World's tallest freestanding structure for 32 years
The CN Tower
Built in 40 months using a giant concrete mold that climbed itself upward, the CN Tower held the world record for tallest freestanding structure from 1975 until Dubai's Burj Khalifa passed it in 2007.
.jpg)
Advertisement
The CN Tower is Toronto's most recognizable landmark by a wide margin, and for 32 years it was also a genuine world record holder — not just a symbol, but the actual tallest freestanding structure on Earth.
Built in 40 months, self-climbing as it rose
Construction began in February 1973 and the tower opened to the public in June 1976 — a 40-month build using more than 1,500 workers. Crews poured concrete into a massive mold called a slipform; as each layer hardened, hydraulic climbing jacks lifted the entire form upward, gradually narrowing to shape the tower's distinctive taper. In March 1975, a Sikorsky helicopter nicknamed "Olga" flew in to remove the construction crane and lift all 44 pieces of the antenna into place.
A 32-year world record
At 553 metres, the CN Tower became the tallest freestanding structure in the world upon completion — a title it held until Dubai's Burj Khalifa surpassed it in 2007, more than three decades later. It remains one of the tallest freestanding structures in the Western Hemisphere.
EdgeWalk (2011)
Since 2011, visitors can do the EdgeWalk — a hands-free walk around a 1.5-metre-wide ledge encircling the top of the tower's main pod, officially certified by Guinness World Records as the "World's Highest External Walk on a Building." The full experience runs about 90 minutes, with roughly 30 spent actually out on the ledge.
Advertisement