New Zealand’s tallest man-made structure and the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest free-standing structure was an opinion lightning rod when it was built.
The Sky Tower, which turns 25 this week, now seems an inseparable part of Auckland's skyline.
But as the tower rose in the 1990s, many Aucklanders baulked at the raw concrete design, and critics bemoaned its dominance over the landscape.
Before then the project had to overcome a rival bid from a consortium involving casino magnate Donald Trump.
Here, Anne Gibson tells the origin story of the Sky Tower and examines the innovative construction methods that allowed the tower