The CN Tower: Tallest Building in the Western Hemisphere

The CN Tower Held the Record for Tallest Building for 34 Years

Visualize a thumbtack without the bottom. Now imagine that as a building, but way taller.

The tallest tower in the western hemisphere is located in Canada and stands 1,815 feet tall. When you're at the top you can sometimes feel the building move in the wind. Construction for the building began 1973 and took 40 months to complete.

The CN Tower has a main pod in the center, which features a revolving restaurant. From its gallery windows, visitors can see 100 miles out across the city of Toronto. The Needle or the CN tower is used as an apartment building and entertainment. The builders asked psychologists to help with the elevators so people wouldn't be afraid to take the ride.

Six uniquely designed elevators transport approximately 1.200 people up and down in one hour. These elevators travel at a speed of 20 ft per second. Each elevator is equipped with one glass wall in order to provide its riders with an amazing view.

The Eiffel Tower once stood as the world’s tallest building beginning its reign in 1889 until it was succeeded by the Empire State Building in 1931. Later, in 1971, Moscow's Ostankino Tower surpassed the Empire State Building, standing at 1,761 ft. Upon completion in 1976, Toronto's CN Tower captured the record. It held it for 34 years until the Burj Khalifa tower, located in Dubai, was completed in 2010. The CN Tower is still the tallest building in the western hemisphere, however.

A century ago, a building that reached 2,000 ft tall seemed nearly impossible. However, now, it appears to be well within reach of our future. Who knows what heights future towers might reach.

[Sources: 100 Great Wonders of the World ; canada.com ]

This article is fascinating. Very good writing and an interesting topic. – Shoko Miyagi , UW-Madison (2016-06-27 11:35)
Interesting article! I'm curious how psychologists helped them modify the elevators to make them less frightening. Good job! – Aaron , UW-Madison (2016-06-28 17:05)
Fabulous piece! I enjoyed the paragraph that discusses the history of tall buildings. – Felicia , McFarland School District (2016-06-28 19:23)
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