The Willis Building There are no surprises here: the Willis Tower is arguably the most recognizable structure in Chicago and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. When it was finished in 1973, it was the highest building in the world, a status it held until 1998. The Willis has two main categories of office space - those on the 86th floor and above can pay up to $125 per square foot, while floors 7 to 85 are available for $10 per square foot or less. There are also three luxury hotels within the tower that charge between $150 and $600 per night.
In addition to being one of the city's most visible buildings, the Willis is also one of the largest works of art ever made for its owner, the Durable Insurance Company. Artist Louis H. Sullivan created a sculpture-adorned interior that was praised by the critics but which proved too expensive to maintain. After the company moved its headquarters out of Chicago, they decided not to spend any more money improving their offices, so the work of art was left untouched. It took another 20 years before someone realized what had happened to the Willis Building, and when they did, nobody could afford to repair it. In 2003, however, the Durable Insurance Company announced that it would be donating $1 million over five years to help save other old buildings in Chicago from being demolished.
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 structure. Chicago has the second highest skyline in the United States, after only New York City. The third highest point of elevation in the city is Grant's Tomb, at 954 feet (290 m).
Willis Tower is a landmark skyscraper located on Michigan Avenue in the Chicago Loop community area near Downtown Chicago. It is named after its primary occupant, the Chicago-based office furniture retailer Willis Corroon Company, which acquired the naming rights to the building. The building is also known as "the bean" or "the beanstalk".
When it was first built, it was the world's tallest free-standing concrete tower. It remained the world's tallest building for nearly three years until the Petronium at One Shell Plaza was completed in 1972. However, due to its height advantage, it is considered the first true supertall—a title it still holds today despite the fact that there are now several other buildings that exceed it in height.
Its construction was financed by the Sears Roebuck & Co. company and it was originally called the Sears Tower but was renamed in 2008 to avoid confusion with another Sears Tower in Illinois.
Tallest structures
| Rank | Name | Height ft (m) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willis Tower | 1,451 (442) |
| 2 | Trump International Hotel and Tower | 1,388 (423) |
| 3 | St. Regis Chicago | 1,198 (363) |
| 4 | Aon Center | 1,136 (346) |
Tallest structures
| Rank | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willis Tower | 1974 |
| 2 | Trump International Hotel and Tower | 2009 |
| 3 | St. Regis Chicago | 2020 |
| 4 | Aon Center | 1973 |
The Trump International Hotel & Tower, St. Regis Chicago, and Aon Center are the city's second, third, and fourth tallest structures, respectively. Two of the top 10 highest buildings in the United States are in Chicago... tallest structures.
| Rank | 3 |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Regis Chicago |
| Height ft (m) | 1,198 (363) |
| Floors | 101 |
| Year | 2020 |
A look at the new towers that will alter Chicago's skyline for the foreseeable future. In Chicago, five 800-foot-plus structures are now under construction, including the 1,198-foot-tall Vista Tower in Lakeshore East. More projects are in the planning stages, awaiting city approval or funding. The list includes two 1,000-foot-plus monsters by South Korean architect Peter Cho.
In addition, there are three 767-foot-high buildings under construction in Chicago, along with two other high-rise developments that have been canceled. All told, more than $3 billion in private investment has been pledged to build these skyscrapers. The majority of this activity is focused in the Loop area, but a few miles away on Lake Michigan, the scene is completely different. Here, near McCormick Place, four huge concrete shells remain after developers withdrew their plans before breaking ground. One of them, called the Pier 6 Building, was to be 1,014 feet tall--the second highest structure in Chicago after Willis Tower.
The city has approved six major projects since 1996, when there were only two active development sites. There were also several failed attempts at building higher than 750 feet during that time. Currently, there are at least 20 proposed skyscrapers waiting for city approval or financing. Many others are in the design stage or have been abandoned.
It's clear that Chicago has returned to the building site.
The world's current tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, reaches 2,716 meters into the sky, and new skyscrapers are being built in Asia and the Middle East every year. China has eight of the top fifteen tallest skyscrapers. South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan also have several tall buildings.
The original height of the Chrysler Building was 1,046 feet, but it was reduced to 765 feet after it was found to be violating the Air Commerce Act by blocking the view of New York City's skyline. The Empire State Building is still considered one of the highest buildings in the world even though its original height was only 1,454 feet.
The Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago is an artwork that stands over 30 feet high and was designed by British-American architect Richard Meier with engineering design by O'Hare International Airport District Engineer William LeMessager. The pavilion is made of fiberglass and steel and was created as part of the opening ceremony of the 2002 Olympics which was held in Chicago. It took more than 10 years to complete and cost $10 million dollars to build.
When you add up the floors of all the buildings in a city, that's how many stories they are. New York City has 60 such buildings over 200 feet tall, while London has just three. But Tokyo has over 100 such buildings and Chicago has almost as many.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 BindleyHardware & Co Inc.
