Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, has 1,384 finished high-rise buildings, 53 of which are more than 600 feet tall (183 m). The Willis Tower (originally the Sears Tower), which rises 1,451 feet (442 m) in the Chicago Loop and was completed in 1974, is the city's highest building. The John Hancock Center, also in the Loop, is 1,353 feet tall (411 m); it was built in 1969 and owned by Hancock Bank until 1997, when it was acquired by a real estate investment company.
The Trump Tower, currently the tallest building in Chicago at 1,454 feet (440 m), was completed in 1980. It is located at 120 North Wabash Avenue in the Near North Side district. Ten other buildings in Chicago reach 900 feet (274 m), while two others reach 875 feet (268 m).
According to data from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, the Willis Tower is estimated to contain 7,970,000 square feet (738,000 sq m) of floor space. This makes it the largest building in the world by total area occupied by floors constructed for commercial use.
The Sears Tower is estimated to contain 7,423,000 square feet (680,000 sq m) of floor space. This makes it the largest building in the world by volume of air space per capita.
It was the highest skyscraper in Chicago until the Willis Tower overtook it. It is the 13th highest structure in the United States, the tallest building built in the world in the 1960s, and the first skyscraper in the world outside of New York City to reach at least 1,000 feet (305 m).
The Hancock Center was designed by the famous Chicago architect Louis I. Kahn with input from Kenmore Association members who selected the design from among five proposals. The center's unique shape makes it stand out even on a crowded skyline. Its slenderness gives it an airiness that is rare in a skyscraper of its size. The building is clad in limestone, which is also used for its interior walls and floors. A glass curtain wall faces south over Michigan Avenue, allowing for lots of natural light inside the office spaces.
The building was constructed in under one year at a cost of $40 million. At the time it was completed, it was considered to be one of the most expensive buildings in America per square foot. Although it has been surpassed in price by other recent skyscrapers such as the Petronas Towers and the World Trade Center South Tower, it remains the most expensive single structure ever built in Illinois.
In 2004, after nearly 20 years of service, the last remaining original tenant moved out and the building was abandoned by its owner, the Hancock Park District.
Willis Tower is Chicago's highest structure. The structure, which was completed in 1973, held the title of "World's Tallest" for 25 years. It was the tallest skyscraper in the United States until 2013, when One World Trade Center surpassed it. The Sears Corporation sold the skyscraper in 1994 but retained name rights until 2003. It is now owned by a real estate investment trust that also owns Two Chicago Landmarks - the John Hancock Center and Prudential Insurance Company of America Building. Willis Tower is 1,453 feet (442 m) tall.
Willis Tower is named after mylar pioneer Roy Willis. The building is composed of three stacked cylinders connected by tubes; the top cylinder is filled with air while the bottom two are filled with water to reduce vibration during wind storms. The building has 72 floors above ground level and is topped with a copper dome.
The tower was designed by Holabird & Root and built by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. It is located on North Michigan Avenue near the Chicago River (1100 N. Michigan Ave.). Admission is free but a charge is made for some exhibits at the Skydeck observatory on the 103rd floor.
When finished, the tower was intended to be the world's largest hollow shell structure. Today it is still the second-largest hollow shell structure, only behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The base of the Willis Tower is about one-third mile square (500,000 square meters).
The Willis Tower (also known as the Sears Tower for 36 years) is a 110-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. When it was finished in 1973, it overtook the World Trade Center in New York to become the tallest skyscraper in the world, a record it maintained for nearly 25 years. It has been surpassed by two other Chicago buildings.
The Sears Tower is an enclosed triangular pyramid with its apex at the top of each floor. The building is named after its primary tenant, retailer Sears Roebuck and Company. It also contains several other shops and offices. Construction on the $40 million ($ billion in 2018 dollars) project began in 1969 and it was completed in 1972. At the time it was built, it was the most expensive single construction project in American history. As of 2013, it still holds the record for the most expensive single construction project in America.
In October 2016, the Willis Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing included five properties within one city block of each other on Michigan Avenue between State Street and Madison Street. Two of these properties are former office buildings that now contain luxury apartments: the Willis Tower and the Chicago Board of Trade Building. The others include the Grand Trunk Depot, a train station that has been converted into a restaurant; the Marshall Field & Company Building, which is under renovation for use as a boutique hotel; and the Chicago Police Department's Regional Headquarters, which is being redeveloped into a shopping center.
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