The CN Tower: quick facts, and the tee worth more than the keychain

How tall the CN Tower is, why it was built, and how to bring it home without buying the plastic model. A short guide for visitors and locals.

The CN Tower is the thing everyone photographs and nobody quite knows the numbers on. Here is the short version, plus a better way to take it home than the plastic model in the gift shop.

The quick facts

• Height: 553.3 metres. It held the title of world's tallest free-standing structure for over three decades after it opened in 1976.
• Why it exists: it was built as a communications tower. The city had grown tall enough that broadcast signals were bouncing off buildings, and a very tall antenna fixed it. The observation decks and the restaurant came with the design.
• The glass floor: near the top, a section of floor is glass, with the ground a long way down. It is the part of the visit people remember, usually with their palms sweating.
• The name: CN stood for Canadian National, the railway company that started the project.

It is the mark the whole city draws when it draws itself. Put a single tapering line on a page and everyone knows which city you mean.

Bringing it home

The gift shop version is a keychain or a resin model that ends up in a drawer. The better souvenir is the one you wear.

Our CN Tower tee is a clean, single-line drawing of the tower, the kind of thing you would wear when you are not trying to look like a tourist. If you want it with a bit more attitude, the 6ix design sets the tower inside the lettering, and the Six skyline tee puts it in a warm retro sunset. All $34.99 in the shop.

If you are visiting

Photograph it from the waterfront at dusk, when the light behind it goes orange. Skip the keychain. Bring home a tee you will actually wear, and let the plastic model stay on the shelf where you found it.

The short version

• The CN Tower is 553.3 metres, built in 1976 as a communications tower.
• The glass floor is the part you will remember.
• It is the city's signature. Wear it, do not shelf it. See the CN Tower tee.

Written by See The Six · kept current from the directory, last checked 2026-10-13