Battle in the Sky Brings History Back to the Hancock

What once was old is new again.  The more years I gain, the more I see that things are cyclical.  But I didn't see this coming.

The seemingly friendly Battle of the Observation Decks being waged between the Sears Willis Tower (233 South Wacker Drive), and the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) has seen both sides dip into the old bag of tricks to bring in new customers.

The first shot was fired in July of last year when Willis opened "The Ledge."  If you haven't been to Skydeck Chicago (the current name for what used to be the Sears Skydeck) in a while, this is alone worth the price of admission.  Check out our previous piece on The Ledge for pictures and video.

While The Ledge is all high-tech glass, and physics calculations, and safety regulations, what it does is simulate the experience of hanging off the edge of a skyscraper.  To the majority of people in the 21st century, this is a novelty.  But it's not all that novel.

Hanging out on steel beams is a very late-19th and early-20th century thing to do.  Think back to black-and-white Looney Tunes, or those iconic photographs of construction workers just sort of sitting there, having lunch, perched on a girder hundreds of feet above the street below, without a care in the world.  The same lower-belly giddiness we experience looking at those photos is the same feeling we get to experience first-hand and intensified by visiting The Ledge.

The old thrills are new again.  Except you don't have to be a construction worker to experience it.  You can just pay your $15, close your eyes, and take one giant step into the air.

A year later, it's time for the Hancock Center to return fire.

Last week, newspapers around the world lit up with news about Big John's newest attraction, Skating in the Sky.

The idea is that there will be a skating rink on the 94th floor of the building.  That puts it 1,000 feet over North Michigan Avenue.  But it's not actual ice; it's a slippery synthetic substance that's being used.  Adolescent fantasies about crashing through the glass aside, skating at the Hancock is nothing new.

In fact, shortly after the John Hancock Center first opened, it had a real ice skating rink in the sunken plaza right in front of the building.  The plaza is a public amenity, required to get the zoning permits needed to build such a huge tower in what was then a low-rise area.

Reports of the day indicate that the skating rink was popular, and attracted crowds similar to those that now spin themselves into frigid dizziness at the McCormick-Tribune ice skating rink at Millennium Park.  But it didn't last.  It opened in the winter of 1971, and the following year, instead of ice it was covered with Christmas trees as a safety precaution because it was feared that winds whipped up by the Hancock Center would hurl debris from nearby construction projects at the helpless skaters.  By the winter of 1973, the ice was replaced by crushed rock and planters.  Skating at the Hancock faded from Chicago's collective memory shortly thereafter.

Interestingly, during the same time period there was another ice skating rink nearby at Lake Shore Park that is also gone.  People who have lived in the area far longer than me say the city used to be lousy with ice skating rinks, and nearly everyone enjoyed the sport from families to dating couples to loners and gangs of teen-agers.  But as the city's tastes matured and more and more people sought refuge in warm apartments with television sets to tick away the dark winters, the neighborhood skating rinks became fewer and fewer.

With any luck, the new rink at Millennium Park, plus the new fake skate at the Hancock Center will trigger a resurgence of good, wholesome, outdoor winter activity.  Lord knows Chicago's children could use a little less time playing virtual snowboarder on the Xbox, and more time learning how use their muscles to balance on some blades in a nearby park.

Chicago's Grocery Store in the Sky

There are a lot of rumors about special places in Chicago that most people don't get to see.   Today I thought I'd demystify one of them.

A lot of what people assume about the residents and residences in the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) is not true.  But some of it is.  For example -- there is an urban legend that the Hancock residents have their own grocery store.  This is true.

It's officially called "Potash Gourmet 44," and is not surprisingly located on the 44th floor of the building.  To access it, you must be a resident of the Hancock Center, or an accompanied guest.  You have to go past the security checkpoint on the ground floor lobby, and then the receptionist on the 44th floor sky lobby.

