"The Ledge" Will Offer Window Cleaning Views

Sears Tower to open glass-bottom Skydeck in June: Sears Tower (Chicago) - and it's still called that for the time being will invite its Skydeck visitors to enjoy a view usually reserved for window-washers and superheroes. It'll be a walk on the high side as visitors on the observation deck step into glass enclosures that extend 4.3 feet beyond the building. Beneath their feet in dizzyness-inducing splendor will be the city itself, 103 stories below, with an inch and a half of glass between person and pavement. The attraction, called the Ledge, should open by early June and is part of a multimillion dollar renovation of the tourist spaces at the nation's tallest building, said Randy Stancik, Skydeck general manager.

He said the Ledge was inspired by glass-floored thrills at the Grand Canyon (See pictures below)and Toronto's CN Tower. The plan is to attract more Skydeck visitors, especially jaded locals who haven't visited the tower in years. "This definitely will be something new to take from the experience, a new Skydeck memory," Stancik said. About 1.3 million people visit the Skydeck every year. Stancik realizes the illusion of a mid-air suspension isn't for everyone. But the daredevils will be enclosed by glass. Seeing foreheads pressed to the Skydeck windows, Stancik knew people want to look down as well as out. The four enclosures are on the west side of the tower so you can look straight down to the ground. On other sides, downward views are interrupted by setbacks from the wider floors below.
The enclosures are retractable: they move inside so window-washing equipment isn't obstructed. Stancik said the Ledges will be available in all kinds of weather. The Ledges are included in Skydeck admission, which jumps a buck today to $14.95 for ages 12 and up. It's $10.50 for kids 3 to 11. The price increase is in preparation for a Skydeck upgrade that also includes new exhibits highlighting Chicago's history, culture and tourism attractions, including a display that lets viewers rise the equivalent of 103 stories above Wrigley Field. The Skydeck changes are part of a plan to make the iconic building more profitable. Later this summer, the name will change to the Willis Tower, for a global insurance firm that leased space in the building. The owners also are considering painting or recladding the building in silver to give it a contemporary look. Also under discussion is building a hotel next to the tower.





From the Skydeck atop the Sears Tower you will see the best view and best overview of Chicago. At 1,353 feet, the Skydeck is the highest observatory in Chicago. From this amazing view, on a clear day, you can see 40 to 50 miles. You can see Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin just by walking around the Skydeck. Thanks to the $4 million transformation - there is now more to see and do. Even the elevators are exciting. They are equipped with 50-inch flat screen monitors that make you feel like you're blasting off through the top of the Sears Tower and into space. The Sears Tower is 1,454 feet high, 1,808 feet including twin antenna towers. The combined weight of the building is 222,500 tons - 445,000,000 lbs. The cost of the Sears Tower building was in excess of $150 million. The Sears Tower opened in 1973 and took 3 years to build. The building has 4.5 million gross square feet of floor space. The average sway of the building is approximately 6 inches from true center. The Sears Tower has approximately 16,100 bronze-tinted windows and has 6 roof-mounted robotic window washing machines. The Sears Tower was designed for more than 12,000 occupants, approximately 25,000 people enter the building each day and approximately 1.5 million tourists visit the Skydeck each year.

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Related News: It will stand as a sign of freedom—One World Trade Center, formerly known as The Freedom Tower, currently under construction at the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City. The bid process for this prestigious project began for some glass companies a few years ago and ended this month when they learned they weren't awarded the project. This alone was not an unusual occurrence—except that these companies collectively had invested a high seven figures in developing products specific to this project. Ultimately the final contract for glass for the podium wall (lower 20 stories) of One World Trade Center has been awarded to a Chinese manufacturer. Freedom Tower glass "Made in China." Can you say "fabricating debris?"