Willis Tower
| Willis Tower | |
|---|---|
The Willis, then known as the Sears Tower in 2007
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| Former names | Sears Tower (1973–2009) |
| Record height | |
| Tallest in the world from 1973 to 1998 | |
| Preceded by | World Trade Center (1970) |
| Surpassed by | Petronas Twin Towers |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Office, observation, communication |
| Architectural style | International |
| Location | 233 S. Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 United States |
| Coordinates | 41°52′44″N 87°38′09″W / 41.8789°N 87.6358°WCoordinates: 41°52′44″N 87°38′09″W / 41.8789°N 87.6358°W |
| Current tenants | United Airlines |
| Named for | Willis Group |
| Construction started | 1970 |
| Completed | 1973 |
| Owner | Blackstone Group |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 442.1 m (1,450 ft) |
| Tip | 527 m (1,729 ft) |
| Top floor | 412.7 m (1,354 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 108 (+3 basement floors) |
| Floor area | 416,000 m2 (4,477,800 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 104, with 16 double-decker elevators, made by Westinghouse, modernized by Schindler Group |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect |
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Fazlur Rahman Khan Bruce Graham |
| Main contractor | Morse Diesel International |
| References | |
| I. ^ Willis Tower at Emporis |
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The Willis Tower, built as and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. At completion in 1973, it surpassed the World Trade Center towers in New York to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years. The Willis Tower is the second-tallest building in the United States and the 14th-tallest in the world. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations. The structure was renamed in 2009 by the Willis Group as part of its lease on a portion of the tower's space.
As of December 2013[update], the building's largest tenant is United Airlines, which moved its corporate headquarters from the United Building at 77 West Wacker Drive in 2012 and today occupies around 20 floors with its headquarters and operations center.
The building's official address is 233 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
In 1969, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the largest retailer in the world, with about 350,000 employees. Sears executives decided to consolidate the thousands of employees in offices distributed throughout the Chicago area into one building on the western edge of Chicago's Loop. Sears asked its outside counsel, Arnstein, Gluck, Weitzenfeld & Minow (now known as Arnstein & Lehr, LLP) to suggest a location. The firm consulted with local and federal authorities and the applicable law, then offered Sears two options: an area known as Goose Island and a two-block area bounded by Franklin Street on the east, Jackson Boulevard on the south, Wacker Drive on the west and Adams Street on the north, with Quincy Street running through the middle from east to west.
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