Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Toronto's Finest and Tallest . . .

Early into the 1970s, the folks in Toronto, Canada were having problems with their TV and radio reception. Interference from the many skyscrapers being built in the city were causing TV shows to be superimposed on top of each other. To remedy the situation, the Canadian National Railway Company was commissioned to build an antenna that would tower over every building ever built. The antenna design turned into a tourist attraction design by John Andrews Architects and Webb Zerafa Menkes Housden Architects; and after 40 months, the completed CN Tower opened ... on this day in 1976.
63 million dollars and 1,537 people were needed to complete the tallest free standing structure and building in the world. The CN (Canadian National) Tower, including the 335 foot (102 meters), steel, broadcasting antenna, is 1,815 feet, 5 inches tall (553.33 meters). At 1,465 feet, you’ll be standing on the world’s highest public observation deck, the Space Deck. You can take one of six elevators to the Sky Pod level at a speed of 15 miles per hour. After your 58-second-long trip, you can take another elevator inside the tower to the Space Deck. Or, you could climb the 1769 steps up the tower. You’ll have the distinction of dining in the world’s highest and largest revolving restaurant, aptly named "360", the home of the world’s highest wine cellar. Wine cellars are usually under the building, this one’s on top of the world!

Sixteen Toronto TV and FM radio stations broadcast their signals from the antenna ... and all over Southern Ontario, Canada, TV viewers and radio listeners can see and hear clearly, all because of the CN Tower ... Toronto’s favorite tourist attraction.

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