A
astObs
Guest
I took a crappy pic of the helicopter crane reenactment.
astuteobs.wordpress.com/
astuteobs.wordpress.com/
Toronto CN Tower: Entry Pavilion, Plaza, Renos | ?m | ?s | CLC | Arcadis
E
Ed007Toronto
Guest
I was there when they originally put it up. Standing on the Spadina bridge with my dad. All of 12 or so.
I have my name up there (though I'm sure it has long weathered away). During the CNE that year (75/76?) you could sign the top piece of the tower before they put it up.
Now I get the traffic around there today.
I have my name up there (though I'm sure it has long weathered away). During the CNE that year (75/76?) you could sign the top piece of the tower before they put it up.
Now I get the traffic around there today.
T
thenay
Guest
Hopefully it'll be all lit up once again, for a national icon for our country and city its a shame its not lit up anymore 
B
building babel
Guest
It was a big event in 1976 - I remember watching the helicopter thing live on TV. Then, five minutes later, we all got on with our lives.
S
shawnmicallef
Guest
s
We usually get on with with our lives 5 minutes after most of the big moments.
We usually get on with with our lives 5 minutes after most of the big moments.
S
samsonyuen
Guest
From: www.canada.com/nationalpo...e2&k=92329
________________
CN Tower celebrates 30 years on top
World's tallest building to be surpassed by Dubai tower in '08
Katie Rook, National Post
Published: Saturday, June 24, 2006
Retired ironworker Paul Mitchell says he does not often think of the moment in June, 1976, when, hoisted atop the world's tallest free-standing structure, he famously hammered into place the final piece of the CN Tower.
Waving to a crowd of thousands below, and with a storm approaching, neither Mr. Mitchell nor the tower's architect, Ned Baldwin, imagined their masterpiece would reign for three decades as the world's tallest building.
That the CN Tower, celebrating its 30th birthday on Monday, may be surpassed in height by The Burj Dubai, due for completion in 2008, does not matter, Mr. Mitchell said.
"Dubai can have it. We've had [the title] for 30 years, so God bless the citi- ens of Dubai."
The Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret meant to deter competing projects.
A re-enactment of the CN Tower's final stage of construction will take place tomorrow at 6:45 p.m., when a giant crane helicopter is expected to circle the tower as it did when the antenna was topped. The Erickson S-64 Aircrane with a wingspan of 72 feet will land in the foreground and be on display during anniversary celebrations on Monday.
The skyline-defining, 553.33-metre tower is a must-see Toronto destination, said Sajad Hassa, a traveller from Manchester, England, regardless of its height.
While the outdoor-adventure enthusiast will be Vancouver-bound during the anniversary celebration, Mr. Hassa said he rushed to the tower yesterday morning. "It's ama- ing to be able to stand on top of Toronto. It would take days and days to see the whole city."
The draw of such a height surprises Mr. Baldwin to this day. "My biggest doubt was that people would pay money to go up," he said. "It ama- es me people get such a charge from it.
"I fully expected it would be surpassed within the next three to five years."
Mr. Baldwin, now of Baldwin & Franklin Architects, had just over five years experience as an architect when the CN Tower project got under way in 1970, he said.
"The tower was built at an ideal time in history when it was a bit of the Wild West.... The approval process was much simpler," he said. "Today, you'd have a hard time persuading boards of such a high-risk project. As it turns out, it was a brilliant decision."
Island airport pilots who protested the development, fearing for flight safety, soon "loved it because it was a honing beacon."
Still, the hori- on's fixture is not without skeptics.
Said George Baird, University of Toronto's dean of architecture, landscape and design: "I confess I am not a habitue of the tower. I mean, I have been up it. I might have only been up it once, and the time I did go up it, I found myself thinking maybe it was a little too high for the best view because you don't get any foreground."
The CN Tower is without doubt one of Toronto's defining features, but, he said, "it's one of those pieces of construction that are handsomest in the middle distance."
krook@nationalpost.com
Tall Facts
- On a clear day, visibility can be more than 160 kilometres.
- The CN Tower weighs about 117,910 metric tonnes or about the equivalent of 23,214 large elephants.
- The tower is made of 40,524 cubic metres of concrete, enough to build a sidewalk from Toronto to Kingston.
- The upper reaches of the CN Tower are built to withstand turbulent winds, with a wind resistance factor of up to 418 km/h.
- Lightning strikes the CN Tower an average of 75 times a year. The electric shock is grounded by long copper strips running down the tower to massive buried grounding rods.
- The tower's glass floor is 23.8 square metres of solid glass that could withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.
National Post
________________
CN Tower celebrates 30 years on top
World's tallest building to be surpassed by Dubai tower in '08
Katie Rook, National Post
Published: Saturday, June 24, 2006
Retired ironworker Paul Mitchell says he does not often think of the moment in June, 1976, when, hoisted atop the world's tallest free-standing structure, he famously hammered into place the final piece of the CN Tower.
Waving to a crowd of thousands below, and with a storm approaching, neither Mr. Mitchell nor the tower's architect, Ned Baldwin, imagined their masterpiece would reign for three decades as the world's tallest building.
That the CN Tower, celebrating its 30th birthday on Monday, may be surpassed in height by The Burj Dubai, due for completion in 2008, does not matter, Mr. Mitchell said.
"Dubai can have it. We've had [the title] for 30 years, so God bless the citi- ens of Dubai."
The Burj Dubai's height is a closely guarded secret meant to deter competing projects.
