May 3, 1973

By the time construction topped out on the 110-story skyscraper from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Chicago had snatched that most coveted of big-city bragging rights — and away from New York, no less. The building at Adams and Franklin edged out the World Trade Center by 82 feet, making it the tallest building in the world. It held on to that distinction for another 25 years, during which the tower served as the emphatic exclamation point of the city’s skyline. It still is.

From the Archives

The skyscraper was still under construction in April 1972, when the magazine — known then as the Chicago Guide — wrote about fears the 1,450-foot tower might interfere with signals broadcast from the nearby Hancock building. (The worries proved unfounded.)

“If you have a television set and live in Marquette Park, you might as well bury it in the back yard, say some TV engineers. If you live in Skokie, be prepared for husky ghosts, say others.”