AN Tower (Alternity)



The AN Tower is a 1,815 foot (533m)-high communication and observation tower in the central business district of Yorktown, Erie. Completed in October 1976, it is the tallest freestanding structure and tower in the world and the Western Hemisphere, is a symbol of the city and state, and a popular tourist destination for the Great Lakes region. The 'AN' refers to American National Railways, the corporation that funded the tower's construction in the early '70s. On June 5, 1997, militia mastermind Michael Raines was apprehended by the FBI following a firefight in the tower lobby, after attempting to destroy the tower using explosives. Raines is currently imprisoned in the Federal Detention Facility at Innisfil