Minolta Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opened in 1962, the Konica Minolta Tower Centre is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario and was the first of the modern observation towers built near the brink of the Falls. For more than 100 years, there had been various, but much smaller, towers built throughout the area with most of them being wooden structures. The most famous was probably the wood construction tower that was located at the top of Drummond Hill on Lundy's Lane behind the historic Drummond Inn. It was built for visitors to have an aerial view of the War of 1812 Battle of Lundy's Lane battle field and the Drummond Hill Cemetery where many British and American soldiers killed during the battle are buried.
The Konica Minolta Tower Center was originally called the Seagram Tower and over the years was renamed the Panasonic Tower and the Minolta Tower. It features an indoor observation deck, restaurant, wedding chapel, and hotel. From street level, the tower is 99 meters (325 feet) tall, however it is situated 160 meters (525 feet) above the falls.
Contents |
[edit] Observation Deck
Located on the 25th floor, this deck features a panoramic view of the falls and Niagara River in addition to floor-to-ceiling windows treated with a non-glare finish designed to enhance photography. There are many historical photos and news articles about the construction of the tower mounted around the deck in addition to pay-per-use telescopes.
[edit] Pinnacle Restaurant
Renovated in March 2005, the tower's restaurant offers gourmet meals featuring steak and seafood. At the same elevation as the Observation Deck, the restaurant is open for three meals per day. Group and à la carte menus are available, and the restaurant can be reserved for wedding receptions. In addition, the Pinnacle Lounge can be booked for private gatherings. The Pinnacle Restaurant was recently transformed by Robin De Groot for his television program Restaurant Makeover, completely transforming the environment and menu to the delight of Niagara Falls.
[edit] Weddings
Marketed through Niagara Fallsview Weddings, the tower chapel provides fully-serviced weddings including consultants, cake and flowers, an officiant, and photography. Multiple packages are available and include accommodations. Fully legal weddings are offered.
[edit] Hotel
In 2002, the tower re-opened after extensive renovations to include the luxury four star Ramada Plaza Fallsview. Falls view and city view deluxe rooms feature queen beds, while suites include king beds.
[edit] Changing Skyline
A recent boom in large hotel construction has diminished the tower's prominence as a landmark. All of these hotels strive to give their guests as good a view of the falls as possible by taking advantage of their position of the height on land above the falls, once dominated solely by the Konica Minolta Tower. In contrast, the airspace around the Skylon tower remains fairly open, thanks to its position further back from the [Niagara River].
[edit] Trivia
Some say that this tower is where Lois Lane discovered Clark Kent's identity in the movie Superman II. Although the tower does appear in the background of the film in one shot (the Skylon Tower and the Kodak Tower at Maple Leaf Village appear in another scene), there is nothing to suggest that the honeymoon suite scenes were actually filmed in the tower. In fact, these scenes were very obviously shot in a studio, given the purposefully ridiculous design of the room, the very dark walls and the lack of scenery through the window.