Down the hallway, past the mail room is the grocery store.  It's larger and better stocked than a convenience store, so it earns its "grocery" title.  The space was entirely gutted and rebuilt in 2008, and has a produce section, a small selection of housewares, health and beauty aides, the usual aisles of canned and boxed goods, a self-service coffee area, and seating so one can admire the view while having a quick nosh.

The most active portion of the grocery store is the deli.  Hancock Center office workers can access the deli via a freight elevator and the back door.  The deli offers the usual selection of sliced meats and cheeses, as well as a choice of hot entrees and sides that change daily.  At one time there was made-to-order pizza, but it wasn't very good and has since been discontinued.

Unfortunately, the grocery store doesn't photograph very well.  In the daylight, you can't see what's in the aisles.  And at night, you can't see out the windows to prove that the store is in the sky.  But I did what I could with these couple of pictures.

Potash Gourmet 44 is undoubtedly the city's highest grocery store.  But is it the world's highest?  It's hard to say.  It is traditional for people in the Chicago area to declare things the "first" (as in mall), "biggest" (as in block party), or some other superlative without it actually being true.  So in the interest of localism, I formally declare Potash Gourmet 44 is the world's highest grocery store.  Challenges are welcome.

Pix: How Chicago Skyscrapers Marked Earth Hour

Last night, many places around the world dimmed their lights to mark Earth Hour, an even organized by the World Wildlife Fund.  I've posted a few photos below.  Last year, participation by Chicago buildings was spotty.  This year was better, though there were still a few hold-outs.

Among those I could see going dark:

• Navy Pier, except for its ferris wheel still blazing into the night (600 East Grand Avenue)
• The John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue)
• Willis Tower (233 South Wacker Drive)
• Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street)
• Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile (540 North Michigan Avenue)
• The Park Tower (800 North Michigan Avenue)
• Grand Plaza (540 North State Street)
• 55 East Erie (55 East Erie Street)
• NBC Tower (200 East Illinois Street)
• Chase Tower (10 South Dearborn Street)
• The Clare at Water Tower (55 East Pearson Street)

I assume that the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower participated because they participate in most everything.

The Marriott always has trouble with its sign, so it ended up darkening some of the letters early in the evening (spelling out "Mot").

Trump International Hotel and Tower was also dark, but not for the occasion.  In spite of what the Chicago Tribune reported, it does not light up at night at all, so this was one of the few occasions when it actually looked appropriate in the night skyline.

Some buildings didn't join in:  

• Millennium Centre (33 West Ontario Street)
• 300 North LaSalle (300 North LaSalle Drive)
• 353 North Clark (353 North Clark Street)
• The Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 East Wacker Drive)
• Museum Park (1215 South Prairie Avenue)
• The Fordham (25 East Superior Street)
• Millennium Park (337 East Randolph Street)

As you can see in the photos below, 300 and 353, and the Hyatt are the brightest things in the Chicago skyline, and conspicuous for their illumination when all of their neighbors have gone dark. As always, you can click to enlarge the pictures and see the offenders.

Last Night's Sunset in Time-Lapse

Last night I tweeted that the high clouds in the sky could make for an interesting sunset.  So I set up the iPhone and made a time-lapse movie of the sun going down behind the Chicago skyline as seen from the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue).

Unfortunately, the clouds cleared out just as the good colors were coming on, but you can still see its light making rainbows in the ice crystals.

There are a couple of times when the picture jumps.  Those are when someone called on my phone.  Oops!

Slice of Life: A Worse Job Than Yours

Be happy for your job is, chances are it's not worse than this.  Unless your profession can be showcased on the Dirty Jobs television show, these guys digging a ditch in the snow outside the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) have it worse than you.

Of course, none of this applies if you're one of the 10.3% (official) to 22% (unofficial) of people in Chicago who can't find a job.  Believe me, I know.  I spent September and October trying to find a job in Chicago.  I finally gave up after about the 30th time I was told I'm "overqualified."  What is that supposed to mean?  Because I have a college degree and a strong work ethic I'm not able to stack crates of granola at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods?

