Sears
Tower was the tallest
building in the world from 1973 to 1996.
Today, it remains the tallest building in
North
America, as the Petronas Towers in Malaysia
are now the world's tallest buildings. Built
in 1973 and renovated in 1993, it sits on
two city blocks and rises one-quarter mile
above the ground with 110 floors. The building
holds offices (with approximately 10,000
workers), as well as a health club, eight
restaurants, retail shops and other services.
Sears
Roebuck and Company, then the world's largest retailer
with $8.9 billion in sales, decided to consolidate
its administrative operations in downtown Chicago
in the late 1960s, The Company determined it needed
3 million square feet of office space with floors
of 50,000 square feet to accommodate its 13,000
employees in their major departments. It was later
decided they would strive for the tallest building
in the world and offer the upper floors to tenants.
The
Tower is also a destination for millions of tourists
from all around the world. It has been a backdrop
in films such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The
Fugitive. The top attraction for visitors is the
observation Skydeck on the 103rd floor. The view
from the Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Sears
Tower is amazing! On a clear day, you can see 40-50
miles -- the city of Chicago and it beautiful architecture,
Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. The Skydeck also
features interactive, museum-quality exhibits highlighting
Chicago's history and
historic characters. Interactive kiosks provide
a tour of Chicago's landmarks.
Knee-High Chicago which is a kid-level display that
extends all the way around the Skydeck. Cool cut-out
windows
put kids eye-to-eye with scenes from Chicago's most
fascinating moments in history. The Skydeck also
has high-tech, high-powered telescopes for a closer
look at the city.
Sears Tower
which is deliberately located on Wacker Drive in the
heart of the West Loop, Chicago's premier submarket
and home to its largest corporations and commuter
rail stations. Completed in early 1973, Sears Tower
is an attractive and contemporary 110-story trophy
office tower consisting of steel columns and beams
in a "mega-module" system. The building
contains approximately 3.8 million rentable square
feet ("RSF") including approximately 159,000
RSF of retail space. The Property also features a
160-car underground parking garage accessible from
Franklin Street. Other amenities include a world-class
broadcast platform, tallest skydeck, full-service
conference center, fitness facility, and exceptional
technology features.
The
Construction of The Sears Tower, completed May 3,
1973, rises to a height of 1,450 feet and is one
of the most recognizable landmarks in the Chicago
skyline and in the world. The Sears tower held the
record for the world's tallest building for 25 years
until the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
were built in 1998.
Then the fall
of 2004 Taipei 101 took all but one title - tallest
to the tips of the antennas, which the Sears Tower
still owns Including the Sears Tower antennas, the
total height of the Sears Tower increases to 1,725
feet. Designed by the architectural firm Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill for Sears, Roebuck & Company,
the world's largest retailer at the time, the 3.8
million RSF building is the preeminent office address
in Chicago and one of the premier properties in the
world. The property provides an irreplaceable West
Loop location, unparalleled views from all of the
property's highly efficient floors and an unmatched
prestige.
