Willis Tower

Willis Tower
The Willis Tower, then known as the Sears Tower, in 1998
Willis Tower Location in Chicago Show map of Chicago metropolitan area Willis Tower Location in Illinois Show map of Illinois Willis Tower Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Former names	Sears Tower (1973–2009)
Record height
Tallest in the world from 1973 to 1998[I]
Preceded by	World Trade Center
Surpassed by	Petronas Towers
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office, observation, communication
Architectural style	International
Location	233 S. Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois, United States
Coordinates	41°52′44″N 87°38′09″W / 41.8789°N 87.6358°W / 41.8789; -87.6358
Current tenants	United Airlines
Named for	Willis Group Sears (1973–2009)
Construction started	1970; 54 years ago (1970)
Completed	1973; 51 years ago (1973)
Owner	Blackstone Group[1]
Height
Architectural	442.1 m (1,450 ft)[2]
Tip	527 m (1,729 ft)[2]
Top floor	412.7 m (1,354 ft)[2]
Technical details
Floor count	108[3] (+3 basement floors), 110 floors including mechanical.
Floor area	416,000 m2 (4,477,800 sq ft)[2]
Lifts/elevators	104,[2] with 16 double-decker elevators, made by Westinghouse, modernized by Schindler Group
Design and construction
Architect	Skidmore, Owings and Merrill[2] Fazlur Rahman Khan Bruce Graham
Main contractor	Morse Diesel International
References
I. ^ Willis Tower at Emporis [2]

The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. The tower has 108 stories, though the building's owners count the main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110.^[4][5] When it finished costruction in 1973, it beat the World Trade Center in New York City to become the tallest building in the world. It was the tallest building in the world for twenty-five years until the Petronas Towers were built in Malaysia. It was also the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere for 41 years, until the new One World Trade Center beat it in 2013.

Willis Tower is seen as the best work of architect Fazlur Khan.^[6] As of 2021, it is the third-tallest building in the United States and the Western hemisphere. It is also the 23rd-tallest in the world. Each year, more than one million people visit its observation deck, the highest in the United States. It is one of Chicago's most popular tourist places. The tower was renamed in 2009 after the Willis Group bought the tower.

The building's largest office partner is United Airlines, which moved its corporate headquarters from 77 West Wacker Drive in 2012.^[7][8][9] Other major company offices in the tower include Schiff Hardin and Seyfarth Shaw.^[9] Morgan Stanley moved into the tower in 2019.^[9]

It was known as the Sears Tower until 2009, as it was the headquarters of retail company Sears from its opening in 1974. Many people from Chicago still call the tower by its original name.^[10]

1. ↑ de la Merced, Michael J. (March 16, 2014). "Blackstone Group Purchases Landmark Willis Tower in Chicago". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} "Willis Tower – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. June 13, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
3. ↑ The tower has 108 stories as counted by standard methods, though the building's owners count the main roof as 109 and the mechanical penthouse roof as 110. Emporis.com Archived 2008-03-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on June 7, 2008
4. ↑ "Willis Tower - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
5. ↑ "History and Facts - Willis Tower". willistower.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
6. ↑ "Five things you need to know about pioneering architect Fazlur Rahman Khan". The Independent. London. April 3, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
7. ↑ [1] Archived August 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
8. ↑ Snyder, Brett (December 16, 2013). "A Day with United Management: Elite Status, Mileage Devaluation, and Increasing Change Fees". The Cranky Flier. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} Ecker, Danny (2018-04-16). "Morgan Stanley moving second office to Willis Tower". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
10. ↑ McClelland, Edward (2019-06-05). "Chicagoans Refuse to Call These Places by Their Real Names". Chicago Magazine. Chicago Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.