At 553 m and 130,000 tons of it, the CN Tower is in Toronto what is the Empire State Building in New York. It’s also been a landmark in the Queen City skyline since 1976. Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, vice-president of corporate communications for the Canada Lands Company, which owns the CN Tower, tells us to speak.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Toronto was experiencing massive economic growth and skyscrapers were emerging downtown, causing communication delivery problems. The telecommunications division of Canadian National (CN) is in need of a telecommunications hub in downtown Toronto. “We need a tower that is at least 300 m”, explains Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern. Construction of the CN Tower began in 1973.
This vast project was met with skepticism. Gradually, people noticed the progress of the work. The construction of the antenna, 100 m high and consisting of 39 pieces, impressed them. An engineer then persuaded those responsible for the project to build an even taller tower. “By the middle of its construction in 1975, the tower had officially become the tallest freestanding structure in the world,” said Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern. To prevent the tower from sinking to the ground, concrete and steel cables were used. Finally, a heavy lift helicopter installed the antenna, the most complex operation of the job.
The CN Tower includes a Y-shaped concrete pillar, a dome with an outdoor viewing level, a restaurant that rotates 360 degrees for 72 minutes, the gondola and the antenna.
On May 31, 1976, it released its first television signals, and on June 26, it opened its doors to the public. The cost is $ 63 million, equivalent to $ 270 million in 2020. This investment has paid off thanks to the 2 million tourists who visit here each year. It should also be noted that one nightclub, Sparkles, animated the area until its closing in 1991.
Today, the tower’s antenna broadcasts signals from 17 radio and television stations, but that is no longer its primary purpose. Nearly 45 years later, Torontonians are emotional about this tower, which has become Queen City’s main tourist attraction and a strong symbol of its economic growth.
Source: Radio-Canada
