What’s up everyone?
Today we are going to the top of the world. I’m talking about Willis Tower or better known as , and to me will always be known as, Sears Tower. At the time of its conception, it became the worlds tallest building by surpassing the World Trace Center. A titled it held for 25 years. It currently stands 1450 ft with 110 floors. It is still the ninth tallest building in the world and the second tallest in the western hemisphere. One World Trade Center now takes that title. Willis Tower is located in downtown Chicago.
In 1969 the Sears, Roebuck, & Co wanted to consolidate their thousands of works in offices they had scattered about throughout the Chicago area. So they started the search to find the right place to built. Looking through their option they settled upon a location just off the banks of the Chicago River. With a location found they hired Skidmore, Ownings, & Merrill(SOM) to design their building. SOM’s lead architect Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan came up with the idea to use the nine square “tubes. Essentially they are 9 separate building all interlocked with each other. Using the "tube method gave the tower stability and was more cost effective to build. This method has become very popular in constructing the worlds super tall builds. Even the current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, use this method.
In April of 1971, the first pieces of steel were put into place and construction was underway. It was completed in May of 1973. There it stood as a beacon of American ingenuity. In 2009, a London based insurance broker known as Willis Group Holdings agreed to lease a portion of the building. With the new lease came the naming rights, as Sears rights expired in 2003, and Sears Tower became Willis Tower. But for many it will always be the Sears Tower.
The biggest draw for tourist is, of course, the Skydeck. When you first enter the tower the send you over to the elevators. Ironically, the send you down into one of the basement floors. Once there they take your picture and you purchase your tickets. From there you walk through a couple of rooms that talks about the tower and a little bit about Chicago. You make your way to another set of elevator. They stuff you in and rocket you to 103rd floor. When the doors open you are greeted with a 360 degree view of the city. They say that you can see up to fifty miles in any direction. Of course it all depends on the weather conditions.
The view is spectacular but the best park of the Skydeck is the Ledge. The Ledge is a retractable glass box that extends a little over 4 ft from the building. From inside the box you can look through the glass floor 1353 ft down to the Chicago River below. It is said that the inspiration for the Ledge came from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In the scene the trio are in the Skydeck. Ferris convinces them to stand on one of the rail and press their heads against the window to look down at the ground below. To prevent the many tourist from recreating this and for them having to constantly clean the windows, they tried to come up easier way to give you that experience. In the end, the Ledge was born.
I can say that I’m not really scared of heights, but it was still a little intimidating to walk out on to it. Poor Erin was quite the trooper. For those who don’t know, Erin is really terrified of heights but it was something that she really wanted to do. I will say it did take a little coxing but she did it and was happy for doing so. It was definitely a weird feeling to be staring down at your feet and seeing what could only be describe as tiny ants scurrying about very far below. If you are ever in the Chicago area it is something that you should at least try to see once. Like I said the view of the city is spectacular. Something that you don’t get to experience everyday.
Hope you enjoyed a brief look at the Willis Tower. As always, Thanks for stopping by. Until next time.
Josh
great photos!
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