Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Atomium, the giant molecule- shaped building that juts out along the Brussels skyline, is reopening its doors to a public curious about the exuberance of the Atomic Age a half-century ago.

Built in 1958 for a world's fair, the Atomium has been closed to the public for 17 months for a facelift that cost 27.5 million euros ($33 million). Derided just a few years ago for being in disrepair, the Atomium will re-open on Feb. 18, featuring shiny new exhibition areas, fresh paint and a top-to- bottom restoration.

``It was a marvel, maybe even pure magic,'' Brussels Mayor Freddy Thielemans said as he recalled the structure being built when he was a teenager. He told journalists today he hopes all future visitors will still see the ``magical side of it.''

The Atomium, representing an iron crystal molecule magnified 165 billion times, is nearly 335 feet tall. The shiny reflecting spheres are 59 feet across, while some of the steel tubes used to link the nine spheres measure 11 feet in diameter.

The structure was built at a time of optimism for peaceful application of scientific progress. Just a year before, in 1957, the United Nations had set up a branch to help promote ``Atoms for Peace.'' Andre Waterkeyn, the Belgian engineer who designed the Atomium, spoke of the energy that ``can be applied for the greater benefit of a civilization.''

The restored Atomium still conjures up plenty of the feeling of the 1950s, with a red Fiat Nuova 500 in the lobby and period pictures on the walls upstairs. Rambling up and down the red stairs and long escalators, beside porthole-size skylights, is a little like taking a step into the 1950s-era version of a spaceship.

Young, Old, Dreamers

Henri Simons, head of the building's sponsorship society, says his greatest wish is that ``all people, young and old, Belgians and foreigners, tourists in a hurry, dreamers and lovers of the Atomium may feel happy in this building.''

Appearing at today's pre-opening news conference, Simons said he expects 700,000 visitors this year, with 1 million in following years.

The revamped structure will feature a top-floor panoramic restaurant, scientific expositions and a special space for children.

With the reopening, Belgium itself has been swept up by a wave of Atomium nostalgia.

The ``Weekend'' supplement of Le Vif magazine on Feb. 10 featured a model dressed in 1950s look, complete with pillbox hat and wraparound black-and-white sunglasses, standing in front of the hulking molecule. ``Atomium -- A Star is (Re)Born,'' the magazine trumpeted in hot pink and gray letters on the cover.

Sputnik, Barbie

The monument's own Web site also recalls other 1958 milestones, ranging from the patenting of the Barbie doll to the return of the Soviets' Sputnik 1 satellite into the Earth's atmosphere.

``No other building in Belgium has created such a media whirlwind,'' the newspaper Le Soir said today. ``No other monument unleashes this surrealistic aura of joyful progress.''

Belgium's SN Brussels Airlines painted the Atomium colors and emblazoned the monument's molecule-shaped outline on the fuselage of one its passenger aircraft.

Adult visitors to Atomium will pay between 4 euros ($4.80) and 9 euros ($10.80) each. The Atomium is easy to reach from downtown Brussels, by subway to the Heysel Stadium stop.

To contact the reporter for this story: Kevin Costelloe in Brussels at kcostelloe@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 14, 2006 09:59 EST