CHICAGO | Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) | 1,451 FT / 442 M | 108 FLOORS | 1974 - Page 36

Skyguy_7 · #**701** Posted **Jan 5, 2015, 8:29 PM**

^Agreed. It makes a good sibling to the Sears Tower.

Back on topic; can anyone confirm that the remaining exposed portion of the east antenna will be clad eventually? It's been a few years and I've been patient long enough!

NYguy · #**702** Posted **Feb 24, 2015, 1:26 PM**

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/up...abt=0002&abg=1

patriotizzy · #**703** Posted **Mar 2, 2015, 8:38 PM**

This, and Hancock, are the reason why I want to visit Chicago. This building is monumental in size and scope, it really amazes me. One of the greatest buildings of the 20th century, no doubt. Chicago bound in the next 5 years years (I hope)!

george · #**704** Posted **Mar 4, 2015, 3:59 PM**

Sears/Willis Tower for sale, has likely buyer

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...303-story.html

chris08876 · #**705** Posted **Mar 9, 2015, 4:28 PM**

^^^^^^

Blackstone might reportedly buy it for 1.5 Billion.

Steely Dan · #**706** Posted **Mar 16, 2015, 3:25 PM**

^ and it's official now.

Quote:

Willis Tower sold for $1.3 billion to Blackstone Group
By Melissa Harris
Chicago Tribune

Blackstone Group, a private equity real estate investor with about $81 billion under management, has reached an agreement to buy Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, the company announced Monday.

The purchase price is $1.3 billion, according to a source.

The deal for the formerly named Sears Tower, said to have been reached over the weekend, would be the highest price ever paid for a U.S. office tower outside of New York. It would also shatter the Chicago record, $850 million, set by last year's sale of 300 N. LaSalle.

"We are bullish on Chicago as companies expand within and move into the city and look for first-class office space," Jacob Werner, a managing director in Blackstone's real estate group, said in a statement. "Moreover, we see great potential in further improving both the building's retail operations and the tourist experience for one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Chicago."

full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...315-story.html

The_Architect · #**707** Posted **Mar 16, 2015, 3:36 PM**

I know it would be confusing/annoying to rename the iconic tower again, but "Blackstone Tower" is a pretty awesome name and pretty fitting IMO.

BVictor1 · #**708** Posted **Mar 16, 2015, 4:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

^ and it's official now.

full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...315-story.html

It is a record and it isn't a record. Sears Tower (I use the proper name) has more than 3x's the rentable square footage and is 36 years older than 300 N. LaSalle.

Quote:

I know it would be confusing/annoying to rename the iconic tower again, but "Blackstone Tower" is a pretty awesome name and pretty fitting IMO.

Willis has a longterm lease on the naming right so it's highly unlikely that the name will change. Real Chicagoans don't even recognize that the name was changed in the first place.

j korzeniowski · #**709** Posted **Mar 17, 2015, 3:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BVictor1

Willis has a longterm lease on the naming right so it's highly unlikely that the name will change. Real Chicagoans don't even recognize that the name was changed in the first place.

Not to derail this conversation, and this may have been brought up before, but Sears fled to the suburbs, what, just over a decade after building this tower?

I am happy to call it whatever the owner and/or occupant wants it to be called. If they are in the city (not unlike like a "real" Chicagoan) and providing jobs here, then I'm good with new names.

Steely Dan · #**710** Posted **Mar 17, 2015, 3:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by j korzeniowski

Sears fled to the suburbs, what, just over a decade after building this tower?

roughly 2 decades after, not one.

the tower was completed in '73.

sears fled to the hoffman estates campus over the course of several years, from '92-'94.

DCCliff · #**711** Posted **Mar 17, 2015, 3:36 PM**

So what. The Chrysler Building is still the Chrysler Building -- the name sort of anchors it in its time and has become synonymous with high deco. The Sears for me has always been synonymous with big shoulders, post-war grit & power. And the name is pure Chicago.

Ryanrule · #**712** Posted **Mar 17, 2015, 4:40 PM**

one thing ive seen a ton of, people LOVE to leave out the willis tower when they do tower comparison diagrams.
i guess the floor height built in 1974 being higher than their highest livable floor looks bad.

munchymunch · #**713** Posted **Mar 31, 2015, 7:55 AM**

Damn, hopefully they can make that hotel work

Zapatan · #**714** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 1:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryanrule

one thing ive seen a ton of, people LOVE to leave out the willis tower when they do tower comparison diagrams.
i guess the floor height built in 1974 being higher than their highest livable floor looks bad.

That or I've occasionally seen it drawn as 442 meters to the pinnacles (same with ESB) and make it look smaller than it really is. *facepalm*

For a building built in 1974 it still dwarfs so many big buildings around the world. I've seen Sears in person and it is ridiculously imposing.

Onn · #**715** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryanrule

one thing ive seen a ton of, people LOVE to leave out the willis tower when they do tower comparison diagrams.
i guess the floor height built in 1974 being higher than their highest livable floor looks bad.

It's still the widest tower at its base of I think any skyscraper in the world too, despite being 40 years old. That's pretty impressive!

As I said in the other thread though, its too bad that after Sears Tower Chicago lost out on three reasonable new tallest buildings in a row over four decades. However the Sears continues to remain one of the most remarkable skyscrapers ever. I'm still enthralled by it every time I go to Chicago. The observation deck is insane!

• Video Link

NYguy · #**716** Posted **Apr 4, 2015, 5:04 AM**

http://madepossiblewith.com/campaigns/willis-tower/

ChiMilNet · #**717** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 3:26 AM**

Has anyone else noticed that the East Antenna's top portion has been removed? I work downtown a couple days out of the week, and last week it was there, and it looks like it was just removed this past week. What's very odd is that this is the portion of the antenna that was just installed in 2012 for Channel 7. Does anyone know why this was suddenly removed? I know some have complained about the appearance of the antenna when it was retrofitted in 2012, so I am hoping that maybe this is work to install a more permanent looking fixture on top.

LouisVanDerWright · #**718** Posted **Sep 23, 2016, 4:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiMilNet

Has anyone else noticed that the East Antenna's top portion has been removed? I work downtown a couple days out of the week, and last week it was there, and it looks like it was just removed this past week. What's very odd is that this is the portion of the antenna that was just installed in 2012 for Channel 7. Does anyone know why this was suddenly removed? I know some have complained about the appearance of the antenna when it was retrofitted in 2012, so I am hoping that maybe this is work to install a more permanent looking fixture on top.

I saw a helecopter up there removing it last weekend. They are probably just replacing parts as they do every so often.