On the Wrong Side of the John Hancock Center

Recently I happened to be at the right place at the right time.  That means inside the 100-story John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue) when some windows were being replaced.

I had the chance to stick my head out into the breeze on a cloudy, wet day and feel the thrill of vertigo in my stomach and head.  As much as I love being up high, I have a fear of edges, so it took a lot for me to put my beloved Canon and my CrappyCameraPhone™ at risk.

I still get a little bit of queasiness when I look at this CrappyCameraPhone™ picture looking straight down the side of the building.  That horizontal member that tapers inward toward the right is one of the building's famous cross braces.

After 40 years, the building exterior could use a good power washing.

From my experience being on the unsheltered roofs of buildings like the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, the G.E. Building in New York, and Chicago's own Shoreham, I can tell you it's not as windy as people assume it would be.  People who don't live in skyscrapers have all these crazy notions about tall buildings.  About this time last year, emergency officials in Houston, Texas were telling people that for every ten stories up you go in a building, the affects of a hurricane are intensified by one Category.  Really?  So Hurricane Ike hit the top floor of Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower as a category 12 storm?  I don't think so.

Looking east

It was a little windy being out on the edge of the John Hancock Center, but it wasn't any more windy than it was when I went down to the surface an hour later.

Looking west

Looking up from the gaping hole in the side of the building showed... nothing.  Really.  Since the building tapers away and was receding in distance, too, there wasn't anything to see but the bellies of grey clouds.  Disappointing.

But I did take a video when I was hanging out there.  It's probably one of the world's least interesting pieces of videography, but I include it here in the interest of completeness.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (2009 edition, part 4)

The John Hancock Center Christmas tree arrived overnight and sits in the plaza awaiting decoration.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (2009 edition, part 3)

Inspired by our series of posts about Christmas in Chicago (1 & 2), one of the usual suspects e-mailed in a few photos of her own.  It looks like the Christmas train display is now up and running in the basement of the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue).

If you haven't been before, you should make an effort to go this year.  Or even better, make it a family tradition.  

Each day (according to Google Analytics), thousands of people from the suburbs read this blog.  This is a good year to take the kids into the city for a day of holiday walking around.  Look at the trains at the John Hancock Center, then walk down Michigan Avenue and get some popcorn at Garrett's (625 North Michigan Avenue). Next, wander into the Loop to look at the display windows at Macy's on State Street (111 North State Street), swing by Daley Plaza to take in the city's official Christmas tree sharing the plaza with the massive Picasso statue (55 West Randolph Street), then grab some hot chocolate and enjoy the sights in Millennium Park.  

The whole thing will cost you less than ten bucks. Do it every year to teach your children the joys of the holidays, and that Christmas spirit doesn't have a big price tag or come from Wal-Mart -- it's just the joy of being with someone you love.

Need tips on getting in, getting out, getting around and things to see for free with your kids?  Just e-mail me at editor@chicagoarchitecture.info and I'll be happy to help you out.

Now -- more pictures of the trains.  And thanks to everyone who e-mails in their pictures of Christmas in Chicagoland.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas (2009 Edition, Part 1)

Sure, it's just a chunk of black metal, but it's also the harbinger of the holiday season.  The base for the Christmas tree has been put in place in the plaza of the John Hancock Center (875 North Michigan Avenue).  Nearby, crews are putting the lights up in the trees that line the Magnificent Mile, and in the Loop, Macy's is working on its annual Christmas window displays.

And to think, I still have one more pumpkin to carve for Halloween.

Slice of Life: Soul Patch at Hancock Center

A group of Collective Soul fans stake out their patch of front-row real estate for today's concert in the sunken plaza at the John Hancock Center more than four hours before the band is scheduled to perform.

