How Chicago's Sears Tower Was Brought into the 21st Century

The Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, has long been seen as more a liability than a landmark. For decades, the building was perceived with hostility in Chicago's downtown – a cold, impersonal place only occupied by the tower's office workers and off-limits to everyone else.

Fortunately, in recent years, SkB Architects, with the guidance of EQ Office, undertook major renovations to change that perception. The firm opened up the skyscraper to the public, thanks to new gardens, an indoor food court and a revitalized 'Skydeck' experience – all changes that have worked wonders for the iconic building.

"This is one of the most extraordinary stories in real estate," notes Brian Whiting, Founder of The Telos Group, about the Willis Tower renovation. "From a building that was considered culturally obsolete, a corporate environment that no one ever wanted to be in, to where it's probably the most successfully repositioned building in the city right now — if not in the country right now."

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