Tallest Buildings in Chicago
The third-largest city in the United States is Chicago. It is the city where the first skyscraper was built. Now, Chicago is the city with the third tallest building in the USA as well. We are going to take a look at the top 10 tallest buildings in Chicago as of 2024.
| Name of the Building | Completed/Opened | Height | Location |
| 1. Willis Tower (Sears Tower) | 1974 | 442 m ( 1,450 feet), and 527 m (1,729 feet) up to the tip. | 233 S. Wacker Drive. |
| 2. Trump International Hotel and Tower | 2009 | 423.1 meters (1,388 feet). | 401 North Wabash Avenue. |
| 3. St. Regis Chicago | 2020 | 365 meters (1,198 feet). | 363 East Wacker Drive. |
| 4. Aon Center | 1973 | 346.3 meters (1,136 feet), and 362.5 m (1,189 feet) up to the tip. | 200 E. Randolph St. |
| 5. 875 North Michigan Avenue (John Hancock Center) | 1969 | 344 meters (1,128 feet), and 457 m (1,500 feet) up to the tip. | 875 North Michigan Avenue. |
| 6. Franklin Center | 1989 | 315 meters (1,033 feet). | 227 West Monroe Street. |
| 7. Two Prudential Plaza | 1990 | 303 meters (995 feet). | 180 N. Stetson Av. |
| 8. One Chicago | 2022 | 296 meters (971 feet). | 1 West Chicago Avenue. |
| 9. 311 South Wacker Drive | 1990 | 293 meters (961 feet). | 311 S. Wacker Drive. |
| 10. NEMA(Chicago) | 2019 | 273.1 meters (896 feet). | 1210 South Indiana Avenue. |
1. Willis Tower
The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the city of Chicago. Formerly known as the Sears Tower. The architectural height of the building is 442 meters(1,450 ft) and 527 meters(1,729 ft) up to the tip. The building has a total of 108 floors with 3 floors below the ground as well. The Willis Tower’s construction started in 1970 and was completed in 1974.
After the building was completed it not only became the tallest building in the United States but also in the whole world. The Willis Tower was for about 25 years the tallest building in the world since its construction. Now, it is the third tallest building in the US and the western hemisphere as well. It is located on S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The building is used for multi-purpose like offices, observation deck, and communication.
The owner of the Willis Tower is Blackstone Group. The main architects behind the design of the building are Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Fazlur Rahman Khan, and Bruce Graham. Morse Diesel International was the main contractor for the construction of the building. The Willis Tower’s observation deck is the highest in the United States and this makes it the most visited tourist destination in Chicago.
2. Trump International Hotel and Tower
The Trump International Hotel and Tower is the seventh tallest building in the United States but it ranks in second place on the list of the tallest buildings in Chicago. The building is located on Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The building was constructed in a modern style and is used as a hotel and residential apartment.
The construction of the building started on March 17, 2005, and was completed in January 2009. The height of the building is 423.1 meters(1,388 ft) with a total of 98 floors. The building is located right next to a branch of the Chicago River and offers a great view of the entry of the river into Lake Michigan. The architect behind the design of this building is architect Adrian Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
The main contractor and developers of the project are Bovis Lend Lease and The Trump Organisation respectively. The estimated cost of the building stands at US $847 million. The building is named after the former president of the United States Donald Trump. In 2001, an announcement was made by Trump that it was going to be the tallest building in the world, but the tragic incident of 9/11 led to the reduction of its height.
3. St. Regis Chicago
In the list of the top 10 tallest buildings of Chicago, in third place, we have St. Regis Chicago. It is a building that entered this list very recently after its construction was completed in 2020. Wanda Vista Tower is an alternative name for the St. Regis Chicago building.
The building St. Regis Chicago is located on East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The construction of the building was started in 2016, and completed in 2020. The height of the building is 365 meters(1,198 ft) with a total of 101 floors. St. Regis Chicago is a hotel as well as a residential building.
The main architect for the building is Jeanne Gang and her architectural firm Studio Gang Architects making it the tallest building designed by a woman architect in the world. The main contractor of the project was McHugh Construction and it is managed by Magellan Development Group and Wanda Group. The estimated construction cost of the building is $1 billion.
4. Aon Center
In fourth place on the list of the 10 tallest buildings in Chicago, is Aon Center. Formerly it was known as the Amoco Building. The building is located on E. Randolph St. Chicago, Illinois, United States. In 1970, the construction of the building was started, and in 1973, the building was opened.
It is an office building and is owned by Mark Karasick and Victor Gerstein. The total height of the building is 346.3 meters(1,136 ft), and there is a total of 83 floors and 5 floors below the ground level. The estimated cost of this building was 120 million US dollars. Edward Durell Stone was the main architectural firm behind the design of the building.
The main contractor of the building is Turner construction. Meanwhile, the main development work was done by Standard Oil of Indiana. In 2018, a $ 185 million project was revealed by the owners to build an exterior observatory with an exterior elevator which will make it the tallest as well.
5. 875 North Michigan Avenue
875 North Michigan Avenue is the fifth tallest building in Chicago. It is located on North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. The construction of the building began in 1965 and was completed in 1969.