Later in the day, Collective Soul will perform at Old Saint Patrick's Church's annual summer festival.  OSP likes to call it the "World's Largest Block Party," but it's not.  It's not even the largest in the Midwest.  But don't mention that to people who run the church.  Hostile and dismissive responses are de rigeur any time we've brought that up to the bosses over there.  Even from pastor Father Tom Hurley, who sent us a nastygram when we most recently inquired about the false boast.

Inside the Michigan Avenue Best Buy Before it Opens

Much to the delight of some, and the horror of others, a new Best Buy store is going to open inside the John Hancock Center just hours from now.

The intrusion of yet another mall-class store into the formerly posh Magnificent Mile isn't being taken lightly by nearby residents, but they have to admit -- it's better than a massive vacant space at the base of one of the city's iconic skyscrapers.

We've been following the Best Buy saga since it was announced about a year ago, and followed it from concept drawings to the reality is is today:

Wednesday night there was an invitation-only VIP party held in the store.  People who live in the John Hancock Center, along with representatives of local NIMBY group "SOAR," and pretty much anyone else who might make trouble for the project were invited to an evening of booze and live music to help start neighborly relations off on a good foot.

This photograph is more representative of the store than the crowd.  It was taken from the staircase that unifies the two-story store.  It looks like only a few people were there, but that's just bad timing.  In reality I'd say at least a thousand people passed through the store in the two hours the party was on.

Remember when the Best Buy was first proposed, we were told that it would be a "boutique" store carrying a limited number of high-end items to match the milieu of North Michigan Avenue?  Forget about it.  This is a standard Best Buy store with all of the same stuff as a Best Buy from Appleton, Wisconsin to Middletown, New York.  Remember when the base of the Hancock Center had a Cartier?  Well, Kay Jewelers just moved in.

The ground floor of the store is given over to cell phones, iPods, GPS units, and the high-profit accessories that go with them.  Those aren't all that useful to people who live in the neighborhood.

Arriving upstairs, the shopper is surrounded by mid-range and low-end video cameras.  Prowling further, there is a section of laptop computers.  Various flavors of bulbous, sticker-covered Wintels on the right, and sleek, silver Apple MacBooks on the other side of the aisle.

It should also be noted, that there is a small section of some pretty high-end cameras.  No 1DS Mark III's, but a Canon 50D, several Nikon equivalents, and many professional-level accessories are available.  Even the Extreme III 30 MB edition SD cards are available.

Then there is a respectably large DVD section, then video games (XBox, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS), and then a home theater section with half the TVs brightness levels jacked up and the other half turned down, seemingly at random.

All in all, the store is remarkably large.  Sure, it's no North Avenue, but this isn't a store to sneeze at.  It appears to carry the full range of Best Buy gear.  And that includes washers and dryers, food processors, and a blend stick I came very close to using my Hancock Resident Discount on.

More importantly, there are staples to be found.  Things that are actually useful to people who live nearby.  Since CompUSA closed, the options for getting certain things have been limited.  Blank DVDs?  Well, there's Walgreen's -- if you don't want dual-layer discs.  A USB cable?  Better hoof it into the Loop.  Printer ink?  Well, if you have an HP printer you can go to Walgreen's; otherwise it's way over to the Ohio Street off ramp to give you Canon or Epson a drink.  Thanks to this Best Buy, network cards, bare bones hard drives, and other kit parts are all available in 60611 for the first time in two years.

So, while it furthers the mallification of the former Boul Mich, Best Buy is indeed better than nothing.  And in some ways, it's going to be quite useful for those of us who like to shop for electronics in our underwear.*

And if the regular sales staff is even half as helpful as those on hand for the VIP event, then they'll be ten times better than the loafers at CompUSA (who refused to sell my wife a $600 computer because she's a girl and wouldn't understand how to use it!)

The manager of the store seems like a very nice young woman who is eager to make this work.  Her store opens Saturday morning.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop in and decide for yourself whether this is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.


