Chicago Skyscrapers - Architecture and Iconic Buildings
Chicago is a city of superlatives and a playground for the world's most renowned architects. Its downtown is home to some of the world's most iconic skyscrapers.
This is Chicago's most emblematic tower, a tower of superlatives: when it was built, it was the tallest skyscraper in the world and remained so for 25 years. To this day, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) remains the tallest building in the city and on the continent.
The John Hancock Center (renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue) is one of the six tallest skyscrapers in the world. 1,128 feet, 1,500 feet with the antennas on top, 100 stories high. It houses luxury apartments, a public observatory and the city's tallest restaurant, bar and cafe. The observatory is reached by the fastest elevator in North America. It takes only 40 seconds (ears open) to reach the 360-degree, all-glass viewing platform.
1,388 feet, 98 floors: this is Chicago's newest giant, financed by Donald Trump. The tenth tallest skyscraper in the world, it houses condominiums, a luxury hotel and a sophisticated restaurant, Terrace 16.
Not the tallest building in Chicago, but one of the most original! The Burnham Brothers had fun topping this long, slender building with a bottle of champagne. It's covered in real gold and houses the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago.
As prestigious as the Magnificent Mile from which it rises, the Palmer House has been an enduring landmark since 1871. The largest hotel in the world in the 1920s, it is now part of the Hilton Group and remains one of the two most important hotels in Chicago.
When it opened in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the "Wonder Theatre of the World," a baroque gem the likes of which the United States had never seen. By the 1980s, however, the theater was aging. Less and less frequented, it was threatened with demolition before being restored. Today, its billboard with the giant letters "Chicago" stands as it did yesterday on the Magnificent Mile.
11,000 people can sit under the metal arches of this concert hall designed by Frank Gehry, creator of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The acoustics are remarkable.
Chicagoans who are members of the Foundation lead visitors on tours of the city's skyscrapers and historic buildings. More than 80 themed tours. Audio guides available for rent (in French). Free museum admission.
At the top of the Willis Tower, these 4 small floor-to-ceiling glass cabins float in mid-air, 1351 feet above the ground. They are one of the attractions of the Skydeck, which also houses a more traditional observatory on the 103rd floor of the tower.