
N
Sunsphere
University of Tennessee
Market Square
Old City
Tennessee Theatre
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sunsphere — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Sunsphere is a 266-foot steel tower topped by a 74-foot gold-glass sphere, built as the centerpiece of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. It has stood on the site since.

The sphere is clad in 360 reflective glass panes, each coated with a thin layer of 24-karat gold dust. The gold tone is engineered into the glass and most visible in late afternoon light.

Yes. The observation deck on the fourth level of the sphere is open to the public, free of charge, most days of the week. Access is by elevator from the base in World's Fair Park.

The Sunsphere was designed by the Knoxville architectural firm Community Tectonics for the 1982 World's Fair, whose theme was Energy Turns the World. It was completed in 1981 ahead of the fair's opening.

The full structure is 266 feet tall. The sphere itself is 74 feet in diameter and sits atop a steel truss column that rises about 165 feet above the lawn of World's Fair Park.

It is one of only two original World's Fair towers still on their fair sites in the United States, alongside the Seattle Space Needle. Knoxville has kept it as the city's symbol and a free public deck.

— about the piece in your home

The Sunsphere is the local landmark Knoxvillians point at first. A Small or Coaster with a handwritten note from the studio reads well for a UT alumnus, a hometown housewarming, or a retirement.

The gold, slate, and Smoky-Mountain green sit well in eclectic, mid-century modern, and warm modern Southern rooms. The piece reads strongest beside walnut, brass, and bourbon-toned leather.

For a standard sofa or console we recommend a single Large for a calm read, a 4-tile Mural for more weight, or a 9-tile Mural where a longer wall can carry it.

Yes. For wet rooms and backsplashes order the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to steam and splash without sealing or special upkeep.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water are enough. The colour lives in the ceramic itself, so there is no surface treatment that can wear off in normal handling.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn in-house by Reid Wender and hand-finished in the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, the same city the Sunsphere stands in. The work is not licensed elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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