233 S. Wacker Drive
312-875-9696
It’s the most! The greatest! It’s tops! Okay, so it’s
not the tallest building in the world any more. But let’s get
real: are you going to Kuala Lumpur any time soon? Me neither!
So let’s ride up to the top of the Sears Tower!
Other buildings can boast about being tall, but they’re
just regular sized folks wearing tall hats, by Chicago
standards. At 110 stories, (that’s 1,454 feet, for those of
you without a cerebral calculator) the Sears Tower does still
hold one significant record: it has the highest occupied floor.
Certainly the most famous project of local architectural firm
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Sears Tower owes its height to
the engineering genius of Fazlur Khan and the rigorous American
Modernism of Bruce Graham, design partner for the project.
Nine 75’ by 75’ squares make up the base of the tower, in
what Graham called “bundled tubes.” The solidity of the
tower lies in its application of the principle that in unity
lies strength. The bundled tubes, like slender sticks tied
together in a bundle, are strong enough to withstand even
serious winds at the top of the structure. But as any
self-respecting Chicagoan will tell you, it sways. How much? A
foot or a yard? The building management won’t say.
From the Skydeck, you can see a really, really long way. But
pick your time carefully. A cloudy day is a big waste of time
and money unless you enjoy an unobstructed view of fog, while a
summer afternoon haze can seriously impede your view of the
Kennedy Expressway, much less Downer’s Grove. On a clear day
you can see...pretty much forever. And there is something
fascinating about the urban grid that lies so smoothly across
the prairie to the west. Even jaded Chicagoans may get caught up
in the challenge of helping a visitor see where their house is,
“...right there by the intersection where the diagonal street
goes by that steeple! You see it?”
The elevator trip to the top will make yours ears pop, but it’s
a welcome sensation if you've been standing in line for any
length of time. There's also an 8-minute multimedia presentation
that is required viewing before you hit the 'deck. Your ticket
will set you back $8.50 these days, $6.50 if you are a senior,
or $5.50 for children 5 - 12. Children 4 and under are free, and
a family pass is $21.00
The Skydeck is open March through September from 9am to 11pm,
and October to February from 9am to 10pm.
Tip: Enter at Jackson Boulevard for the Skydeck, but don’t
miss the wonderful Calder kinetic sculpture, "The
Universe," in the Wacker Drive lobby. If it's a really
crummy day, check the Franklin Street lobby for a fine
introductory display with important facts and photos.
