My second post of Chicago architecture from last weekend's mid-west road trip. This was taken right around dusk, standing on the sidewalk directly in front of the building. Chicago became home to the world's tallest building in 1973 when the Sears Tower was topped off. At 1,454 feet, it stood 86 feet over the world's next tallest building, the now vanished New York World Trade Center, completed just one year earlier. The Sears Tower remained the tallest building in the world for 23 years. It currently ranks 3rd with the tallest located in Taipei, Taiwan and the 2nd tallest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, it continues to be the tallest building in North America. Sitting on two city blocks and rising a full quarter mile above the ground, the Tower's 110 stories comprise some 4.5 million gross square feet of office and commercial space. The Tower has more than 16,000 bronze-tinted windows and 28 acres of specially designed black aluminum skin. From the top you can see into four states -- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. We didn't go up, but I imagine the security there must be massive considering how tempting a target it must be to the whacked out Islamic terrorists. My first Chicago post, 311 South Wacker Drive, was taken just a couple of minutes after this one and can be viewed by clicking here. Thanks for viewing! marshall