One of the first views in the distance when you visited Niagara Falls a number of years ago was the dominant Skylon Tower and the “Yellow Bug” elevators going up and down the outside of the tower. Now, it’s dwarfed by numerous high rise hotels.

This tower has lots of history.

It was officially opened in June of 1964 and when finished stood 160 metres (520 feet) to the top of the mast. There is a three story globe at the top. Two levels a contain restaurants (one revolves) and another at the top is an observation tower. The views from here of the falls and city are spectacular.

I at one time was the Director of Marketing for this attraction and can remember being at the top of the tower when winds were as high as 70 miles per hour. It was no problem; the structure is built to withstand winds of 110 miles per hour.

Another interesting fact about the Skylon is that the 6,000 tons of concrete that makes up the building was poured for 24 hours a day for 38 days without stopping.

The Skylon is still one of Niagara Falls greatest man-made attractions.