[URBAN NOTE] "That time the CN Tower had the highest nightclub ever"

[rfmcdonald]

blogTO's Derek Flack describes and displays the history of Sparkles, the nightclub that once graced the top of the CN Tower.

One of the richest if stereotypical tidbits of 1970s and '80s Toronto history involves what was billed as the "highest nightclub in the world." Located, as it was, in "the city that works" you know already that the tagline is a literal rather than figurative observation, the latter title likely held by Studio 54 in New York.

Hovering over 1,100 feet in the air Sparkles nightclub occupied a section of the CN Tower's main pod between 1979 and 1991, a period when the city was obsessed with all things tall, from buildings to hairdos to cocktails. Lounge by day and disco by night, the space was popular in a way that's hard to believe these days.

It even had its own cocktail, the Heavens Above, which featured amber rum, creme de cacao, coffee liqueur, and pineapple juice. Intriguingly, you'll still find this in some bartending guides, which properly attribute the drink to the lounge at the tower.

If the CN Tower is deemed mostly a tourist trap today, back when Sparkles and neighbouring restaurant Top of Toronto opened there was still great novelty attached to the giant attraction. It was three years old when the idea was hatched to bring a dancing crowd up to the observation level.