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The Skylon Tower, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is the tallest structure that overlooks both the American Falls, New York and the Horseshoe Falls, Ontario from the Canadian side of the Niagara River. Construction of the Skylon began in May 1964 and was officially opened October 6, 1965 by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Ontario Premier John Robarts. The Skylon Tower is Niagara's most famous landmark due to its view of both the American Falls and Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

Costing $7 million at the time of its construction, the Skylon Tower was owned by a private partnership called Niagara International Centre, which was financed by the The Hershey Company shareholdings of Charles Richard Reese, former co-owner of the H. B. Reese Candy Company of Hershey, PA, manufacturer of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and exclusive manufacturer of Kit Kat candy bars in the United States. Canadian Pacific Hotels was hired to operate the tower restaurants and lounges. On October 1st, 1975 CP purchased the tower from Mr. Reese and his partners for $11 million cash. The tower's summit features a verdigris-green copper roof similar to CP's other properties, including the Chβteau Frontenac in Quebec City and the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta. CP owned and operated the tower until 1986, when it was sold for $18 million cash to two local Niagara hotel owners, John Gruyich of Michael's Inn and George Yerich of the Holiday Inn. In 1988 George Yerich bought out John Gruyich's ownership share of the Skylon for $13 million cash, however Milicent Gruyich continues to own the land underneath the Skylon. Mr. Yerich's Skylon land lease will expire in 2064, at which time the Skylon Tower will revert back to total ownership by the heirs of Milicent Gruyich.

Standing at 160 metres (520 feet) from street level and 236 metres (775 feet) from the bottom of the falls, the tower required approval from both Canadian and United States air transport authorities due to its proximity to the international boundary. It was the second tower to be built using the slipform method, in which concrete is continually poured into a form moving slowly up the tower. The same methods would soon be used to build the Inco Superstack in Sudbury, and the CN Tower in Toronto.
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