When the Willis Tower (still called the Sears Tower by some of the more intransigent Chicagoans) was completed back in 1974 it was known around the world as the tallest building on the planet. A title it held for almost 25 years. Since that time, however, the Willis Tower has seen building after building surpass it in height. So many buildings, in fact, that it is no longer even in the top 10.
Not only have numerous buildings around the world passed the Willis Tower in height, but Chicago’s tallest building has also remained relatively static in terms of renovations and modernizations. A new $500 million investment, however, will change its somewhat outdated appearance and amenity selection in a big way. The renovation project will transform the tower and reinforce its position as a civic destination and a premier workplace with unprecedented office amenities and unique retail and entertainment experiences, the building’s owner, Blackstone, says in a release.
460,000 sf of existing space within Willis Tower will be reconfigured as part of the transformation. This includes 150,000 sf of space that will be turned into amenities available exclusively for tenants, such as a full-service fitness center, tenant lounges, private event space, and concierge services. 300,000 sf of retail, dining, and entertainment space will be added to the base of the tower and a new 30,000-sf outdoor deck and garden space will also be included. Blackstone promises the new retail and entertainment options will attract first-to-market restaurants and the best local boutiques and global brands.
Office lobby. Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Additionally, a new three-story transparent, glass structure will be set atop the existing stone plaza to create a more welcoming environment for visitors. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and below the three-story glass façade will exist three subterranean floors organized around a three-story winter garden. Above the garden will be a glass skylight that provides views of all 110 floors. The new design will set the Willis Tower free from the base it sits atop and reconnect the building with the urban streetscape.
Moving up from the building’s lower floors, the 103rd floor Skydeck Chicago experience will also be enhanced as part of the project. The Skydeck renovations will focus on creating a world class, one-of-a-kind entertainment experience for the 1.7 million national and international visitors that make the trip to the top of the tower annually.
Blackstone estimates the transformation of the tower, which is expected to begin this month, will create 2,500 jobs. Gensler is the architect for the project with Gonzalez Architects handling the design work for the tenant-only office amenities. Hetzel Design will oversee the design concepts for the Skydeck renovations while Turner Clayco will oversee construction.
See Also: Willis Tower elevators receive upgrade as part of $500 million update
Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Winter garden entrance. Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Winter garden skylight. Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Tower view from winter garden. Rendering courtesy of Blackstone and Equity Office.
Update
EQ Office, the U.S. office portfolio company wholly owned by Blackstone’s real estate funds, recently revealed more information about the $500 million Willis Tower project along with updated renderings. The five-story retail, dining, and immersive-entertainment experience at the base of the Willis Tower will be called Catalog. The name is a reference to the Sears Roebuck Company, which developed and opened the Willis Tower, then the Sears Tower, in 1973.
Urbanspace, a food hall operator with locations in New York City and London, will anchor Catalog's food and beverage offerings. Urbanspace will occupy over 14,000 sf in Catalog, making it one of the largest retailers in the building.
See Also: Willis Tower upgrades antenna lighting
Catalog is part of the more than 300,000 square feet of new retail, dining, and entertainment space that will be available at the base of Willis Tower. The renovation plan also includes 150,000 of new space for tenant use within the building. Catalog is slated to open to the public in mid-2020.
© EQ Office / Blackstone, courtesy of Gensler.
© EQ Office / Blackstone, courtesy of Gensler.
© EQ Office / Blackstone, courtesy of Gensler.
© EQ Office / Blackstone, courtesy of Gensler.
© EQ Office / Blackstone, courtesy of Gensler.
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Gartner Auditorium was originally designed by Marcel Breuer and completed, in 1971, as part of his Education Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Despite that lofty provenance, the Gartner was never a perfect music venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cell and Genome Sciences Building, Farmington, Conn.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Cleveland, Ohio
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated on the Fourth of July, 1894, to honor the memory of the more than 9,000 Cuyahoga County veterans of the Civil War.
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 12, 2010
From ‘Plain Box’ to Community Asset
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank helps provide 55,000 meals a day to the hungry. Who would guess that it was once a nondescript mattress factory?
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 22, 2010
Michael Van Valkenburg Assoc. wins St. Louis Gateway Arch design competition
Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and a multidisciplinary team of experts in “urban renewal, preservation, commemoration, social connections and ecological restoration” have been picked for the planning phase of The City+The Arch+The River 2015 International Design Competition.
