From practical beginnings to icon status, Toronto’s CN Tower marks 50th anniversary

The CN Tower marked its 50th anniversary on Friday, inviting locals and visitors to commemorate the landmark that has defined Toronto’s skyline for half a century.

The base of the tower was full of festivities — art, a cappella performances and free cupcakes — drawing celebrants from across the city and beyond.

Kimia Ghosi, a Toronto Metropolitan University student, came for the cupcakes but expressed awe at the structure’s engineering.

“It’s mesmerizing. It’s huge. I always wonder how they built it up and how they maintain it. I’m quite sure it’s a lot of work,” she said.

The Canadian National Railway Co. had built the tower to solve a practical problem: newly constructed skyscrapers were blocking radio and television signals across the city in the 1960s.

More than 1,500 people worked for 40 months to build the tower, according to its website, and it officially opened to the public on June 26, 1976.

Decades later, it serves many purposes, mainly as a tourist attraction that welcomes more than two million visitors each year.

For Neda Azhang, who moved to Canada from Iran three years ago, the anniversary celebration marked her first visit to the tower. She called it “amazing.”

Ruqia Karimi brought her children to celebrate the tower’s birthday for their first day of summer vacation.

“We have done tattoos, we have some yummy cupcakes, and we’re having a great time,” she said.

Cooper Gates, visiting Toronto for the first time, said the tower surpassed his expectations.

“It looks bigger in person. I didn’t really expect it to be this big,” he said, adding that he was surprised the building wasn’t younger than 50.

At 553 metres, the CN Tower held the distinction of being the world’s tallest free-standing structure for 33 years before Dubai’s 828-metre tall Burj Khalifa surpassed it in 2009.

Jo Lalonde, who has lived in Toronto for many years and goes to the top of the tower about once annually, said Friday’s celebration captured why the structure remains so special.

“I still get really excited about it,” she said. “Everyone here is so lovely. It’s just such a reminder of how wonderful people are.”

Monique Kasonga, The Canadian Press