SHANGRALA'S

WILLIS (SEARS) TOWER!

Not content with having the tallest building in America, the owners of Willis Tower in Chicago have installed four glass box viewing platforms which stick out of the building 103 floors up.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air
and jut out four feet from the building's Skydeck.
They are 4x10x10, made of solid glass, floor included...
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Visitors get their first view from The Ledge --
four glass balconies suspended from the Tower.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Designers say the platforms - collectively dubbed The Ledge - have been purposely created to make visitors feel as they are floating above the city. The reward is unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below - for those brave enough to look straight down. It's like walking on ice.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

John Huston, one of the owners of the Willis
Tower, even admitted to getting 'a little queasy'
when he ventured out on to the balcony. However,
after 30 or 40 trips, he seems to have gotten used to it.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Even the floor of the platforms are glass. Few are brave
enough to look straight down. Although some adults felt dizzy after experiencing The Ledge, children seem to take it in stride.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Five-year-old Anna Kane spreads out
on the floor of the 10ft square box which is 1,353 ft up.
The Willis (Sears) Tower



The boxes jut out four feet from the building and were specifically designed to attract visitors. The Willis Tower has always been about superlatives - tallest, largest, most iconic.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

The Ledge is the world's most awesome view, the
world's most precipitous view, the view with the most
WOW in the world. The balconies are 10ft high and 10ft
wide, can hold five tons, and have glass which is 1.5 inch thick.
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Inspiration came from the hundreds of forehead prints
visitors left behind on The Skydeck windows every week.
Now, staff have a new glass surface to clean: FLOORS!
The Willis (Sears) Tower

Architect Ross Wimer said, 'We did studies that
showed a 4' X 4' deep enclosure makes you feel
like you're detached from the building particularly
since there's only room for one row of people.'
The Willis (Sears) Tower
The Ledge is accessible from The Skydeck which
attracts 25,000 visitors on clear days. They each
pay $15 to take an elevator ride up to the 103rd floor
of the 110-story office building that was opened in 1973.



Now I know why they
call it The Willis Tower

It gives me the willies just
looking at these pictures!




Amuse Your Friends...
And Share This With Them! :)

        


Share






^BACK To TOP^


For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)

Yes! Click Here To GO TO THE ARCHIVES!-



share

Like This Page?



If you are looking for more, here are some good places to start:

More Animation!
Floating Hotel!-
Exreme Homes!-
Canyon Skywalk!-
Liberty Air Show!-
World's Best Dad!-
Amazing Stairways!-
Angel Wing Decoys!-
Why Me? Moments!-
Rotating Skyscrapers!-
Empire State Building!-
John Scapes' Basement!-
Expensive Hotel Rooms!-
Building Advertising Art!-
Enter At Your Own Risk!-
Bible: Who Is Jesus Christ?-
What Your GPS Won't Show You!-
Animated A-Z Images!-

FUN URLS



BACK To SHANGRALA -To SHANGRALA-


Special THANKS Goes To PAT DE ESPOSITO For Sharing This With Us.


Copyright © 1996 Netscape Communications Corporation. Mozilla is
a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Note: This is an Unofficial God, Jesus Christ, Family, & Cartoon Fan Site.
© All graphics representing Disney characters are copyrighted by Disney.
Likewise all other graphics & music Copyright © by their own Individual Artists.
I do not own any graphics on this site. If you do, please notify me and I'll give
you proper credit, a link, or remove it immediately according to your wishes.
~*~ Copyright © 1997-2011 Elrhea M. Bigham ~*~