Chicago Spire, Unfinished postmodern skyscraper project in Streeterville, Chicago, United States.
The construction site sits along Lake Shore Drive near the river and has been fenced off for years. A circular hole in the ground marks where a twisting tower of glass and steel with 150 floors was once meant to rise.
Work began in 2007, but the financial crisis of 2008 stopped the project after just a few months. Since then, the site has been sold several times and placed under court control, without the tower ever rising beyond the foundation.
The architect designed the tower as a reference to smoke rising above the shores of the lake, an image that once belonged to this place. The rotating form was intended to evoke organic movement, the kind found in nature or in historic settlements by the water.
The site is not accessible to the public and remains hidden behind fences. Visitors passing by can only see the vacant lot, where new plans for other towers may be taking shape.
Each floor was designed to rotate slightly from the one below, giving the tower a spiral appearance. This technique was meant to make the building more stable against strong winds coming off the lake.
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