*Note: It is against Hancock Center rules for the residents to appear in public areas in their underwear, so don't worry about seeing grandpa's droopy knees at the checkout line.

Best Buy Just About Ready to Open on Michigan Avenue

The new Best Buy showcase store in the John Hancock Center is rapidly approaching "finishing touches" stage.

The signs have been mounted on the exterior granite of the building.  Most of the window displays are in place, and peeking behind them, you can see that most of the shelves are stocked.

Nicely, the windows each have a different Chicago theme.  One is professional photography at the Art Institute .  Another is point-and-shoot at Wrigley Field .  Another is music at Navy Pier .  Nice touches.  Hopefully the visual people will keep it up.

There's an invitation-only VIP reception at the store on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.  As we told you last month , the store officially opens Saturday, May 16th.

Best Buy's Date With Hancock

Best Buy has set a date to open its bi-level boutique in the John Hancock Center .  According to a news release on its web site, the electronics store will open Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 10:00am.

The Hancock Center Best Buy isn't supposed to be like every other store.  It's supposed to be closer to an Apple Store in its boutique style, and it won't try to stock every little crappy gadget under the sun.  Instead, it will focus on certain upscale (and presumably high-priced) product lines.

Here's the full release:


Best Buy Opens Eight New Stores In First Fiscal Quarter


Stores support local non-profit organizations and offer employment opportunities for local communities

MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, 2009 – Best Buy today announced the grand opening of eight new U.S. Best Buy stores for the first fiscal quarter 2010. The new stores are set to open this month and next in the following cities:
Duarte, Calif. (Thursday, May 14th at 6:00 p.m. local time)
Goleta, Calif. (Friday, May 15th at 10:00a.m. local time)
Woodland, Calif. (Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Chicago, Ill. -- John Hancock Tower (Saturday, May 16th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Kansas City, Kans. – Speedway (Friday, April 17th at 9:00 a.m. local time)
Branson, MO (Thursday, April 16th at 6:00 p.m. local time)
Waynesville, NC (Friday, April 17th at 10:00 a.m. local time)
Kingsport, Tenn. (Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. local time)

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies and $10,000 check presentations to local nonprofits mark the opening of the new destinations. Updated layouts, highly trained employees, and interactive displays create a unique and engaging experience for customers. Featuring the latest products and services, the new Best Buy stores provide customers with the solutions to meet all of their technology needs.

As of May 30, Best Buy expects to operate 1031 U.S. Best Buy stores in 49 states and in Puerto Rico, among other operations.

Best Buy Employees: A People Powered Organization
The company’s Blue Shirt employees are the core of Best Buy. As a people-powered organization, Best Buy invests heavily in discovering and training employees in customer service, product knowledge and financial acumen. As the store employees are closest to the customers, the company relies on them for their innovative ideas and feedback to enhance customers’ shopping experiences. Whether an individual’s passion is to be the best salesperson on the floor, a Geek Squad Agent, home theater installer or the next CEO, Best Buy fuels employees with the knowledge and resources to achieve their personal ambitions.

Committed to the Community
Best Buy commits to being a vital community partner. Last year alone, Best Buy and the Best Buy Children’s Foundation donated approximately $30 million to their communities. For more information about Best Buy’s philanthropic efforts, including the Best Buy Teach program, visit www.BestBuy.com and click on the “Community Relations” link.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy; Audiovisions; The Carphone Warehouse; Future Shop; Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five
Star; Magnolia Audio Video; Napster; Pacific Sales; The Phone House; and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, we donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where our employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

Hancock Center Lights Up With Best Buy

No, the lights at the top of the John Hancock Center haven't been changed to daisy yellow and corporate blue.  Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

What has happened, is that the first permanent Best Buy illumination is now visible from street level.

