CN
Tower Essay
The CN Tower…you’ve most likely heard a
lot about it, but how much do you really know? For example, did you know
that the World’s Tallest Building (as recognized in the Guinness World Book
of Records) shoots up 1, 815”5 ft into the air? Although, the tower is
something Canadians pride themselves in, it does serve a valid purpose. Want
to find out what that is? Read on.
Located on the
North Shore of Lake Ontario, the CN tower is found in the heart of Toronto’s
entertainment district. Although the tower’s construction was controlled by
the CN, the ownership changed in 1995. The CN Tower became a public company,
and Canada Lands Company (CLC) took over.
The CN
Tower is often recognized for its height, but how many people really know
the practical purpose it serves? Because of the construction boom in Toronto
during the 1960’s, the skyline began rising with pre-sky scrapers. This led
to serious communication problems, which is why the tower was built with an
antenna. The tower was completed by October 1, 1976 (after about 40 months
of construction), which called for an opening ceremony. So much hard work
and effort had gone into the building, and it had finally paid off. Today,
the CN Tower is not only a major entertainment base, but it is also used as
a place for radio and TV stations to broadcast from.
The World’s Tallest
Building has many features that help to make it such a success. The Glass
Floor, located 1, 222ft up, is 23.8 square feet of solid glass. It is 5
times stronger than the required weight-bearing standard for commercial
floors. This means it can withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.
Another incredible
feature of the tower is the 360 Restaurant. This restaurant got its name
because it revolves 360° every 72 minutes. Even though the restaurant did
not open until 1995 (when CLC took ownership), it has still brought in a lot
of business and proves to be a success.
The next highlight in the
CN Tower is the small, enclosed platform, located high above the main
observation floor…the Sky Pod. At 1466.5 feet, it is the highest observation
deck in the world.
The CN Tower is also
known for its 6 glass elevators and 1769 stairs. Actually, there are 2579
stairs but only 1769 of them are open to the public. As for the elevators,
they are glass-fronted and high-speed (they travel at a speed of 22km per
hour).
In 1998, a $26 million
entertainment expansion was added. This section represents 75,000 square
feet of space and it too, brings in a lot of business. It is known for
having the World’s Second Largest MacDonald inside. As you can see, the CN
Tower features many attractions that are open to the public.
Although the antenna may seem
like a small part of the CN Tower, it actually plays an important role. The
antenna was built to solve communication and reception issues. It consists
of 39 pieces, all which were secured in a 3.5-week construction period. The
335 ft. steel-broadcasting antenna is what makes the CN Tower the World’s
Tallest Building.
There was a lot of
architectural thought that went into creating the tower, and this made the
load of construction companies a lot lighter. On February 6 of 1973, 1,537
construction workers began creating what would soon become one of the “Seven
Wonders of the Modern World”. The CN Tower was architected to be
wind-resistant and flexible. A few materials that were needed to build the
tower were concrete, tensioned steel, reinforcing steel and structured
steel. It’s very obvious that a lot of hard work and effort was put forth to
make this building happen. Construction wrapped up in June of 1976, and the
opening ceremony was on October 1,1976.
I already mentioned
the height of the tower as being 1, 815 ft. tall, and as you can probably
guess, the weight is an incredible amount as well. The CN Tower weighs
130,000 tons, which is equal to 23,214 large elephants. Even one elephant
seems like a lot of pounds to us, but just imagine over 20,000 of them! Now
that’s heavy. The CN Tower cost $63 million to build, which was valued as
$300 million at the time. Canadian National, who wanted to prove the
strength of the Canadian industry, funded the construction.
The CN Tower is
significant to our heritage because not only does it put Canada and Toronto
on the map, it gives Canadians something to pride themselves in. Building
the World’s Tallest Building is no small accomplishment, and it definitely
doesn’t go unnoticed. The CN Tower is a place that creates jobs, brings in
money, and simply gives us something to enjoy.
After reading my essay, I hope that you have learned a few of
the many facts about the CN Tower. It’s a part of every Canadian’s heritage,
whether they realize it or not. Hopefully, you will one day get to visit the
CN Tower and see its amazing features for yourself.
This is my backboard/display
for Heritage Fair.
This is
me and my partner (Lindsay) sitting at
our display on Heritage Fair night. Top
Bibliography
1.) Schemenauer, Elma.
Hello Toronto.
Toronto: GLC Silver
Burdett, 1988
2.) Beckett, Harry. ONTARIO-Journey Across
Canada.
Collingwood: The Rourke Book Co. INC., 1997
3.) “CN Tower”. (Last Updated) March 18, 2005. Internet. www.cntower.ca
