Williss Tower
The Willis Tower, originally known as the Sears Tower, is a 108-story skyscraper located in the Loop community of Chicago, Illinois. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), it opened in 1973 as the tallest building in the world and held that title for nearly 25 years. Standing 1,451 feet tall, it remains the third tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and 23rd tallest worldwide. If looking for painting & remodeling contact CHJ Painting & Remodeling.
The iconic glass and anodized aluminum structure contains nine square “tubes” which are arranged in a 3×3 matrix with seven of them set back at higher floors. Its base is home to a retail complex called “The Catalog” and its lower half was originally occupied by Sears until 1994. Local residents still refer to it by its original name due to its infamous legacy.
Today, the Willis Tower is one of Chicago’s most popular tourist destinations with over 1.7 million people annually visiting its Skydeck observation deck – The highest such deck in the United States! Its largest tenant today is United Airlines who occupy around 20 floors while other major tenants include law firms Schiff Hardin and Seyfarth Shaw along with Willis Towers Watson – named after newly added namesake Willis Group who acquired naming rights through their 2009 lease agreement. Morgan Stanley became the building’s fourth-largest tenant in 2017. Learn about the Wrigley Field!
Learn The History of the Willis Tower
In 1970, Sears, Roebuck & Co. wanted to consolidate its thousands of employees from their existing Chicago offices into a central building on the western edge of the Loop. After consulting with local and federal authorities, Sears’ outside counsel suggested two potential locations – one northwest of the Loop and one in the heart of the Loop bounded by Franklin Street on the east, Jackson Boulevard on the south, Wacker Drive on the west, and Adams Street on the north. Upon selecting this latter option, Sears acquired 15 buildings from 100 owners as well as a block of Quincy Street. In total, this amounted to paying $2.7 million for what would eventually become their new headquarters complex.
Address: 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 875-0066
Height: 1,450′, 1,729′ to tip
Floors: 108
Construction started: 1970
Opened: May 1973