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| 3D Satellite, 75+ photos |
The 1,128-foot building is now Chicago's fourth tallest and the eight tallest in US. The first three flours must be retail and lobby because floors 4-12 are the garage and floors 13-41 is about 908,000 sq. ft. of office space. The remaining floors of the 100 story building are condos except for a restaurant, observatories and broadcast equipment in the very highest floors. (From 95 on up from what I can gather.) The antennas increase the height to 1500'.
[Tribune, Widipedia]
The observatory has already been renamed 360 Chicago.
I remember reading soon after it was opened that the residents on the upper floors complained about noticing the building moving during high winds. Some had noticed ripples and/or sloshing in the water in their toilet bowl! A recording of the sound on a windy day sounds like a rocking chair with about a 3-4 second period. "There was a show on tv about living in Chicago's John Hancock Building, some years back. The people they interviewed about the swaying said that while they never actually felt it, it was a little disheartining to sit on the couch and watch the pictures on the wall swing back and forth." [city-data, virangos] Architects have since learned how to design in dampening equipment such as pendulums that span multiple stories at the top. Since the above linked sound recording was made in 2015, it sounds like the residents of this building still need "sea legs."
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| SkyScraperCenter, this page also has several photos |
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| Ken Damrau posted Robert Micknius It started construction in 1965 and opened in 1969. Howard Scott Wallin When my boss moved in, I set up the hi-fi. I found that it wouldn't function as long they were broadcasting. Which meant no music until after 2. So much for that. |
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| Beer drinking, bicycle riding, Chicago photography club posted John Hancock Center under construction — c. 1968-69 Source: Suntimes |
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| John Frazier posted Patrick Haavig: It sank a bunch during construction. Serious measures needed to keep it going. John Frazier: Patrick Haavig caissons not deep enough ? Patrick Haavig: John Frazier geotechnical inconsistencies. sandy soils! onstruction of the tower was interrupted in 1967 due to a flaw in an innovative engineering method used to pour concrete in stages, that was discovered when the building was 20 stories high. The engineers were getting the same soil settlements for the 20 stories that had been built as what they had expected for the entire 99 stories. This forced the owner to stop development until the engineering problem could be resolved. |
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| Michelle Burton posted Greg Nessinger: Decades after Hancock was built, they had to retro fit it for additional supports. An architect found if the wind came from a certain direction, the building can buckle. So they added additional support inside. Chris Bland: Greg Nessinger. I think I read that the cross structures were built in as a primary support and found later that they offered no support. At that time it was just supported by its own weight. I never really fact checked this. |
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| Tim-Michele Spencer commented on Michelle's post Great old throwback of the John Hancock under construction. From the Chicago 360 📸 Megan Green |
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| Growing up in Chicago posted 1968 - The John Hancock "topping ceremony". Paul Jevert shared |
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| Michael Brandt posted Laying the foundation for the John Hancock Building in 1965. David Brown: I remember it as it was going to be the tallest building in Chicago so even the foundation was in the news back then. |
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| Michael Brandt posted A cool areal shot of the John Hancock Building under construction. |
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| 3D Satellite |
In 2001, it was converted to condos and the name was changed back to the Palmolive Building.
A beacon named for the aviator Charles Lindbergh was added to the building in 1930. It rotated a full 360 degrees and was intended to help guide airplanes safely to Midway Airport.[7] The beacon beamed for several decades, and ceased operation in 1981 following complaints from residents of nearby buildings.[7] During the Palmolive Building's conversion to condominiums in the late 2000s, the beacon was modified to rotate back and forth, always pointing at the lake, so as to avoid shining light into other buildings. Subsequently, the historic beacon resumed operation.
[Wikipedia]
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| Steve Zalusky posted The Schenectady Gazette on June 20,1929 printed this article on the aerial beacon above the Palmolive building. |
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| Gene Schuldt posted Wes Wetherell: The Palmolive Building… My dad’s office in the mid 40’s though the mid 60’s (33rd floor and more). “Warren Wetherell and Associates.” On a clear night, the rotating beacon would light up our living room on Rt 53 in Glen Ellyn! Dad took pictures from the Beacon (and he talked Mom into going up there with him!) [The Water Tower is in the left foreground and the first pumping station is in the right foreground.] |
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| Zachary Taylor Davis - Chicago Architect posted “Tower Town” c. 1950. Shaw, Metz & Dolio’s new building for Bonwit Teller (I. Magnin in 1971) can be seen in the background with its original windows. [Looking north with the ?/Playboy/Palmolive Building in the background.] |
This view shows that the Palmolive Building was one of the taller buildings during WWII.
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| Taylor Rosen posted Chicago, Illinois circa 1945. |
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| Pat McCarthy posted Found this while going thru old photos...took it fro the Hancock Bldg in 1970’s Gary Enochs There was a rotating beacon on the Playboy building. When the John Hancock building was built they had to put a shield on the beacon so the light wouldn’t shine in the windows I’d the Hancock building. Pat McCarthy Formerly the Palmolive Building with the “Lindbergh Beacon” on top. William Gates I remember when the Prudential building was the tallest. Jonathan Billig The beacon is still there, but it doesn't rotate. It just shines out onto the lake. Jennifer Scott-Wallace Jonathan Billig it still does rotate but it’s certain times that it does turn just seen it myself like last year so I looked it up |
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| Photo via Airscapes |
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| Paul Jevert shared Holiday lighting at the Palmolive Building. December 22, 1950. Photograph by Hedrich-Blessing. |
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