The structure that would have reached skyward from Victoria's inner harbour.
"The Tower That Never Was"
Photo: City of Victoria Archives (M09015)
In 1966, the City of Victoria received a proposal to build an all-aluminum space needle. From beginning to end, however, the plan was a concept that lasted only several weeks.
At 300 feet high, the tower would have soared to twice the height of the parliament buildings next door to where it would have been located on Belleville Street on Victoria's inner harbour. The top of the tower was to have two circular decks. The lower deck was to offer souvenirs and coffee while the upper deck was to be an open-air observation deck offering a 360° view across the city, the surrounding islands and the Straits of Juan de Fuca. A pond feature at the base of the tower was to feature seals and other marine life.
"The tower would create a lot of free advertising for the city. Think of the photos the tourists would take from the top of the tower and later show their friends." - A. Bristowe, Businessman/Developer
"First in the World"
Vancouver Sun (1966) Vancouver, British Columbia
The proponents for the tower made a good argument for boosting local tourism, comparing its potential to that of Paris with their Eifel Tower and Seattle with its Needle. The proposal was never officially shut down, but the concept came to an abrupt end when several weeks after the plan was first proposed, the strongest proponent, local businessman, author and avid fisherman Anthony Bristowe, drowned on a fishing trip in Lake Cowichan.
When this story was first posted in the fall of 2020, it was not well known that a new structure with a towering view was already well into development on the island. Construction had begun several months earlier on the Malahat SkyWalk on Jan. 3, 2020. 19 months later on July 15, 2021, islanders and visitors from around the world journeyed to the top of Vancouver Island's Malahat to experience one of the best views on the Pacific Coast.
"The New Malahat SkyWalk"
Photo: (tbd)
When this story was first posted in the fall of 2020, it was not well known that a new structure with a towering view was already well into development on the island. Construction had begun several months earlier on the Malahat SkyWalk on Jan. 3, 2020. 19 months later on July 15, 2021, islanders and visitors from around the world would journey to the top of Vancouver Island's Malahat to experience one of the best views on the Pacific Coast.