Willis Tower Chicago: A Serious Work of Architecture
In a city known for its inspiring architecture, no historic structure stands as tall as Willis Tower Chicago. Located on the West side of the Loop, Willis Tower Chicago, formerly called the Sears Tower, opened on May 3, 1973, and remains the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, bursting through the skyline at 110 stories — a looming 1,700 feet tall.
Often mispronounced by children as the “Serious Tower,” the Sears Tower became Willis Tower in 2009 after it was purchased by the London-based insurance company.
Made of black steel, the superstructure with bronze-tinted glass was designed by Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill for then Chicago-based Sears, Roebuck and Co. And if you are of keen eye, you might detect a four-inch lean from vertical in the tower, due to its asymmetrical design which creates unequal weight on its foundation. The stepped-back appearance of the tower was created by a series of interlocking tubes terminating at different heights.
Step inside the tower, and a colorful moving mural by sculptor Alexander Calder greets you. Titled Universe, the 55-foot-high, 33-foot wide 1974 work is in yellow, blue, red and black. The mix is a playful contrast to Graham’s dark tower, which Graham referred to as “a mountain on the plains.”
A trip to the tower's Skydeck on the 99th floor is highly recommended. It offers the most complete view of Chicago's skyline. There are days when the clouds are lower than the Skydeck and a white fog will swirl past the floor to ceiling windows. From 99 floors high, cars on expressways appear as moving diamonds. The addition of The Ledge--a four-sided glass box extending from the tower makes visitors feel as if they are floating above the city.
When you return to earth, there's an interesting gift shop on the main floor where you can find all things Chicago and much on Willis Tower. Suspicions are that, if you'd pile all the items together, the stack would equal the building's height.
On a clear day, the view from the Skydeck can span 50 miles and include four states. And getting up to the 99th floor is a snap. The ride up and down the building's elevators takes less than a minute, and the glide is so gentle that your stomach won't leap.
Much like people who are drawn to scale a mountain peak "because it's there," so it goes for the yearn to climb the Tower. In 1981, "Spider Dan," Dan Goodwin, clad in a homemade Spiderman costume and armed with suction cups, clawed his way up the hulking structure. After seven hours, Goodwin made it to the top, only to be met by firefighters. The city was giddy with delight, and Spider Dan became a local hero.
Posted on Apr 6, 2011 by Lori Rotenberk
