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Inspiration for this blog came from my cousin Roy. His daily reflections of the events in his life have been thoughtful and interesting. Family, friends, colleagues are welcome to read my blog.



Saturday, October 20, 2012

WHO BUILT THE CN TOWER AND OTHER FAMOUS LANDMARKS

Whenever a building or landmark is built, the credit usually goes to the Architect or Architects who designed it. Somebody from a famous firm. Even the Taj Mahal in India gives credit to those men. Even though it took many years between 1632 and 1653 to complete. Many castles and palaces in England give credit to the person who commissioned it. Buckingham Palace started in 1705 is such a place named after the Duke of Buckingham. The Pyramids give credit to the Pharaoh who wanted it. Who really gives credit to the thousands of workers over the centuries that made these landmarks a reality. Families often will tell us their Dad or Grandpa worked on a special project, like the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas! I saw a documentary on the Dam once that credited the workers and their stories. There are many people in the Toronto area who worked on the CN Tower and made it happen. When Adolph was going strong in the Construction Industry, there were many work sites in and around the city- excavation jobs, demolition, large industrial parking lots, condo buildings and housing developments which would be part of his crews' contributions to the larger projects. Even one summer in 1968, Adolph knew what it was like to be a worker. He had a summer job at a downtown building site at Bay and Bloor. He was the gopher for coffee, equipment and other sundries. Usually 5 times daily, he had to walk up and down 22 flights of stairs to give the crew on the top, open aired floor whatever they needed! Needless to say he was in great shape by the start of the school year! It takes a village to raise a family but it also takes a village to complete any large or even small projects globally. From predawn to the postmodern era, anything is built one step at a time with many people using whatever tools they have at their fingertips. The next time you admire a building or a landmark, try to envision the people who made it happen! It takes a village of craftsmen with a variety of skills to make those projects a reality! And even a craftswoman or two!

1 comment:

  1. I remember my house being built near Carman over the course of the summer. It was amazing how many people were involved in its construction. Many of them were justifiably prod of their contribution to this relatively minor construction project.

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