181 West Madison Street
Encyclopedia
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Built in 1990, the building is 680 feet (207 m) tall and contains 50 floors. It is architect Cesar Pelli
César Pelli
César Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects...
's first and only completed tower in the city.
The glassy office tower's most distinctive feature is its recessed crown. The top of the building is illuminated white at the corners, as well as other various colors depending on the holiday.
In 1989, the same combination of developer (The Beitler Company) and architect envisioned the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle
Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle
The Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle was a proposed 125-floor skyscraper intended for Chicago, United States by Lee Miglin and J. Paul Beitler. The site of the proposed Skyneedle now is host to a parking garage. However, across the street from the parking garage is another César Pelli project, 181 West...
nearby. The 2,000 foot (610 m) and 125 story building would have been the tallest skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in the world if completed, but plans were scrapped because of a sluggish real estate market.
Many also view 181 West Madison as a model for future Pelli skyscrapers. In 2003, the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
's Two International Finance Centre
International Finance Centre
The International Finance Centre is an integrated commercial development on the waterfront of Hong Kong's Central District....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
was completed. The building shares many similarities with 181 West Madison in terms of both styling and massing.
See also
- List of skyscrapers
- List of tallest buildings in the United States
- List of tallest buildings in Chicago
- World's tallest structures