Before the Willis Tower the Sears Merchandise Tower stood tall. It wasn’t the first Sears Tower though. A much smaller 15-story building existed four miles west in Lawndale. This original Sears Merchandise Building Tower was only 249 feet high.
The Sears Merchandise Tower in Chicago holds a special place in history. Built between 1969 and 1973 it was once the world’s tallest building. Imagine the scale of this project. Sears had to buy 15 buildings and even a street Quincy Street to make it happen. They paid $2.7 million for the road.
The Sears Merchandise Tower isn’t just one structure. It’s actually nine separate buildings bundled together. Each tower or tube is 75 feet square. They vary in height reaching up to the 108th story. This unique design inspired by a pack of cigarettes ensured stability and style. Architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan used the cigarettes to visualize their idea.
The Sears Merchandise Tower faced lawsuits to limit its height to 67 stories. People worried about TV reception. The suits were dismissed. The tower’s construction continued. Eventually it became a Chicago landmark.
Even after Sears moved out in 1995 the name remained. That changed in 2009 when it was renamed the Willis Tower. Chicagoans protested. They wanted the Sears name back. A digital campaign and a petition showed their strong feelings. Nothing changed.
From the observation deck you can see four states on a clear day. Illinois Wisconsin Michigan and Indiana are visible. The bathrooms are the highest in the Western Hemisphere. This is not considering mountainous areas. They are 1353 feet above the ground.
Two daredevils scaled the Sears Merchandise Tower. Daniel Goodwin in 1981 and Alain Robert in 1999. Both were arrested after their unauthorized climbs. The tower has also been a target of a bizarre cult’s plot in 2006. The FBI stopped the Universal Divine Saviors before they could bomb the building.
The Sears Merchandise Tower lost its title as the tallest building in 1998 to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. It was only surpassed by 33 feet. The Sears Tower still held the record for most floors until other buildings were constructed. The Sears Merchandise Tower still remains an impressive part of Chicago’s skyline.