Welcome:
Login/Register

Home Destinations USA Illinois Chicago Sights John Hancock Center

John Hancock Center Review

Read our Chicago sights reviews. Or post your own.

John Hancock Center

Architectural Sites, Near North


Fodor's Review:

Designed by the same team that designed the Sears Tower (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), this multi-use skyscraper is distinguished by its tapering shape and the enormous X braces, which help stabilize its 100 stories. Soon after it went up in 1970, it earned the nickname "Big John." No wonder: at 1,127 feet (1,502 feet counting the antennae at the top), 2.8 million square feet, and 46,000 tons o' steel, there's nothing little about it. Packed with retail, parking, offices, a restaurant, and residences, it has been likened to a city within a city. Impressive from any angle, it offers mind-boggling views from a 94th floor observatory (as with the Sears Tower, you can see to four states on clear days). For anyone afflicted with vertigo, a sensible option is a seat in the bar of the 95th floor Signature Room. The tab will be steep, but you'll be steady on your feet -- maybe.

 

INFO

  • Address: 875 N. Michigan Ave., Near North, Chicago, IL
  • Phone: 312/751-3681
  • Web site
  • Cost: Observatory $10
  • Open: Daily 9 AM-11 PM; last ticket sold at 10:45 PM

Travel Talk

Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip