Chicago Skyline

Shedd Aquarium Oceanarium

The building on the lake front in the foreground on the left edge of the picture is the Oceanarium of the Shedd Aquarium. The Oceanarium opened in 1991 and contains 3 million gallons of saltwater. The Shedd Aquarium itself opened in 1929, and at the time was the largest aquarium in the world. The Shedd Aquarium is named for John Graves Shedd, who became president of Marshall Field & Co. in 1906. Shedd donated $3.25 million toward the construction of the aquarium, but died in 1926, the year before construction on the aquarium started. The Shedd Aquarium today houses over 6000 sea creatures from more than 750 species, and has its own research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II.

311 South Wacker Drive

From the left, the first tall building in the skyline is 311 South Wacker Drive. At 65 stories and 961 feet, this is the world's tallest building known only by its street address. It was built in 1990.

Sears Tower

The tallest building in Chicago, in most of the world in fact, is the Sears Tower. At 1,450 feet, the Sears Tower is surpassed only by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which opened in 1996. In fact, the Sears Tower's 108th floor is still the tallest occupied floor in the world. The Sears Tower is located at 233 South Wacker Drive and was completed in 1974.

The Sears Tower was renamed Willis Tower on July 16, 2009. It has since been surpassed in height by, among others, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, now the tallest building in the world, and One World Trade Center in New York City, now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

AT&T Corporate Center

The building with the two antennas to the right of the Sears Tower is AT&T Corporate Center. Located at 227 West Monroe Street, AT&T Corporate Center is 1,007 feet tall and has 60 floors. It was completed in 1989.

Smurfit-Stone Building

The building with its roof sloping steeply to one corner is the Smufit-Stone Building. It is 575 feet tall and has 41 stories. It was completed in 1983. It is located at 150 North Michigan Avenue.

Two Prudential Plaza

The tall building with the pointed top is Two Prudential Plaza. Located at 180 North Stetson Avenue, Two Prudential Plaza is 995 feet tall and had 64 floors. It was completed in 1990.

Aon Center

Second in height in Chicago at 1136 feet and 83 floors is Aon Center. Recently renamed, at the time these pictures were taken (in 2000) it was called the Amoco Building. When opened in 1973 it was known as the Standard Oil Building. It is located at 200 East Randolph Street.

John Hancock Center

A tall black building with diagonal bracing criss-crossing across its exterior, and topped by two tall red-and-white-striped antennas, John Hancock Center is probably the second most well-known skyscraper in Chicago. Built in 1969, John Hancock Center is 100 floors and 1,127 feet tall. It has two addresses: 875 North Michigan Avenue and 175 East Delaware Place.

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