herr2ck: Up From the Railway Lands

August 2025.

The CN Tower is probably the best known work of architecture/engineering in Toronto. Built on the site of a railway switching yard dating to the 19th century, it held the record of tallest free-standing structure for more than two decades following its construction. I struggled getting pictures both inside and outside, mainly due to its status as more of a work of engineering, but given its prominence I figured it deserved its own article regardless.

The CN Tower is located at 290 Bremner Boulevard in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is bordered by train tracks and the Metro Toronto Convention Center to the north, Bremner Boulevard and Roundhouse Park to the south, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada to the east, and the Rogers Centre to the west.

History

The CN Tower was imagined as both a functioning radio/TV tower that would serve Toronto, while also representing Canada’s industrial prowess. The idea was developed between 1968 and 1972, when the project became official. It was to be built on the Railway Lands, a former switching yard south of downtown Toronto that had become obsolete after the MacMillan Yard in Vaughan opened in 1965. A tall radio tower was necessary as taller skyscrapers were built downtown, as they would block/redirect signals.

The CN Tower was originally designed as a tripod structure of three pillars, which would have been much shorter. The current design uses three tapering legs blended into a hexagonal core. At this time in the design process, the main observation deck was added, and the height was increased to become the tallest free-standing structure to both further improve signal quality and draw tourists. It was designed by WZMH Architects and John Andrews, along with NCK Engineering as the structural engineer.

The shaft under construction in 1973. (CN Tower website)

Construction on the CN Tower began in February 1973. The foundation took four months to complete, and the shaft was built upwards using a slipform to continuously pour concrete. Plumb bobs were attached to the slipform to ensure the tower was built perfectly vertically. (It is only off by 1.1 inches, an infinitesimal margin.) The main level’s construction began in August 1974, built using steel and wood bracket forms lifted up the tower by hydraulic jacks over the course of a week. The forms were used for the brackets that support the observation deck from below. The CN Tower officially became the world’s tallest free-standing structure while construction was still ongoing on March 31, 1975.

Observation decks under construction in 1975. (Wikimedia)

The tower’s construction was finished with the crowning antenna. Like the observation deck, it was supposed to be built using a crane, but a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane was sold by the United States military to civilians, enabling its use to complete the antenna and remove the crane. This reduced the antenna’s construction time from an estimated six months to only three and a half weeks. The tower was topped off on April 2, 1975, completing two years and two months of construction.

Shortly before construction concluded, the surrounding Metro Centre concept meant to be built nearby was canceled. This meant that the CN Tower was surrounded by abandoned industrial space, making it very difficult for tourists to access. It opened on June 26, 1976, and from that point until the mid-1980s, it was the only new development in the area. However, the construction of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and Rogers Centre were the first of several developments in the area in the late 1980s, bringing it to its current density.

Canadian National sold the tower before its privatization in 1995, as it was divesting any assets unrelated to the railway or freight business. However, it is still widely known as the CN Tower, and its functions remain the same. The tower has three observation decks, a rotating restaurant, and entertainment space. Its records have since been surpassed--the Burj Khalifa was completed at a taller height in 2007, and the Canton Tower replaced it as the tallest tower. However, it still remains the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere.

Photos

All my exterior photos just show the tower in its entirety from different vantage points.

I like the clouds on this one:

I also have these few from the interior observation deck, but they’re really not my best work. The deck was very crowded with people. Overlooking the central business district: