875 North Michigan Avenue, Skyscraper in Magnificent Mile, Chicago, United States
The tower 875 North Michigan Avenue rises to 344 meters and displays a diagonal cross-braced steel framework in aluminum across its exterior, distributing loads over 100 floors. Inside, apartments occupy the upper stories, offices fill the mid-level areas, and retail spaces line the base.
The tower topped out on May 6, 1968, becoming the second-tallest building in the world after the Empire State Building and the tallest in Chicago. Jerry Wolman conceived the project in late 1964 with financing from John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance; after Wolman's bankruptcy, the insurer took over and kept the original design team of Bruce Graham and Fazlur Rahman Khan. Construction halted in 1967 at 20 stories when soil settlements matched those expected for all 99 floors, exposing a flaw in the staged concrete pouring.
The name changed several times between John Hancock Center and the current address designation, yet locals continue to use both names in everyday conversation. Visitors come mainly for the observation platform, while the upper floors have served for decades as residential addresses with views across the lake.
Access to the observation level on the 94th floor goes through separate elevators, and queues can grow longer during peak times. Anyone heading upward should come in clear weather, as fog and clouds limit visibility sharply.
The 44th-floor sky lobby holds the highest indoor swimming pool in the United States. The same floor marks the start of the residential levels, which the building's first engineer, Ray Heckla, oversaw from floor 44 to 92.
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