Construction of the 300,000 square foot "Catalog" addition at the base of Willis Tower is progressing and crews recently completed the large curving skylight capping the project's upcoming retail and dining hall. There will be a huge 240 pane diagrid window which will flood the space with light and provide unobstructed views of the famous 1,453 foot tall skyscraper above per Chicago Curbed.
Designed by the Chicago office of Gensler, the overhaul at the building's base is the most visible part of a $500 million renovation that was unveiled in 2017. It was named "Catalog" after a former tenant, the Sears Roebuck Company, when plans were revealed last fall.
The project continues to sign retail and dining tenants and the most recent addition to the lineup is Brown Bag Seafood. Other tenants include Urbanspace, Convene, Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Starbucks and Market Creations. Catalog has a completion date of 2020 but its first retailers will open sometime this year.
The Willis Tower renovation includes more than 125,000 square feet of tenant amenities, a 30,000 square foot landscaped roof deck, a modernized elevator system and updated lighting for the building's twin antennas.
According to Biz Journals, EQ Office, the Willis Tower owner, is billing this transformation as the biggest in the building's 46 year history.
"We've worked tirelessly to identify partners in the restaurant, retail, entertainment and fitness spaces that will create a neighborhood that delivers the best experiences of life and work to Willis Tower tenants, area residents and visitors."
Portfolio Director at EQ Office | David Moore
More than 15,000 people work at Willis Tower, which is the site of the global headquarters of United Airlines.
Per Wikipedia, the Willis Tower began as the Sears Tower, before the retailing giant fell on hard times and the tower's name was changed to Willis. It is a 110 story, 1,450 foot skyscraper. The Sears Tower provided more space and rose higher than the Empire State Building and cost much less per unit area. The system would prove highly influential in skyscraper construction and has been used in most supertall buildings since, including the world's current tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. At completion back in 1973, it surpassed the World Trade Center in New York to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years. It remained the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere until the completion of a new building at the rebuilt World Trade Center site in 2014.
Willis Tower is considered a seminal achievement for architect Fazlur Rahman Khan. It is currently the second tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere and the 16th tallest in the world. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations. Tourists can experience how the building sways in the wind and see far over the plains of Illinois and across Lake Michigan to Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin in clear conditions. Some 1.7 million tourist visit annually. A second observation deck on the 99th floor serves as a backup. The structure was renamed in 2009 by the Willis Group as a term of its lease.
As of April 2018, the building's largest tenant is United Airlines, which moved its corporate headquarters from the United Building at 77 West Wacker Drive in 2012, occupying around 20 floors. Other major tenants include the building's namesake Willis Group and law firms Schiff Harden and Seyfarth Shaw. Morgan Stantly plans to move to the building in 2019 and become its fourth largest tenant by 2020.
See DataBid Blog titled Food Hall is Planned for Willis Tower
Databid is currently reporting on this project - Willis Tower Additions & Renovations - Chicago (0069060815)
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