<< Previous Next >>

KCPT Tower


KCPT Tower
Photo Information
Copyright: Tom Taylor (DoubleT) Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 15 W: 0 N: 25] (510)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04-30
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Olympus Evolt 510
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2006-05-01 19:48
Viewed: 458
Points: 4
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I made this on a rainy day in Kansas City.Sharpened a bit, cropped.
About the tower:
Height:
1,042 feet. The tower itself is 956 feet tall, and the TV antenna rises 86 more feet.
Color:
Aviation orange.
Weight:
More than 600 tons.
Substance:
Galvanized steel and 26,000 bolts hold everything together. In 1955, KCTV announced that its tower would be the world’s largest self-supporting steel tower. (This was four years before the Eiffel Tower added a radio antenna to its top.)
Lighting:
1,360 25 watt white bulbs are attached to the tower's four legs. (The tower also twinkles with strobe lights to stay safely visible to aircraft.) About half of the bulbs are replaced annually, and it takes the "tower climber" about 40 minutes to reach the top.
Point of View:
Although this tower doesn't offer an elevator of observation deck, a KCTV "City Cam" is mounted on the tower. You can see its extensive view during KCTV's weathercast.
Other Uses:
In 1989 KCTV turned the tower into America's tallest weather forecaster: when the tower's lights flashed upward, the next day was predicted to be warmer, and when the lights flashed downward, a cooler day was ahead. Forecasting lasted a couple of years. High maintenance costs did it in.
Little Known Facts:
• No, the tower is not open to the public, but yes a few people have scaled it. In 1972, for example, two members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War group climbed the tower and stayed at its top for 14 1/2 hours.
• Starting in November 1973, during the energy crisis, the KCTV tower went dark for about a year. The lights would be turned on briefly in the evening, then extinguished—giving citizens a vivid reminder to conserve energy.
• In cold weather, ice occasionally develops on the tower and then falls off in chunks. It's a time of caution for area residents, cars and houses.
• In 2001, KCTV changed the tower bulbs from all white to red, white and blue in response to the attacks on September 11th.
sugah_bear69 has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekLens members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekLens members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

Hi Tom, very impressive tower, were you laying down on the job to take this one...lol! Great POV and contrasts really show off the grid work. Thanks for sharing,
Fran

Love the framing of the rigid tower with the meandering branches and leaves ... great contrast ... great work

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF