Willis Tower (Sears Tower) in Chicago

The Willis Tower, also known by its former name "Sears Tower", is a tower of superlatives: 108 stories, 1,450 feet (442 meters) tall, the skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it was built in 1973. It would remain so for the next 25 years, unseating New York's World Trade Center towers from the top spot.

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In 1998, the Sears Tower was surpassed by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1,483 feet) and lost its title as the world's tallest building, but it remains the tallest skyscraper in the United States and the Americas, gaining a few more feet in 1982 and again in 2000 when two antennas were added to the structure. The tower continues to rise, reaching 1706 feet and then 1729 feet.

In Chicago, most of the emblematic skyscrapers are named after the major company headquartered there (or the company that pays for the rights to name the building). For example, the Sears Tower, named for the Sears department stores, became the Willis Tower in 2009 when its commercial agreement with Sears expired. Willis, a London-based insurance company, moved into the building in 2009, occupying three floors and 3.2 acres. In doing so, the company arrogated to itself the right to rename Chicago's and the country's most famous tower for a period of 15 years.

But in the vernacular and in the hearts of Chicagoans, the Willis Tower remains the "Sears", and the renaming of the tower remains a controversial issue.

The Skydeck's glass boxes ("The Ledge") are suspended from the top of the Willis Tower and provide an adrenaline rush. They simulate the feeling of walking on air!

• 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
• theskydeck.com