Sydney Tower Eye

The Sydney Tower is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. The tower stands 309 m above the Sydney central business district, located on Market Street, between Pitt and Castlereagh Streets. It is accessible from the Pitt Street Mall, Market Street or Castlereagh Street and sits above the Westfield Sydney shopping centre. The tower is open to the public, and is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city, being visible from a number of vantage points throughout town and from adjoining suburbs. Auckland's Sky Tower is taller but Sydney Tower's main observation deck is almost 30 m higher than the observation deck on Auckland's Sky Tower.

History

Designed by Australian architect Donald Crone, the first plans for Sydney Tower were unveiled in March 1968. Construction of the office building commenced in 1970, and tower construction began in 1975. Prior to construction of the tower, the height limit in Sydney had been set at 279 m (915 ft), to allow for the harbour's flying boats that were popular before the modern jet era.

Public access to the tower began in September 1981.[9] The total cost of construction was A$36 million.[8] In 1998, the addition of a lightning rod to the top of spire extended the tower's overall height from 305 m to 309 m (1,014 ft), which is 327 m (1,073 ft) above sea level.

While AMP managed the Centrepoint shopping centre, the tower was officially referred to as "AMP Tower". After the Westfield Group took over ownership of Centrepoint in December 2001, the name was changed to Sydney Tower.

In 2009, the base building was closed and stripped for a major refurbishment. This involved the connection of the shopping centre to other arcades and a complete upgrade of all the sites. The shopping centre was progressively reopened from 2010 and was renamed Westfield Sydney. On 25–26 June 2011 the "AMP" banner was removed from the tower and replaced by a large illuminated "Westfield" logo. This was achieved by helicopter after two previous attempts on 22 May and 12 June were aborted due to bad weather.[citation needed]

In 2011, Merlin Entertainments acquired the rights to operate the observation deck tower and its name was changed to the Sydney Tower Eye.

Located in: Westfield Sydney
Address: 100 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Height: 305 m
Construction started: 1970
Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 10AM Thu
Top floor: 279 m (915 ft) for Sydney Tower Skywalk