They paid $840 million for the tower in 2004. Sears Tower’s naming rights were sold by a previous owner of the building to London-based Willis Group Holdings (now called Willis Towers Watson) in 2009. 900 North Michigan, Park Tower, the John Hancock Center, the Trump Tower, and Aon Center (L-R) as seen from Willis Tower Skydeck. This month marked four years since the former Sears Tower was re-christened Willis Tower, and the new name has yet to stick."[71]. The building leans about 4 in (10 cm) to the west due to its slightly asymmetrical design, placing unequal loads on its foundation. The Willis Tower is considered a seminal achievement for engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan. The Skydeck elevators rise from Lower Level 2 which gives a total rise of approximately 1,382 feet to the 103rd floor. The naming rights are valid for 15 years, so it is possible that the building's name could change again as soon as 2024. A Willis spokesman said the naming rights were obtained as part of the negotiations at no cost to Willis, and the building was renamed Willis Tower on July 16, 2009. As of April 2018, the building's largest tenant is United Airlines, which moved its corporate headquarters from 77 West Wacker Drive (then the United Building) in 2012, occupying around 20 floors. Some 1.7 million tourists visit annually. The suits alleged that above that point television reception would deteriorate and cause property values to plummet. The first suit was filed by the state attorney in neighboring Lake County on March 17, 1972. In an episode of Kenan and Kel, Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble decide to climb to the top of the tower so Kenan can declare his love for a girl, but they end up getting stuck on a window washer's platform 110 stories up. The naming rights deal, arranged by what was then called Willis … Located on the 103rd floor at an elevation of 1,353 feet (412.4 m), it is the highest observation deck in the United States[citation needed] and one of Chicago's most famous tourist attractions. Until 2000, the tower did not hold the record for being the tallest building by pinnacle height. This also resulted in many TV and radio stations going off the air.[48]. As Sears continued to offer optimistic projections for growth, the tower's proposed floor count increased rapidly into the low hundreds, surpassing the height of New York's unfinished World Trade Center to become the world's tallest building. [46] In 2017, Blackstone announced a $500 million "facelift" for the property which would include the construction of a six-story commercial complex in the tower's plaza area. The new owners were rebuffed in renaming deals with CDW Corp in 2005 and the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2008. [13] All nine tubes would rise up to the 50th floor of the building, where the northwest and southeast tubes terminate. A second suit was filed on March 28 in Cook County Circuit Court by the villages of Skokie, Northbrook, and Deerfield, Illinois. The Lake County state's attorney filed a notice of appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, which ultimately decided in favor of Sears. The all-glass boxes, informally dubbed "The Ledge", allow visitors to see the street below. As the construction of the building neared the 50th floor, lawsuits for an injunction were filed seeking to stop the building from exceeding 67 floors. On July 16, 2009, the building was officially renamed Willis Tower. Upon completion, One World Trade Center in New York City surpassed the Willis Tower through its structural and pinnacle heights, but not by roof, observation deck elevation, or highest occupied floor. To honor Khan's contributions, the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois commissioned a sculpture of him for the lobby of the Willis Tower. From 1969 to 1978, this record was held by John Hancock Center, whose antenna reached a height of 1,500 feet (457.2 m), 49 feet (14.9 m) taller than the Sears Tower's original height. [42], In February 2009, the owners announced they were considering a plan to paint the structure silver, an idea that was later abandoned. United's re-commitment to Willis Tower doesn't come with naming rights to the building, which belong to Willis Towers Watson, the fourth-largest tenant. They are leasing 140,000 square feet of the building at a rate of $14.50 per square foot, and are consolidating their five Chicago-area offices to the new space. In January 2009, a major renovation of the Skydeck was begun, including the installation of retractable glass balconies which extend approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) from the facade of the 103rd floor, overlooking South Wacker Drive. It was hoped that a new, silver, paint-job would "rebrand" the building and highlight its advances in energy efficiency for an estimated cost of $50 million. Until 2000, the tower did not hold the record for being the tallest building by pinnacle height. [69] Time magazine called the name change one of the top 10 worst corporate name changes and pointed to negative press coverage by local news outlets and online petitions from angry residents. After selection of the latter site, permits to vacate Quincy Street were obtained. In the ensuing controversy, four categories of "tallest building" were created. 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