List of tallest buildings in Chicago

Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States, with a metropolitan area of over 9 million people. It is home to over 1,250 completed high-rises,^[4][5] 57 of which stand taller than 600 feet (183 m). As the birthplace of the skyscraper,^[6][7] Chicago has always played a prominent role in their development, and its skyline spans the full history of skyscraper construction. The tallest building in the city is the 110-story Willis Tower (also known as the Sears Tower), which rises 1,451 feet (442 m) in the Chicago Loop and was completed in 1974.^[8][9] Of the ten tallest buildings in the United States, two are located in Chicago, and of the fifteen tallest buildings in the United States, five are in Chicago. Chicago's skyline is the second largest in the United States, in North America, and in the Western Hemisphere, after New York City.

The Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885, is regarded as the world's first skyscraper. This building used the steel-frame method, innovated in Chicago; it was originally built with 10 stories, an enormous height in the 1800s, and later expanded to 12 stories with a height of 180 feet (55 m). The building was demolished in 1931.^[10][11] Being the inventor of the skyscraper, Chicago went through an early high-rise construction boom that lasted from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s, during which nine of the city's 100 tallest buildings were constructed.^[12] Chicago and New York City were virtually the only cities in the world with large skylines during the first half of the 20th century. Chicago then went through an even larger building boom that lasted from the early 1960s to the early 1990s, in which many notable commercial skyscrapers were built, such as the city's fourth-tallest building, the Aon Center, its fifth tallest, 875 North Michigan Avenue (also known as the John Hancock Center), and Willis Tower, which was the tallest building in the world upon its completion until 1993, and the tallest in the United States until 2013.

A third boom began in the 2000s, which saw the completion of the city's second tallest building, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, and its third tallest, St Regis Chicago, the tallest structure designed by a woman. Chicago leads the nation in the twenty tallest women-designed towers in the world, thanks to contributions by Jeanne Gang and Natalie de Blois. The skyline has expanded into the South Loop with skyscrapers such as NEMA Chicago and One Museum Park, as well as westwards into the West Loop and Fulton Market areas. Wolf Point is home to a number of new developments such as Salesforce Tower Chicago. Other notable new skyscrapers include 110 North Wacker (2020), One Chicago Square (2022), and 1000M (2004). The tallest building under construction is 400 Lake Shore, built on the site of the cancelled Chicago Spire project; it scheduled to be completed by 2027.

The tallest buildings in Chicago are concentrated the various downtown districts of Loop, Streeterville, River North, the South Loop, and the West Loop. Other high-rises extend north along the waterfront into North Side districts such as the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown and Edgewater, facing Lake Michigan. Some high-rises also extend south from downtown along the waterfront to South Side districts such as Kenwood, Hyde Park, and South Shore, ultimately forming a contiguous area of high-rises that is among the largest in the United States.

This list ranks completed Chicago skyscrapers that stand at least 550 feet (168 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. There are no buildings in Illinois outside of downtown Chicago that exceed that height. This height includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year of completion.

This list ranks Chicago skyscrapers based on their pinnacle height, which includes radio masts and antennas. Standard architectural height measurement, which excludes antennas in building height, is included for comparative purposes. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

This lists buildings that are under construction in Chicago and are planned to rise at least 300 feet (91 m). Buildings whose construction is on-hold are also included. A floor count of 30 stories is used as the cutoff for buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers. The "Year" category denotes when the building is expected to be completed.

This lists buildings that are proposed for construction in Chicago and that are planned to rise at least 300 feet (91 m). A floor count of 50 stories is used as the cutoff for buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers. The "Year" category denotes when construction of the building is expected to begin. A dash "—" indicates information about the building's construction or floor count is unknown or not publicly available.

This lists buildings designed to rise at least 800 feet (244 m) that were approved for construction in Chicago but were cancelled prior to completion. This list does not include vision projects such as Gateway Tower or the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle, nor does it include projects that were not approved by the Chicago Plan Commission such as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Residence Tower.

• 530.5 feet (161.7 m) Park Place Tower in Lakeview is the tallest building in Illinois outside of downtown Chicago.
• 513 feet (156 m) Park Tower in Edgewater is the second-tallest building in Illinois outside of downtown Chicago.
• 418 feet (127 m) Oakbrook Terrace Tower in Oakbrook Terrace is the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago.
• 395 feet (120 m) Two Pierce Place in Itasca is the second-tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago.

• Architecture of Chicago
• List of Chicago Landmarks
• List of cities with most skyscrapers
• List of tallest buildings in the United States
• List of buildings with over 100 floors

A. ^{^} This building was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, and replaced by the current cathedral of the same name in 1875.

B. ^{^} The clock tower on this building was removed in 1895, allowing a shorter building to become the tallest in the city.

C. ^{^} The Masonic Temple, built in 1892, became the tallest in Chicago three years later when the Board of Trade Building had its clock tower removed.

D. ^{^} This building is currently 282 feet (86 m) tall, following the removal of a pyramid top and sculpture.

General

• "Tallest Buildings in Chicago". CTBUH. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.

Specific

• Diagram of Chicago skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage.com