There are hundreds of skyscrapers in the very center of Toronto, but none of them is as tall as the CN Tower. This is the main attraction of the city, which is impossible to miss. Learn more at toronto-future.
The History of the CN Tower
That unique construction was built in Toronto in 1976. Earlier, the city authorities decided to make the city center remarkable and exceptional in order to attract the attention of locals and tourists. That’s how the idea to build a TV tower amid skyscrapers appeared. A group of experts traveled to different corners of the world to study the features of the most popular towers around the globe. They took them into account in the process of planning to make the TV tower better and higher than the existing ones. Also, they had to create a design, which would fit harmoniously in the city landscape.
The TV tower project was finally approved after a year-long discussion by architects, engineers and builders. The first project appeared to be too expensive, so it was refused. Initially, it was planned to build three towers in the city center and connect them with bridges. However, in the end, the experts chose a more optimal way and decided to build one of the tallest and most beautiful TV towers in the world.
Each construction stage was worked out in detail by experts in order to build the TV tower in accordance with all the rules. The process was led by architect John Andrews, structural engineer R.R. Nicolet, and employees of the International/Roger Du Toit and Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects companies.
The construction began in 1973 and involved 1,500 workers. First of all, they dug an almost 50 ft pit and lifted up 63 tons of earth. Then a 230 ft in diameter concrete foundation was laid with a thickness of 22 ft to place a 1,300,000 tons tower firmly.
Located nearby, special cranes were used to build the TV tower base. Every day, the construction became higher by 20 ft. The workers poured concrete in a special form and raised it higher when the previous layer hardened. The building process was completed as soon as possible, in 3 years in particular. Since then, the CN Tower has been the tallest in the world until 2007, when the Burj Khalifa in Dubai cut the record.
Peculiarities of the Toronto CN tower
- The tower has a long metal core with the Skypod capsule perched at a height of almost 1,152 ft.
- The TV tower was also intended as an entertainment spot in Toronto. So, the capsule houses galleries, a restaurant and a nightclub, which are visited by millions of tourists annually.
- You can admire the view of the city landscape and observe Niagara Falls from a specially built Skypod observation deck.
- Canadians are very proud of the CN Tower, so they also call it the Canadian National Tower.
- The tower is 1,815 ft high. Despite the fact that it wobbles a little at a strong gust of wind due to its height, it has a strong concrete base and is completely safe for visitors.
