Sears Tower: A Building Book from the Chicago Architecture

Rating:
Summary: good overview of Sears Tower
Review: As an occupant of Sears Tower, I find that Pridmore provides an easily-understandable overview of Sears Tower with an especially good focus on how the building was conceived and developed, with dozens of color pictures. There are also a few pictures of the Tower's offices, including Sears Roebuck's old offices, though the offices are mysteriously devoid of human inhabitation. Too often people think that towers like Sears are built by Cities wanting to be boastful rather than private enterprise seeking profits, and in that sense Pridmore tells the story of the tower very well except the sterile interior pictures. He also avoids the cliches like how many toilets are in the Tower.

I have only seen one good discussion of the daily life in a skyscraper, and this is not it. (See the Feb '89 National Geographic if interested.) Pridmore's discussion of the Tower post-construction is limited to discussing renovations and neglects other aspects that my friends usually find much more interesting. For instance, Tower occupants often see amazing sunsets--that is, when the upper floors aren't enshrouded in clouds. Some Tower occupants become motion-sick when the building sways and creaks in windstorms--also not discussed. A man can punch the windows with his fist but they will not break. (I've seen it tried--but don't you try it.) Finally, rumor is that although Sears Roebuck lost its ownership of the Tower a decade ago, they still own the giant Calder sculptures and mobile on the Wacker side. Sears was unable to move the artwork when they left, and because they are screwed in place, the artwork is not technically part of the building.