CN Tower is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the Americas and even a landmark of Toronto, which attracts millions of tourists every year. The CN Tower is even visible from the shore of Lake Ontario, which lies 48 km towards south. Such is the precision achieved in the construction that over the height of the tower, it varies from true vertical accuracy by only 29 millimeters (1.1 in). Moreover, though the Tower contains a restaurant, a gift shop and multiple observation levels, it does not have consistent floors from the ground. Due to this, it is not considered a building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Emporis, or any other architectural authorities. The only other tall and freestanding structure in the Americas, after the CN Tower, is the Willis Tower which stands at a height of 1,729.0 ft. For some more interesting and fun facts about CN Tower, read on.
Fast Facts
Location: Toronto, Canada
Height: 1,815.4 ft.
Built in: 1976
Built by: Canadian National, Railway Company
Historical importance: Tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere
Interesting and Fun Facts About CN Tower
- The CN Tower is a communications and tourist tower.
- While still under construction, it became the tallest free-standing structure in the world in 1975.
- The building held the record for 31 years till in 2007 it was surpassed by Burj Dubai..
- CN originally referred to Canadian National Tower but is now known as Canada's National Tower.
- In 1995, the CN Tower was declared as one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
- CN Tower also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
- The construction of CN Tower began on February 6, 1973.
- For the foundation, 56,000 tons of dirt and shale were removed to a depth of 15 meters (49.2 ft.) in the center.
- The base of the Tower comprises of 7,000 cubic meters of concrete with 450 tons of rebar and 36 tons of steel cable.
- The Tower was opened for public on June 26, 1976.
- The construction cost of the Tower was approximately CDN$63 million, which was repaid in fifteen years.
- The main portion of The Tower is a hollow concrete hexagonal pillar, containing six elevators.
- Above the pillar there is a 102 m metal broadcast antenna, which is used for carrying TV and radio signals.
- The tourist areas comprise of the main deck level and the higher Sky Pod.
- The main deck level consists of seven stories, some of which are open to public.
- A revolving restaurant, the 360 Restaurant is located at 351 meters (1,151.6 ft.). It completes a full rotation once in every 72 minutes.
- The Sky Pod is the second highest public observation deck in the world.
- A metal staircase reaches the main deck level after 1,776 steps and the Sky Pod 100 meters above after 2,579 steps. It is the tallest metal staircase on Earth.
- The CN Tow er has the world’s tallest lightening rod.
- The tower is struck by lightning at an average of 75 times a year.
- The CN Tower has the world’s highest wine cellar.
- The glass floor of the indoor observation level can bear the weight of fourteen large hippos.
- The tower has a revolving restaurant which completes one revolution every 72 minutes.
- The CN Tower has the world’s longest metal staircase.
- The temperature between the ground floor and the very top floor of the tower can differ up to 10 ° C.
- When the CN Tower was inaugurated in 1994, the glass floor was the first of its kind.
- The CN Tower turns down all unnecessary exterior lights during the seasons of bird migration to avoid injuries to the birds.