There are exactly 100 floors in the building. The height of the building is 344 meters(1,128 ft.) which made it the second tallest building in the world after its construction. Now, it is the 81st tallest building in the world. The task of designing the building was given to Fazlur Rahman Khan, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Structural Expressionism is the style used for the building.
The structural engineer and the main contractors were Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, and Tishman Construction Co. respectively. The construction cost back then was US $100 million which at present would be approximately $704 million. 875 North Michigan Avenue is at present owned by The Hearn Company.
6. Franklin Center
The Franklin Center comes in the sixth spot on the list of the tallest buildings in Chicago city. The building was known as AT&T Corporate Center after its construction was finished. It is located on West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
The work on the building was started in 1981 and was opened in 1989 which made it the tallest building in Chicago in the final quarter of the 20th century. Franklin Center is 315 meters(1,033 ft) high and there are a total of 62 floors in the building.
The architectural firm behind the design of the building is Adrian D. Smith and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. The developers of the project were AT&T and Stein & Company. The main contractor of the project was Mayfair Construction and Blount International. In 2004, the building was acquired by Tishman Speyer.
7. Two Prudential Plaza
In the seventh spot on the list of the tallest buildings in Chicago, is Two Prudential Plaza. The building is located at 180 N. Stetson Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The construction of the Two Prudential Plaza only took about three years to complete. It was started in 1988 and completed in 1990.
The height of the building is 303 meters(995 ft) with a total of 64 floors. Loebl Schlossman & Hackl and Stephen T. Wright were the architectural firms that designed the Two Prudential Plaza. The structural engineer was CBM Engineers Inc. and the main contractor was Turner Construction Company. The building appeared in a 1994 movie known as Richie Rich as the Rich Industries Inc.
8. One Chicago
One Chicago is made up of two buildings, the east, and west tower. The east tower is one that comes in the eighth spot on the list of the tallest buildings in Chicago. The height of the east tower is 296 meters. One Chicago is located on West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The building has been topped out in 2021 hence getting into this top 10 list. The building completion year is 2022.
There are a total of 76 floors in the East Tower. According to the information out there, the project will provide mixed services. The site of the building is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. The architectural design work of the whole building was done by Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture firm.
9. 311 South Wacker Drive
In the ninth spot, we have 311 South Wacker Drive on the list of the tallest buildings in Chicago. It was once the tallest building which was named after the street it is in. The location of the building is 311 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The construction of the building started in 1988 and was completed in 1990.
311 South Wacker Drive is used for offices. The building is 293 meters(961 ft) high and has a total of 65 floors in it. Kohn Pedersen Fox and HKS are the architectural firms behind the design of the building. The developers of the project are Gerald Kostelny and Lincoln Property Company. The main contractor of 311 South Wacker Drive is J.A. Jones Construction and the Construction Manager was Harbour Contractors, inc.
10. NEMA(Chicago)
In the final spot on the list of the 10 tallest buildings in Chicago, is NEMA(Chicago). The building was formerly known as One Grant Park. It is a fully residential building and is located on southern Indiana Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The main construction of the building started after its approval in 2015 and was completed in 2019. The height of the building is 273.1 m(896 feet) and there are a total of 76 floors.
The management work for the NEMA is done by Crescent Heights. Rafael Viñoly is the one behind the design of the building. The structural engineer and the main contractor of the building are Magnusson Klemencic Associates and James McHugh Construction Co. respectively. NEMA is the tallest fully rental apartment building in Chicago. There are 800 apartments in this building as well.
11. 900 North Michigan
900 North Michigan is the eleventh tallest building in the city of Chicago. The building is located at 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United States. The construction of 900 North Michigan was completed in 1988. The height of the building is 265 meters(871 ft) and has a total of 66 floors. The building provides mixed services.
The chief architects firm for the building were Kohn Pedersen Fox and HKS, Inc. Urban Retail Properties was the developer of the building. The main constructional work was given to J.A. Jones Construction. The office area of the building is from 8 to 20 floors, meanwhile, 20 to 28 are apartments. The famous Four Season Hotel is located on 30 to 46 floors. On floors 48 to 66, the building is used as an apartment and there are 106 apartments in total.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does Chicago have taller buildings than New York?
No, Chicago’s tallest building is Willis Tower which is 442 m in height, whereas, New York has the tallest building One World Trade Center which is 541.3 m in height. So, there is no such building present in Chicago that is taller than New York’s tallest building ‘One World Trade Center’.
Does Chicago have taller buildings than Los Angeles?
Yes, Chicago has five tall buildings(Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, St. Regis Chicago, Aon Center, 875 North Michigan Avenue) which are taller than Los Angeles’s tallest building (Wilshire Grand Center).
Where are the tallest buildings in Chicago?
Chicago’s tallest building Willis Tower is located at 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois.
What are the two tall buildings in Chicago?
The two tall buildings in Chicago are Willis Tower(442 m), and Trump International Hotel & Tower(423.1 m) respectively.
What is the tallest building in Chicago in 2024?
The tallest building in Chicago as of 2024 is Willis Tower which is 442 m in height.
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