The John Hancock Center

Also known as: Big John
Built: 1965-1969
Cost: $95,000,000
Designed by: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Renovated: 1994-1995: Lower level and garden plaza renovated by Hiltscher Shapiro
Type: Skyscraper
Stories: 100
Maximum Height: 1,506 feet / 459 meters
Location: 875 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago,United States



An Iconic presence in the city of architectural icons, and John Hancock Center rises boldly from the middle of the American prairie to cast a shadow much larger than the cultural ones that you get from the sun.


It is a staple in movies, and television news, T-shirts, corporate logos and children's drawings. Filmed in the John Hancock Center, ideal, and simplify the various components and use them in all things Chicago. It is visible everywhere, both visually, and brands for all types of products and companies in the city and suburbs. But once beyond a radius of 50 miles, and Hancock, identity and begins to fade, and became confused with her sister, longer, younger, and perhaps even the best appearance, and the Sears Tower.


It is not surprising that the vast majority of Americans confuse the Hancock Center and Sears Tower. Held both about the same time. Both black blocks. Located in each of the hard core fly over the land. In fact, many tourists were surprised to learn that Chicago has not one, however. 4 supertowers with 1/5 under construction when it comes to scrape the sky, and New York and Los Angeles simply can not compete with Chicago.


In its simplest form, the John Hancock Center four vertical beams connected through a series of arches across the tube to form a square. It's totally understandable even to the casual observer, and the reason you can see sometimes found on the sidewalks in doodles chalk for the children. "Topped rectangular simple filled in the tenth by two sticks represent the antennas of the building is a symbol of a world almost from Chicago for millions of people.


Most importantly, make the exoskeleton steel construction cheaper. According to the AIA Guide to Chicago, which held 100 story John Hancock Center about what it would cost to build a modern office building 45 floors.


John Hancock Center does not fuss with setbacks like other tall structures. Broad shoulders carry the huge ring all the way to the top. But this does not mean it is locked. The tower tapers as it gets higher, and the unnecessary use of forced perspective in the skyscraper, which is already one of the largest in the world. The result is that glass and steel obelisk, and seems even longer than it really is.


The Hancock Center building has changed the rules of the game in the North side of Chicago. Prior to 1969, and North Michigan Avenue lined with buildings of medium and low-rise fairly uniform and elegant that some compared to the look and feel of Paris. Ushered in when he came John Hancock Center on the Internet, in a wave of skyscraper building along the Mile, which transformed it into a magnificent valley of modern trade.


There was originally supposed to be two skyscrapers here, but this reason is called the John Hancock Center. And gave the second tower was the first to the east, but developers can not grab the land at 195 Delaware Place East away from the casino a very special club. Send a message to developers about the second tower and then to the club president Doris Winterbotham. Ignored the message and the development went forward with only one tower. Found a message in question in Winterbotham papers after her death, and was published later by the Chicago Tribune.

Height to tower roof: 1,106 feet, six inches.
Height to penthouse roof: 1,127 feet.
Height to top of east antenna: 1,506.25 feet.
Size at base: 47,000 square feet
Size at top: 17,000 square feet
Steel used: 46,000 tons.
Designed by: Bruce J. Graham and Fazlur R. Khan
Developer: Jerry Wolman
Elevators: 42
Stairs from the lobby to the observation deck: 1,632.
Light tubed on the 99th floor: 555. It takes 40-50 hours to change the tinted sleeves over the tubes by hand.
Parking spaces: 750.
Office floor space: 897,000 square feet
Retail floor space: 171,800 square feet
Observation deck floor space: 17,400 square feet
Commercial address: 875 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Residential address: 175 East Delaware Place, Chicago, Illinois 60611