Below is a video from their website sharing highlights and information about the building as well as a virtual tour. Like it said it’s really short, but gave some information about Willis Tower, its history, and its name change from Sears Tower to Willis Tower (it still hasn’t stuck with anyone in Chicago either, lol). Once that was done, we went into a little theatre and watched a short little video called The Skydeck Experience. We had bought a combo ticket at the Art Institute so we just had to the elevator and get our pictures taken. On a side note, the Skydeck Experience opened on June 22, 1974. Apparently we are not alone in wanting to see the phenomenal views, because it was stated that approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Skydeck each year. All right, now that I got that off my chest, I wanted to say, we had a great time on our visit. I will continue to call it by that name on this post, but not without saying first that it will always be the Sears Tower for me. Thus when we were in Chicago in June of 2016, we had to go up to the top of Willis Tower. Now Open: Convene, Market Creations, Joe and the Juice, Tortazo, Brown Bag Seafood, Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken, Fifth Third Bank, Shake Shack, Sushi-San, Sweetgreen and StarbucksĬoming Soon: Urbanspace, Foxtrot, Color Factory, Kindling and more!Ĭheck out more information on all the exciting new dining and shopping options here.During our travels, we have been to the top of a few tall buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Space Needle, and the Vancouver Lookout Tower at Harbour Center in Vancouver. Catalog is an evolving, five-level urban destination, featuring new dining, specialty retail and entertainment options (full completion in Summer 2020). With glass on the ceiling, floor, and all sides, it is truly, an unforgettable experience.Ĭomplete your Skydeck experience by exploring Catalog at Willis Tower, accessible via the new Jackson Boulevard entrance. In 2009, Skydeck Chicago opened its newest attraction, The Ledge, 4 glass boxes that extend 4.3 feet outside the Tower and stand 1,353 feet above Wacker Drive. The elevators within the building are among some of the fastest in the world, operating as fast as 1,600 feet per minute. On a clear day, you can see over 50 miles in each direction and see four states. Approximately 1.7 million tourists visit Skydeck Chicago every year. Skydeck Chicago is the observation deck on the 103rd floor of the building. In 1988, Sears Roebuck and Company sold and moved out of the building, but the Sears Tower name remained until 2009 when the building was renamed after the Willis Group, a London- based global insurance broker. The last beam put in place was signed by 12,000 construction workers, Sears employees and Chicagoans. Within the building, there are 25 miles of plumbing, 1500 miles of electric wiring, 80 miles of elevator cable, 796 restroom faucets, and more than 145,000 light fixtures. The builders used enough concrete to make an eight- lane highway five miles long. Taking three years to complete, Sears Tower was finished in May 1973. In August, 1970 ground was broken for the beginning of construction. Fazlur Khan, the structural engineer, designed the “bundled tube” design that handled both wind and gravity. Architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill were commissioned to design what would become one of the largest office buildings in the world. They decided they needed one large office space for their many employees. In 1969, Sears Roebuck and Company was the largest retailer in the world, with about 350,000 employees. Willis Tower is not only one of the tallest buildings in the world, it is also a magnificent icon, impossible to miss within Chicago’s skyline. Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is a 110 story building in the heart of Chicago’s downtown.
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