To the top of a Chicago Hotel

[Supertall]

I just bought a new digicam (Olympus C-740 UZ, too damn poor for the 750) and decided to take a little trip north. Anyways, I ended up sneaking to the top of Hotel 71 without anybody saying anything to me.

Damn, I'm good.

 

[Rem]

Nice pics. I'm not sure it is wise to sneak on to the roof of a building in a major city anywhere in the US though.

What is the building shaped like a tapered obelisk (black) with two radio/mocrowave towers that appears in the back of pic 1 & 2 and more prominently in pic 15? It's the sort of building I usually hate but this one is strangely interesting.

 

[Cardinal]

What is the building shaped like a tapered obelisk (black) with two radio/mocrowave towers that appears in the back of pic 1 & 2 and more prominently in pic 15? It's the sort of building I usually hate but this one is strangely interesting.

That would be the John Hancock Center. At the time it was built, it was the tallest building in the world. Here is the view from its 95th floor.

 

[mgk920]

Nice pics. I'm not sure it is wise to sneak on to the roof of a building in a major city anywhere in the US though.

What is the building shaped like a tapered obelisk (black) with two radio/mocrowave towers that appears in the back of pic 1 & 2 and more prominently in pic 15? It's the sort of building I usually hate but this one is strangely interesting.

Also, although the images are too dark to show the detail, the John Hancock Center has large structural 'X' braces on all four of its external facades that go all the way up from the street to the roof. It is a mixed-use building that is parking garage for its first 12 floors or so (above the lobby), office space up to about floor 44, then residential up to floor 91 (highest apartments in the world), then a public observation deck (floor 92), restaurant (93/94) and communcation/radio-TV broadcast/mechanical equipment above that. This building (3rd tallest in the city) is one of the city's most beloved and recognizable landmarks.

Also, the taller buildings in the foreground of image one are residential, many only built within the past 10 years. The Sun-Times building in image 18 is going 'bye-bye' in a few months, that is where Donald Trump is planning to build his 90 floor mixed-use hotel and residential tower (will be 4th tallest in city). Several other tall buildings, both office and residential, including an 82 floor mixed-use office-residential tower on West Wacker Drive (will be 6th tallest in city), are either under construction (see image 17) or will soon start construction in that area.

Central Chicago is a HOT real estate market.

Mike.

 

[Rem]

Thank you Cardinal and mkg920 - the Trobbing BrianTM comes through again.

 

[simulcra]

i take it you post at skyscrapercity.com as well. nice pics.

 

[mgk920]

Thank you Cardinal and mkg920 - the Trobbing BrianTM comes through again.

Here is a link to the public observatory at the John Hancock Center in Chicago:
http://www.hancockobservatory.com

Also, for a look from the opposite end:
http://www.searstower.com and http://www.the-skydeck.com

(BTW, I was in slight error on my floor parsing, the Hancock's public observatory is on floor 94, the restaurant is on 95/96.)

Mike

 

[Supertall]

i take it you post at skyscrapercity.com as well. nice pics.

Yeah, a little bit here and there.