January 19th, 2010
Willis Tower in Chicago, Formerly the Sears Tower
Chicago, Illinois has an incredible selection of cultural attractions and major city landmarks and icons that are incorporated into the daily lives of its citizens and continually fascinate, entertain and intrigue the numerous tourists who visit the city and stay in one of the luxury hotels Chicago. It also has in incredibly interesting and often complex history, which is fundamental to the social, political and industrial development of this country. Among the interesting landmarks, some of the architecture found in the city is ranked high with tourist appeal.
The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is not only one of Chicago’s most famous and impressive buildings it is also one of the most easily spotted and recognized. This is because it is the tallest building in the city. In addition to that impressive fact, it is the tallest building in the United States, which is even more incredible. In fact, at the time of its completion, which occurred in 1973, the Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world. Currently this 108-story building is the fifth tallest building in the world as well as the world’s fifth tallest freestanding structure. It was even taller than the former Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center.
The building has an interesting and also practical history. Its plan was established in 1969 when Sears, Roebuck and Co. decided to consolidate its numerous employees in the Chicago area to one building. Considering that at the time Sears was the largest retailer in the world and had over 350,000 employees, not all of them in Chicago mind you, this project takes on a much greater importance and state of ambition. Sears commissioned the architects Skidmore, Owings and Merrill to design a structure that would be not only one of the largest office buildings in the world but would accommodate the needs of the continually growing company. This incredible building was officially called the Sears Tower until the naming rights expired in 2003. It continued to be referred to as its original name, however in July of last year it was officially changed to the Willis Tower.
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