Willis Tower (Sears Tower)

Willis Tower (Sears Tower)

The Willis Tower, built as and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower, is a 108-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper. At completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years. from 1973 to 1998.

In February 1982, two television antennas were added to the structure, increasing its total height to 1,707 ft. (520 m). The western antenna was extended to 1,729 ft. (527 m) on June 5, 2000.

The Sears Tower has the most total floor space of any building in the United States only behind The Pentagon.

Two-story high black bands appear on the tower around the 30th-32nd, 64th-65th, 88th-89th, and 106th-107th floors. These are louvers which allow ventilation for service equipment and obscure the structure's belt trusses which Sears Roebuck did not want to be visible.

Location

233 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Cook County
Illinois, USA

Getting There

The Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is located at 233 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois.

If you are coming by public transportation, you can take the CTA train (also known as the "L") to the Quincy/Wells station, which is about a 10-minute walk from the Willis Tower. The Brown, Orange, Purple, and Pink lines all stop at this station.

Alternatively, you can take a bus to the Willis Tower. Several bus routes stop nearby, including the #1, #7, #28, #126, and #151.

If you are driving, you can access the Willis Tower via the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) or the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/I-94). There is a parking garage located at the base of the Willis Tower, but parking can be expensive.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Illinois that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.