Search - Modern Marvels - The Sears Tower (History Channel) on DVD

A Chicago Landmark

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 01/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Sears Tower is as important to Chicago as stuffed pizza is, so I'm surprised that the building has only been around since 1974. I live in the Chicagoland area, so this work naturally stirred my interest, but I think even non-Chicagoans may want to know the facts behind this country's tallest building.

The work answers why the building was built and mentions that it was never the original intent to construct the country's tallest building. Later we learn that Sears is no longer located in the building (but don't get me started on how all the jobs have moved to Northern and Western suburbs where po' folk can't get to!). The work interviews both fancy engineers and businessmen (purposely gendered) as well as the blue-collar workers who put the elbow grease into the Tower's construction. I appreciated the socioeconomic class diversity of the piece.

The work does mention 9-11. However, I heard that because of that tragedy, businesses don't want to be in skyscrapers anymore. I think they'd rather move out than move up. I think Chicago newspapers say the Sears Tower does not have as many tenants as it would like. Thus, the future of the building is not really touched upon here."