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| Skylon Tower | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Observation tower |
| Location | Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada |
| Address | 5200 Robinson Street |
| Coordinates | 43°05′07″N79°04′47″W / 43.08528°N 79.07972°W /43.08528; -79.07972 |
| Construction started | May 1964 |
| Completed | October 1965 |
| Opening | October 6, 1965 |
| Cost | CA$7,000,000 |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 160 m (520 ft) |
| Antenna spire | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Roof | 149 m (489 ft) |
| Top floor | 143 m (469 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Bregman + Hamann Architects |
| Main contractor | Pigott Construction Company |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | Revolving Dining Room: 276, Summit Suite: 180 |
TheSkylon Tower, inNiagara Falls, Ontario, is an observation tower that overlooks both theAmerican Falls,New York, and the largerHorseshoe Falls,Ontario, from theCanadian side of theNiagara River.
Construction of the Skylon began in May 1964. The tower was opened on October 6, 1965, by New York GovernorNelson Rockefeller and Ontario PremierJohn Robarts. Costing $7 million at the time of its construction, the Skylon Tower was owned by a private partnership called Niagara International Centre, which was financed byHershey Foods shareholdings of Charles Richard Reese, former co-owner of theH. B. Reese Candy Company ofHershey, Pennsylvania.Canadian Pacific Hotels (CPH) was hired to operate the tower restaurants and lounges.
On October 1, 1975, CPH purchased the tower from Mr. Reese and his partners for $11 million. The tower's summit features a verdigris-green copper roof similar to CPH's other properties, including theChâteau Frontenac inQuebec City and theBanff Springs Hotel inBanff, Alberta. CPH owned and operated the tower until 1986, when it was sold for $18 million to two local Niagara hotel owners, John Gruyich of Michael's Inn and George Yerich of the Holiday Inn By The Falls Motel.[1][2] In 1988, George Yerich bought out John Gruyich's ownership share of the Skylon for $13 million, however Milicent Gruyich continues to own the land the tower is built on. Mr. Yerich's Skylon land lease will expire in 2060, at which time the Skylon Tower will revert to total ownership by the heirs of Milicent Gruyich.[citation needed]
While much redevelopment has taken place in the surrounding city, the Skylon Tower complex still retains much of its look and feel from the 1970s and 1980s. However the property has recently been expanded to include a 3D/4D Theatre, aStarbucks franchise, other quick-service franchises and a bridge connecting the complex with the newly completedFallsview Casino. In August and September 2008 the roof of Skylon was restored to its original bright copper colour.
In recent years, the lights that shine up the tower at night have gone from being the typical white lights to a selection of colours that interchange. This is done in a similar fashion to the lights that shine on the falls themselves.
Standing at 160 metres (520 ft) from street level and 236 metres (775 ft) from the bottom of the falls, the tower required approval from both Canadian andUnited States air transport authorities, due to its proximity to the international boundary. It was the second tower to be built using theslipform method, in which concrete is continuously poured into a form moving slowly up the tower. It was built by Pigott Construction of Hamilton, Ontario. The same methods were also used to build theInco Superstack inSudbury, and theCN Tower inToronto.
The tower features three outside-mounted "Yellow Bug" elevators. At the time of their construction, they were the first such elevators in Canada. They were designed, engineered and maintained by a division of theOtis Elevator Company fromHamilton, Ontario and can carry passengers to the top of the tower in 52 seconds. Unlike conventional elevators that are guided by side rails, the Skylon elevators operate with a guide rail on the backside only. Special equipment is employed to prevent the cables from becoming tangled in the wind or impeded by snow and ice in the winter. A curtain wall on the outside of the tower behind each elevator protects the counterweight and travelling cables from the elements.
The tower has two restaurants at its top, the Revolving Dining Room[3] and the upper Summit Suite Buffet. The Revolving Dining Room seats 276 people and revolves once every hour by resting on a circular rail that is propelled by a 3 horsepower (2.2 kW) motor. An observation deck sits at the tower's summit. The base of the tower features a number of gift shops, fast food restaurants and a large amusement arcade. A floor for conventions is also available, but is seldom utilized.[4]
