Going inside the lobby of
Willis Tower then up the high speed schindeler elevator to the 103rd floor observation deck.
Magnificent views can be seen at the top of the
Willis (former
Sears Tower). "Willis Tower (formerly named and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower) is a 110-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in
Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in
1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the
World Trade Center towers in
New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. Willis Tower is the second-tallest building in the
United States and the eighth-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The skyscraper is one of the most popular tourist destinations in
Chicago, and over one million people visit its observation deck each year.
Named the Sears Tower throughout its history, in 2009 the
Willis Group obtained the right to rename the building,
as part of their lease on a portion of its offices. On July 16, 2009, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower. On August 13,
2012,
United Airlines announced it will be moving its corporate headquarters from
77 West Wacker Drive to Willis Tower. Willis Tower remains the second tallest building in the
Americas and the
Western Hemisphere. With a pinnacle height of 1729 feet (527 m), it is the third tallest freestanding structure in the Americas, as it is 86 feet (26 m) shorter than
Toronto's
CN Tower. Willis Tower is the eighth-tallest freestanding structure in the world by pinnacle height.
At 1,482.6 feet (451.9 m) tall, including decorative spires, the
Petronas Twin Towers in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, laid claim to replacing the Sears Tower as the tallest building in the world in
1998. Not everyone agreed, and in the ensuing controversy four different categories of "tallest building" were created. Of these,
Petronas was the tallest in the first category (height to top of architectural elements, meaning spires but not antennas) giving it the title of world's tallest building.
Taipei 101 in
Taiwan claimed the record in three of the four categories in 2004 to become recognized as the tallest building in the world. Taipei 101 surpassed the Petronas Twin Towers in spire height and the Sears Tower in roof height and highest occupied floor.
The Sears Tower retained one record: its antenna exceeded
the Taipei 101's spire in height. In 2008, the
Shanghai World Financial Center claimed the records of tallest building by roof and highest occupied floor.
On August 12,
2007, the
Burj Khalifa in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates was reported by its developers to have surpassed the Sears Tower in all height categories.
Upon completion,
One World Trade Center in
New York City surpassed Willis Tower through its structural and pinnacle heights, but not by roof, observation deck elevation or highest occupied floor.
Until
2000, the Sears Tower did not hold the record for the tallest building by pinnacle height. From
1969 to 1978, this record was held by the
John Hancock Center, whose antenna reached a height of 1,
500 ft (457.2 m), or 49 ft (14.8 m) taller than the Sears Tower's original height of 1,451 ft (442 m). In 1978, One World Trade Center became taller by pinnacle height due to the addition of a 359 ft (
109.3 m) antenna, which brought its total height to 1,727 ft (526.8 m). In
1982, two antennas were installed on top of the Sears Tower which brought its total height to 1,
707 ft (520.3 m), making it taller than the John Hancock Center but not One World Trade Center. However, the extension of the Sears Tower's western antenna in June 2000 to 1,730 feet (527 m) allowed it to just barely claim the title of tallest building by pinnacle height." These elevators are some of the fastest in
North America, reaching a top speed of
18.2 mph or 29.3 km/h.
- published: 10 Dec 2013
- views: 7490