Why was the Sears Tower Built?

The Sears Tower has become an American and has a rich history. It opened as the world’s tallest building in 1973 and was formerly named Sears Tower, but the name has changed to Willis Tower. It is situated in the city of Chicago. It has been the tallest building from 1973-1988.

It is a 110 story building and is the second tallest building in Chicago, and its record was broken by the World Trade Centre in New York. Its height is 1,450 feet, excluding the broadcast antennas and their supports. You would be surprised to know that it provides around 1.3 million square feet of surface for office and other activities.

This tall structure was made in 1969 to consolidate various Chicago area employees of Sears, Roebuck & Co. under one building. They wanted a central office for 350,000 employees. It was designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. Along with this massive plan, future growth was also part of the project.

There were around 2000 construction workers employed to construct Sears Tower. The building complete in 1973; it took a lot of time because its ground broke in 1970. It remained the world’s tallest building till 1998.

There have been numerous additions and changes done to the Sears tower to keep it updated. In February 1982, lots of television antennas were added; because of this, the height of the building increased to 1,707 feet. Later in 2000, the antennas were extended to 1,730 feet.

Sears had trouble contending against the retailers; therefore, in 1992, it started to move out its numerous offices out of the building. After 18 years, Sears Roebuck and company sold the tower to AEW Capital Management and moved out of the building. They relocated to a new office within Hoffman Estates in Illinois.

The Company was sold a lot of times as in 1997, TrizecHahn Corp. planned to buy it, and after that, in 2003, it was sold to MetLife. After just one year in 2004, various investors purchased it, including American Landmark Properties. Then in 2009, it was sold to Willis Group Holdings. In 2015, it was acquired by Blackstone 2015 for $1.3 billion. (See Why Was Angkor Wat Built?)

In 2009, the name of Sears tower changed to Willis Tower because of the Willis Group Holdings, who bought Sears Tower.

The major drawback of the building is that it is susceptible to lightning strikes because of the tall structure and antennas. The restrooms are located on the 103rd floor, which is the second-highest recorded in the western hemisphere.

It is home to more than 100 businesses; more than 15,000 people work at Sears tower every day, radio and television stations are broadcasted from Sears Tower rooftop. (See Why did they build the Brooklyn Bridge?)