Toronto's Enduring Landmark

CN Tower Is the World's Tallest Free Standing Structure

Jun 4, 2007 Scott Hayden

The CN Tower was completed in 1975 and attracts more than 2 million visitors a year.

Toronto's, and likely Canada's most well known building stands at a height of 553 metres, or 1,815 feet from the base to the top of the antenna and is the tallest free standing structure in the world. In the 1960s when Toronto was experiencing a construction boom there were no buildings tall enough to broadcast radio and television transmissions over the developing skyline. The main function of the CN Tower, therefore, is a telecommunications centre.

Today it's also a big attraction for Canadian and foreign visitors. The CN Tower has been designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Since its completion in 1975 it has added a number of other distinct characteristics that continue to amaze visitors. The glass floor, which is strong enough to support the weight of 14 hippos gives visitors a clear view of the ground below from a height of 1,122 feet.

Located one level above (The Look Out level) is the Horizons Cafe, the world's highest bar at 1,136 feet. Going up a little higher one of the city's best eateries, the revolving 360 restaurant, makes one complete revolution every 72 minutes and has the world's highest wine cellar at 1,151 feet. The city of Toronto and Lake Ontario can be seen from the Sky Pod and on a clear day one might be able to see Niagara Falls and Rochester, New York.

Construction started in 1973 and the cost at that time was 63 million dollars. It took 40 months to complete, 53,000 cubic yards of concrete were used and the tower now weighs 130,000 tons. It was announced last week that a new set of LED lights will be used to light up the tower at night and illuminate the Toronto skyline. They will line the elevator shaft and go all the way up to the top, and will be more energy efficient than the lights that were used in the early 1990s. These lights will be set to correspond to national and international holidays such as red and white for Canada Day on July 1st and red, white and blue for the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4th.

On October 2nd, 1976 the CN Tower made its grand opening and some documents were included in a time capsule, which is encased in the wall on the Look Out level. A few of them are:

Copies of the three daily newspapers of Toronto (The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail).
A letter from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who sealed the capsule.
Canadian currency of all denominations.

The time capsule will be opened in 2076.

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