Christopher T. Carley

Chicago Spire
Artist's impression of the supertall Chicago Spire
General information
Status	Never built
Type	Residential
Location	400 N Lake Shore Drive Chicago, Illinois, United States
Coordinates	41°53′24″N 87°36′54″W / 41.89°N 87.615°W / 41.89; -87.615Coordinates: 41°53′24″N 87°36′54″W / 41.89°N 87.615°W / 41.89; -87.615
Construction started	June 25, 2007
Height
Roof	2,000 ft (610 m)
Technical details
Floor count	150
Floor area	3,000,000 square feet (278,700 m2)
Design and construction
Architect	Santiago Calatrava Perkins and Will
Developer	Shelbourne Development Group
Structural engineer	Thornton Tomasetti
Main contractor	Case Foundation

The Chicago Spire was a supertall skyscraper project at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois that failed financially after beginning construction. When originally proposed as the Fordham Spire in July 2005, the design had 116 stories and would have included a hotel and condominiums and been topped with a broadcast antenna mast. The design was by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, and Chicago developer Christopher T. Carley of the Fordham Company was spearheading the project. On 16 March 2006, the initial design of the building passed unanimously during that day's meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission. A court ruling on 4 November 2014 brought to a close the original development plan and the extended litigation over the nine-year-old project; developer Garrett Kelleher signed over the property location to the project's biggest creditor, Related Midwest, who announced that they would not build the Spire.

The building was originally proposed as the Fordham Spire in July 2005; Chicago developer Christopher T. Carley of the Fordham Company was spearheading the project. It was to have had 116 stories and to include a hotel and condominiums and be topped by a tall broadcast antenna mast. On March 16, 2006, the initial design of the building passed unanimously during that day's meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission and on March 23, 2006, the same happened at the city's Zoning Committee meeting. On March 29, 2006, the Chicago city council also approved that design. As part of the approval process, the council passed a measure that raised the height limit on structures at the site to accommodate the 2,000-foot (610 m) design height. It would have become the second tallest building in the entire world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa. It would have also surpassed the CN Tower to become the tallest freestanding structure and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.