You can see in this crappy cameraphone shot that there is a yellow Best Buy tag in the window on the second floor.  This is a view across Chestnut Street. There is an identical illuminated tag on the Michigan Avenue side.  Both of these are similar to the big red illuminated blocks that The North Face has on its side of the second floor.

Also visible from street level is blue mood lighting which illuminates the second floor ceiling and new flooring for the first floor showroom.

It's obvious that progress is being made toward the scheduled opening next month.

Diagrams: Best Buy's Impact on the John Hancock Center

Last week a resident of the John Hancock Center told me almost breathlessly that the plans were out for the design of the Best Buy going in on the ground floor of the landmark building.  With a mix of fear and indignation she stammered, "it's going to have neon."

The truth is a lot less awful than it sounds.  I managed to get my hands on a copy of the plans, and they don't look bad.  They're certainly a magnitude of order lighter and more colorful than what men's clothier Paul Stuart did with the space before it moved to 107 East Oak Street last year.

The designs by Experience Development Group show the main entrance will see the addition of a smallish "Best Buy" sign above the doors, flanked by blue awnings over the neighboring windows.

There will be illuminated signage, and that might be what had the Hancockers worried.  But the specs show signs will be three feet tall, four feet wide, and only placed at the corners of the building.

Far more visual appeal is planned for upstairs where the equipment racks and merchandise shelves placed against the windows will be backed by large-scale photos of happy neutral people enjoying the benefits of technology.  The Best Buy signs will once again be relegated to the corners.

Whether these displays end up looking garish, or adding much-needed color to an otherwise drab block remains to be seen.  We'll find out in May, 2009 when the grand opening is planned.

The residents of the John Hancock Center are notably concerned.  Many of them have lived in the skyscraper long enough to remember when "Boul Mich" was compared to the great boulevards of Paris.  Since then it's gone through a period of neglect, a period of growth, and now it's something closer to an outdoor mall than the Champs-Élysées as most of the boutiques have fled for the side streets and neighborhoods north.  Most Chicagoans don't realize or remember that the Hancock Center was where Cartier had its Chicago store for many years.

Still, Best Buy is better than nothing.  And considering the state of nearby buildings like Chicago Place, the Peninsula Hotel block, and the Esquire Theater, "nothing" could have been a real possibility.  And surely, people who patronize L'Appetito, the wanna-be Italian deli staffed by the least-friendly stone faced Russian robot chicks in the Midwest, cannot be all that picky, right?

Tuesday Trivia: The John Hancock Center

Q: What famous Hong Kong skyscraper was inspired by the design of Chicago's John Hancock Center.

A: The Bank of China Hongkong tower.

Chicago losing a title?

If you've never seen it before, drink it in.  That's the pool for the residents who live in the John Hancock Center.  It's a full-sized pool on the 44th floor of the building, which puts it about 500 feet in the air.  To date, it is the world's highest pool.  But for how much longer?



With new megatowers coming online around the world almost every day it seems like a title that could be lost soon.  In Hong Kong, for example, many of the residential and hotel buildings like the MetroPark Hotel have pools of their roofs.  And while the Burj Dubai's hotel only goes up to the 39th floor, there are residences above it -- so the possibility exists that there's a pool up there somewhere.  We won't know until the joint opens next year.



Maybe the builders of the Chicago Spire can make a last-minute design change and put a little blue and wet on the roof of that building so that we can at least keep one record-setting title in the Windy City.

The photo that should make Chicago proud

This is a great photo. Not for it's composition -- that is questionable. Not for it's quality -- it was taken with a cell phone camera. What should make Chicagoans proud is its content.

This is a freight elevator panel in the John Hancock Center. You'll notice that the buttons go up to 98. How cool is that? How many cities in the Western Hemisphere have buildings with 98th
floors? Only two: New York and Chicago. And Chicago has twice as many 100+ story buildings as New York.

The John Hancock Center actually has 100 stories (and the Sears Tower 110). 99 and 100 are accessed through another elevator. But it's still a cool picture.