It’s no secret that Illinois is blessed with so many recognizable cityscapes. A multitude of resources were made available to Illinois as it started to rebuild, bringing in the “skyscraper age” and the construction of several landmark buildings in the state.
Continue reading as I take you on a tour of some of the tallest buildings in Illinois.
1. Willis Tower (1,450 ft)
Skyscraper Willis (formerly Sears Tower) has 1,450-ft height and 110 floors, making it the tallest building in Illinois and the third-tallest in the United States. Fazlur Rahman Khan, a structural engineer, came up with a novel design for this building in which nine individual square “tubes” are arranged in a 33×33 matrix to make a square foundation.
The new layout includes a larger observation deck, so the 103rd-floor Skydeck is now a suitable location for engaging, hands-on museum displays. Also, the Ledge, a glass terrace that extends 4 feet beyond the tower, offers stunning views.
2. Trump International Hotel and Tower (1,388 ft)
Trump Tower International Hotel and Tower, commonly known as Trump Tower Chicago, is a mixed-use skyscraper at 401 North Wabash Avenue on the city’s riverfront that has residences, retail space, parking garages, and a hotel.
The architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Adrian Smith was responsible for designing the 98-story structure that bears the name of real estate mogul Donald Trump. It opened in 2009 and is one of the tallest buildings in Illinois.
3. St. Regis Chicago (1,191 ft)
The St. Regis Hotel in Chicago is the highest building ever built by a female architect. Also, the St. Regis is one of the high-end hotel chains owned by Marriott. The 1,191-ft-tall skyscraper also has $1 million condominiums and was created by Studio Gang, a world-renowned architectural group. It is the third-highest structure in the city.
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4. Aon Center (1,136 ft)
Chicago’s East Loop is home to the 83-story Aon Center, previously the Standard Oil Building (1974–1985) and the Amoco Building (1985–1999). It stands at 1,136 ft (346.3 meters) tall.
The Standard Oil Building was finished in 1972 and is characterized by a straightforward rectangular design and a tubular steel framework. The tower was the highest marble edifice in the world since it was covered with Carrara marble from Tuscany, Italy, a renowned supplier of construction materials.
The skyscraper’s marble façade was replaced with white granite in the early 1990s after several fractures were found, creating safety concerns; it was the biggest structure in the world to ever undergo re-cladding. After its sale in 1998, the skyscraper took on the name of its largest tenant, the insurance firm Aon, the following year.
5. 875 North Michigan Avenue (1,128 ft)
The John Hancock Center was the previous name for this location. It features an observation deck on the 94th floor and a height of 1,128 ft. One of the world’s highest structures, it was completed in 1969.
6. Franklin Center (1,021 ft)
The AT&T Corporate Center, or Franklin Center, is a 60-story skyscraper that was built in 1989 to house American Telephone & Telegraph Company’s (AT&T) central region headquarters. Franklin Center, a landmark office building in the West Loop, is renowned for its impressive design and illustrious tenant list.
It is located in the Loop district of downtown Chicago and has a height of 1,021 ft (311 meters) and a floor area of 1,700,000 square feet (160,000 square meters). This building stands out from the crowd with its luxurious finishes and first-rate features.
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7. Two Prudential Plaza (995 ft)
The Two Prudential Plaza is a 64-story skyscraper in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood. At 995 ft (303 m) height, it is the sixth-tallest in Chicago and the 28th-tallest in the United States.
The structure was constructed in 1990, with Stephen T. Wright serving as the lead architect for the company, Loebl Schlossman & Hackl. The Structural Engineers Association of Illinois gave it their Best Structure Award in 1995.
8. One Chicago East Tower (973 ft)
One Chicago (formerly One Chicago Square) is a development in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. JDL Development developed the towers, and Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture provided designs.
In April 2019, the developer JDL announced that the project name was changed from “One Chicago Square” to “One Chicago” to better connect the property to its address of 1 West Chicago Avenue.
9. 311 South Wacker Drive (961 ft)
The structure is one of the highest in Illinois and the 36th tallest in the United States at 961ft (293 meters) in height. Once upon a time, it stood as the world’s tallest skyscraper made entirely of reinforced concrete. Until New York’s 432 Park Avenue overtook it in 2015, 311 South Wacker was the highest skyscraper in the world.
10. NEMA Chicago (896 ft)
Crescent Heights constructed the city’s highest rental apartment complex, which is 896 ft (273.1 m) tall. It is near the southern side of Grant Park, in a style meant to resemble the Willis Tower’s structure.
The LEED Silver-certified, 76-story apartment building will provide 800 new rental homes. Large windows in the new building showcase Lake Michigan and Grant Park, as well as the surrounding cityscape.
11. 900 North Michigan (871 ft)
The 900 North Michigan building in Chicago, Illinois, United States, was completed in 1989. It is one of the tallest buildings in Illinois and the 31st-tallest in the United States at 871ft (265 meters) in height.
In addition, this shopping center is home to some of the finest stores and outlet stores in the region. Here, you may shop at high-end retailers like Gucci, Prada, and Michael Kors.
I hope you enjoy your time here in Illinois, whether you’re just stopping by for the day on your way to somewhere else, you’re coming all the way from another state, or everything in between! Try to visit these tallest buildings; they are sure to mesmerize you.