Bell Aliant Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bell Aliant Tower |
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The Bell Aliant Tower as seen from ground level
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| General information | |
| Type | Telecommunications |
| Location | Downtown Moncton |
| Coordinates | 46°5′23.86″N 64°46′35.54″W / 46.0899611°N 64.7765389°W |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Owner | Bell Aliant |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 127 m (417 ft) (Equiv. to approx. 32 floors) |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 1 |
The Bell Aliant Tower is a super tall building in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. It stands about 127 meters (417 feet) high! This amazing tower is made of strong, reinforced concrete.
It used to be called the Aliant Tower and even before that, the NBTel Tower. Its main job is to send and receive radio signals. It's the tallest building in Moncton. It's also one of the tallest freestanding structures in all of Atlantic Canada!
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Building the Bell Aliant Tower
The idea for the Bell Aliant Tower started in early 1970. The New Brunswick Telephone Company (N.B.Tel) found out that a new tall building was going to be built in downtown Moncton. This new building, called Place L'Assomption, would block their important microwave messages.
N.B.Tel needed a new, taller tower to keep their signals clear. So, in June 1970, they asked different engineers to suggest plans for a new tower.
Designing and Building the Tower
A company called John Maryon International Ltd. was chosen to design the new tower. They also helped arrange for its construction.
Work on the tower started quickly! Digging for the foundation began on September 21, 1970. The builders used a special method called "slip form construction." This means they poured concrete into forms that slowly moved upwards. It's like building a giant, continuous concrete tube!
This fast building method started on November 4, 1970, and was finished by November 20, 1970. Other parts of the tower were built just as fast. The tower was completely finished and ready to use by the summer of 1971. It officially opened in early June 1971.
Who Stood on Top?
During the tower's construction, only two people ever stood on top of the red beacon light. These brave engineers were Bob Sweet and John Brophi. They were important people working on the project.
Why the Tower is Important
When it was first built, the Aliant Tower was the tallest microwave communications tower of its kind in North America! That's a huge achievement.
It's still the tallest tower in Atlantic Canada. Only a few very tall smokestacks at power stations are taller. These include the ones at Coleson Cove, Tufts Cove, and Belledune.
The Bell Aliant Tower is much taller than the nearby Place L'Assomption building. It stands 46 meters (about 150 feet) taller!
A Symbol of Growth
The tower is also important because it shows how much Moncton has grown. It's a symbol of the city's economic and technological progress. When NBTel chose Moncton for this new, advanced tower, they believed it was where the province would grow the most.
The tower's location is special too. It sits at the corner of Botsford Street and Queen Street. This spot was once home to Moncton's very first telephone exchange. That first exchange started in 1883 with only five customers!