A re-enactment of the CN Tower's final stage of construction will take place tomorrow at 6:45 p.m., when a giant crane helicopter is expected to circle the tower as it did when the antenna was topped. The Erickson S-64 Aircrane with a wingspan of 72 feet will land in the foreground and be on display during anniversary celebrations on Monday.
The skyline-defining, 553.33-metre tower is a must-see Toronto destination, said Sajad Hassa, a traveller from Manchester, England, regardless of its height.
While the outdoor-adventure enthusiast will be Vancouver-bound during the anniversary celebration, Mr. Hassa said he rushed to the tower yesterday morning. "It's ama- ing to be able to stand on top of Toronto. It would take days and days to see the whole city."
The draw of such a height surprises Mr. Baldwin to this day. "My biggest doubt was that people would pay money to go up," he said. "It ama- es me people get such a charge from it.
"I fully expected it would be surpassed within the next three to five years."
Mr. Baldwin, now of Baldwin & Franklin Architects, had just over five years experience as an architect when the CN Tower project got under way in 1970, he said.
"The tower was built at an ideal time in history when it was a bit of the Wild West.... The approval process was much simpler," he said. "Today, you'd have a hard time persuading boards of such a high-risk project. As it turns out, it was a brilliant decision."
Island airport pilots who protested the development, fearing for flight safety, soon "loved it because it was a honing beacon."
Still, the hori- on's fixture is not without skeptics.
Said George Baird, University of Toronto's dean of architecture, landscape and design: "I confess I am not a habitue of the tower. I mean, I have been up it. I might have only been up it once, and the time I did go up it, I found myself thinking maybe it was a little too high for the best view because you don't get any foreground."
The CN Tower is without doubt one of Toronto's defining features, but, he said, "it's one of those pieces of construction that are handsomest in the middle distance."
krook@nationalpost.com
Tall Facts
- On a clear day, visibility can be more than 160 kilometres.
- The CN Tower weighs about 117,910 metric tonnes or about the equivalent of 23,214 large elephants.
- The tower is made of 40,524 cubic metres of concrete, enough to build a sidewalk from Toronto to Kingston.
- The upper reaches of the CN Tower are built to withstand turbulent winds, with a wind resistance factor of up to 418 km/h.
- Lightning strikes the CN Tower an average of 75 times a year. The electric shock is grounded by long copper strips running down the tower to massive buried grounding rods.
- The tower's glass floor is 23.8 square metres of solid glass that could withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.
National Post
R
ratoronto
Guest
we are so lucky to have the world's most recognizable structure in our city. Congrats CN Tower on 30 amazing years of memories, skyline views, and international attention.
B
building babel
Guest
Yes, well done CN Tower! And congratulations on the act of transubstantiation that allows you to understand our personal messages of support.
T
thenay
Guest
And on its 30th year its not lit up how it use to be.
It's a shame, its a national icon for our country, and for our city. Apprently I heard the bulbs cost over $1,000 each and they can't shell that out everytime they burn out.
It's a shame, its a national icon for our country, and for our city. Apprently I heard the bulbs cost over $1,000 each and they can't shell that out everytime they burn out.
S
samsonyuen
Guest
It is quite a waste of energy though, if it were to be lit up more.
T
thenay
Guest
True, but still its a national icon. SkyDome (Rogers Dome) is always lit up at night, why not CN Tower? It's like saying turn off the lights in Ottawa at Parliament, or Big Ben in London at night. Imagine how shameful that would be.
G
ganjavih
Guest
They say that Toronto's ego and attitude problem rose with the CN Tower.
S
spasongs
Guest
One of our cities greatest shames in regards to buildings, tourism, image etc is the CN Tower.
While other great buildings hire pros to light up and show off their distinct, their mega structures, their treasures, we leave ours under a cloak of darkness. And ours is the tallest of all!?!?!?
Can you imagine Shanghai, New York,London, Paris etc leaving this in its state? Pathetic, absolutly pathetic.
And as far as energy use, come on? Lighting the CN tower can be justified a thousand times over saving a some watts. There are many other wastes and fixes that could be done over at Ontario Power Generation.>:
For the prices they charge to get up the thing, which are gouging above and beyond there is no reason they can not do the above, or change a light bulb.
I am hoping that beautifully lit city place, the rogers centre and others will eventually shame these idiots into doing something with one of the most incredible engineering feats in the world , that sits in our back yard.
While other great buildings hire pros to light up and show off their distinct, their mega structures, their treasures, we leave ours under a cloak of darkness. And ours is the tallest of all!?!?!?
Can you imagine Shanghai, New York,London, Paris etc leaving this in its state? Pathetic, absolutly pathetic.
And as far as energy use, come on? Lighting the CN tower can be justified a thousand times over saving a some watts. There are many other wastes and fixes that could be done over at Ontario Power Generation.>:
For the prices they charge to get up the thing, which are gouging above and beyond there is no reason they can not do the above, or change a light bulb.
I am hoping that beautifully lit city place, the rogers centre and others will eventually shame these idiots into doing something with one of the most incredible engineering feats in the world , that sits in our back yard.
R
ratoronto
Guest
Well Said... let's light our international landmark up every night of the year.
We should sign a petition and send it to the people in charge, it would get tons of support.
G
Greg29Toronto
Guest
Did anyone else notice the 4 top flashers on the CN tower's north side become much brighter on Wednesday night? Do I need to have my meds. adjusted or do I just need to get a life?