Toronto’s CN Tower held the record for tallest free-standing structure in the world for 30 years until it was surpassed in 2007. This means you can pretty much see it from anywhere in and around the city. Many people use it as a compass to get their bearings in the city, as it is located toward the south. It was built as a broadcasting tower, and while still in use from some broadcasting, this is no longer it’s main function. Now it is more of a tourist attraction, with a nice rotating restaurant, a glass floor and beginning this summer, a platform way up in the sky, on which people can walk around in open air (tethered very securely).
This is how it usually looks ..
Aside from continuing to broadcast some radio and television, it is sometimes used to broadcast more. It also delivers a message about how the city feels in the form of its lighting scheme, delivered every night by its energy efficient ‘intelligent LED illumination system’. I found that term on their site.
This week, on the 10th anniversary of nine-eleven, its message came in the form of its lack of light, when it was turned off (except for security lighting) in recognition of all that was lost on that saddest of days.
I got some photos of this by going to the same spot on September 11th and on the following night, September 12th, in order to show the effect.
Lights out on nine-eleven
Lights on .. how it usually looks
Lights out versus Lights on
