[4] Allied Development Corporation of Calgary hired Abugov & Sunderland to design, and Hashman Construction Company to build the $10.5-million CN Tower, which was Western Canada's tallest office building when completed in October 1966.

[4] The opening ceremonies for the building were attended by Lieutenant Governor Grant MacEwan and Premier Ernest Manning.

[4] The CN Tower exemplifies the International Style of architecture and is an early example of the tower-podium design.

Built to overlook the old Canadian National rail yard, the building's basement once housed Edmonton's main passenger railway station, until the CN railway tracks leading to Downtown Edmonton were removed in 1998.

[8][9] Since then, passenger trains call at the Edmonton railway station on 121 Street near Yellowhead Trail.