User:Scott Oglesby/Willis Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower, is a 108-story 1,450 feet (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois.[1] At the time of its completion in 1973 it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York. Currently, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the world.
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Willis Tower | |
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Record height | |
Tallest in the world from 1974 to 1998[I] | |
Preceded by | World Trade Center |
Surpassed by | Petronas Twin Towers |
General information | |
Type | Office, observation, communication |
Location | 233 S. Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 United States |
Construction started | 1970 |
Completed | 1973 |
Height | |
Antenna spire | 1,730 feet (527 m) |
Roof | 1,451 ft (442 m)[1] |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 108[1] |
Floor area | 4.56 million sq ft. (3.81 million sq ft. rentable) 418,064 m² (353,961 m² rentable)[2] |
Lifts/elevators | 104, with 16 double-decker elevators, made by Westinghouse, modernized by Schindler Group |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill |
References | |
[3] |
Although Sears' naming rights expired in 2003, the building continued to be called Sears Tower for several years. However, in March 2009 London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., agreed to lease a portion of the building and obtained the building's naming rights as part of the agreement. On July 16, 2009, at 10:00 am Central Time, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower.