List of tallest buildings in Chicago


, the third-largest city in the United States, is home to 1,366 completed high-rises, 51 of which stand taller than. The tallest building in the city is the 110-story Willis Tower, which rises in the Chicago Loop and was completed in 1974. Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world upon its completion, and remained the tallest building in the United States until May 10, 2013. The second-, third- and fourth-tallest buildings in Chicago are the Trump International Hotel & Tower, the Aon Center and 875 North Michigan Avenue, respectively. Of the ten tallest buildings in the United States, two are located in Chicago. Chicago leads the nation in the twenty tallest women-designed towers in the world, thanks to contributions by Jeanne Gang and Natalie de Blois., Chicago had 116 buildings at least tall.
Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper. 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, to a height of, making it the tallest building in the world at that time. It was later expanded to 12 stories with a height of. The building was demolished in 1931. New York City then began building skyscrapers as Chicago had done, and the two cities were virtually the only cities in the world with huge skylines for many decades. Chicago has always played a prominent role in the development of skyscrapers and three past buildings have been the tallest building in the United States. Being the inventor of the skyscraper, Chicago went through a very early high-rise construction boom that lasted from the early 1920s to the late 1930s, during which 9 of the city's 100 tallest buildings were constructed. The city then went through an even larger building boom that has lasted from the early 1960s. The tallest buildings are concentrated in various downtown districts such as the 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. Some high-rises also extend south from downtown along the waterfront to South Side districts such as Kenwood, Hyde Park, and South Shore.
Several new skyscrapers were constructed in the city throughout the 2000s, including the Trump International Hotel and Tower. there were 67 skyscrapers under construction in Chicago.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks completed Chicago skyscrapers that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. 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.
RankNameImageHeight
ft 		FloorsYearCoordinatesNotes
01.01Willis Tower1101974Formerly known as Sears Tower; 3rd-tallest building in the United States, 22nd-tallest building in the world; tallest building in the world from 1974 until 1998; tallest building completed in the world in the 1970s.
02.02Trump International Hotel and Tower9820097th-tallest building in the United States; tallest building completed in the United States in the first decade of the 21st century.
03.03Aon Center83197312th-tallest building in the U.S.; formerly known as the Standard Oil Building.
Was the tallest building in Chicago before being surpassed by the Willis Tower.
04.04875 North Michigan Avenue1001969Formerly known as John Hancock Center; 13th-tallest building in the United States; tallest building constructed in the world in the 1960s; first building in the world outside of New York City to rise at least.
Was the tallest building in Chicago before being surpassed by the Aon Center.
05.05Franklin Center611989Formerly known as the AT&T Corporate Center; 21st-tallest building in the United States; tallest building constructed in Chicago in the 1980s.
06.06Two Prudential Plaza64199016th-tallest building in the United States; tallest building constructed in Chicago in the 1990s.
07.07311 South Wacker Drive65199024th-tallest building in the United States.
08.08NEMA Chicago762019Tallest all rental apartment building in Chicago.
09.09900 North Michigan661989
10.010=Water Tower Place741976
10.010=Aqua822009Currently the tallest building in the world designed by a female-led architectural firm; first skyscraper in Chicago to contain a hotel, condominiums, apartments and retail space.
12.012Chase Tower601969Also known as First National Plaza.
13.013Park Tower672000
14.014One Bennett Park692018
15.015The Legacy at Millennium Park732010
17.016300 North LaSalle602009
18.017Three First National Plaza571981
19.018Grant Thornton Tower501992
16.019Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower572010First phase completed in 1997; 24–floor vertical expansion completed in 2010.
21.020River Point522017
23.021Olympia Centre631986
22.022One Museum Park622009
20.023150 North Riverside542017Tallest building in the city west of the Chicago River.
24.024330 North Wabash521973Also known as the IBM Building.
25.025Waldorf Astoria Chicago602010
26.026111 South Wacker Drive512005
27.027181 West Madison Street501990
28.028Hyatt Center482005
29.029One Magnificent Mile571983
30.030340 on the Park642007
31.031=77 West Wacker Drive491992Formerly known as the United Building and the R.R. Donnelley Building.
32.031=Wolf Point East Tower602020
33.033One North Wacker502001Also known as the UBS Tower.
34.034Richard J. Daley Center321965Tallest flat-roofed building in the world that contains fewer than 40 floors.
Was the tallest building in Chicago before being surpassed by the John Hancock Center.
35.03555 East Erie Street5620032nd-tallest all-residential building in Chicago.
36.036Lake Point Tower701968The only tower in the city that sits on the east side of Lake Shore Drive.
37.037River East Center582001
38.038Grand Plaza I572003
39.039155 North Wacker452009
40.040Leo Burnett Building501989
41.041The Heritage at Millennium Park572005
42.042OneEleven592014Tallest building built in the city in 2014. Formally 111 W. Wacker and Waterview Tower.
43.043NBC Tower371989
44.044353 North Clark442009
45.045Essex on the Park572019
46.046Millennium Centre582003
47.047Chicago Place491991
48.048Chicago Board of Trade Building441930One of the tallest Art Deco buildings in the world; tallest building constructed in the city in the 1930s.
Was the tallest building in Chicago before being surpassed by the Richard J. Daley Center.
49.049=One Prudential Plaza411955Tallest building constructed in Chicago in the 1950s.
50.049=CNA Center441972
51.051Heller International Building451992
52.052200 West Madison441982
53.053The Grant542010
54.054=1000 Lake Shore Plaza551964
55.054=The Clare522008
56.056Citigroup Center421987
57.057=Marina City I611964
58.057=Marina City II611964
57.059Optima Signature572017
58.060Mid-Continental Plaza491972
59.061Crain Communications Building411983
60.062North Pier Apartments611990
61.063Citadel Center392003
62.064The Fordham522003
63.065190 South LaSalle Street401987
64.066One South Dearborn392005
65.067Onterie Center581986
66.068Loews Hotel Tower522015Tallest building built in the city in 2015.
67.069=Chicago Temple Building211924Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1920s.
Was the tallest building in Chicago before being surpassed by the Chicago Board Of Trade Building.
68.069=151 North Franklin362018
69.071Palmolive Building371929
72.072=Huron Plaza561983
73.072=Boeing International Headquarters361990
74.074=The Parkshore561991
75.074=North Harbor Tower551988
76.076Civic Opera House451929
77.077Atwater Apartments552009
78.078=Newberry Plaza—531974
79.078=Michigan Plaza South461985
80.078=30 North LaSalle441975
81.081Pittsfield Building381927
82.082=Harbor Point541975
83.082=One South Wacker401982

Tallest buildings by pinnacle height

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.
Pinn.
Rank
Std.
Rank
NamePinnacle
height
ft 		Standard
height
ft 		FloorsYearSource
11Willis Tower1081974
24John Hancock Center1001969
32Trump International Hotel and Tower982009
43Aon Center831973
55Franklin Center North Tower611989
66Two Prudential Plaza641990
77311 South Wacker Drive651990
842One Prudential Plaza411955
98NEMA Chicago762019
109900 North Michigan661989

Tallest under construction or proposed

Under construction

This lists buildings that are under construction in Chicago and are planned to rise at least. 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.

Proposed

This lists buildings that are proposed for construction in Chicago and that are planned to rise at least. 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.
NameHeight*
ft 		Floors*Year*
Notes
Tribune East Tower1,422 1162022Approved May 11, 2020. Would become the second-tallest building in Chicago upon completion.
Lakeshore East I Tower950 802021
400 Lake Shore Drive South Tower875 TBD2021Approved May 21, 2020.
113 East Roosevelt >829 76—Approved November 19, 2015.
400 Lake Shore Drive North Tower765 TBD2021Approved May 21, 2020.
130 North Franklin Street700 53—Approved August 2015.
193 North Columbus Drive650 60—Formerly known as Lakeshore East Site O.
Southbank Building A598 51—
725 West Randolph Street550 TBD2020Initial design was approved July 19, 2018; revised design is pending approval.
300 NMA523 472020Approved July 22, 2019.
222 North Stetson AvenueTBD462020
906 West Randolph Street495 432020Approved December 19, 2019.
1520-1576 North Fremont Street465 40—Zoning application filed July 25, 2018.
444 North Dearborn Street455 292020
Southbank Building B418 38—
Southbank Building E416 38—
344 North Canal StreetTBD332020Approved May 21, 2020.
322 North Clark Street395 322020Approved August 2016.
12 West Maple Street330 222020Approved September 19, 2019.

Cancelled

This lists buildings designed to rise at least 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.
NameHeight*
ft 		Floors*ApprovedCancelledNotes
7 South Dearborn2,000 11219992000One South Dearborn was built on the site instead.
Chicago Spire2,000 15020072014400 Lake Shore Drive is the current proposal for the site.
Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers2,000 12020112014Part of the Old Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment pursued by Bill Davies.
Waterview Tower1,047 8920052008The original design for Waterview Tower was cancelled after construction of the first 26 floors of the building. OneEleven was built on the vacated structure.

* Table entries with dashes indicate that information regarding expected building heights, floor counts or dates of completion were not released.

Timeline of tallest buildings

This is a list of buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Chicago. Of all the buildings that have held the title, only Willis Tower has also held the title of world's tallest building.
NameImageYears as tallestHeight
ft 		FloorsNotes
First Holy Name Cathedral1854-18691
Saint Michael's Church1869-18851
Chicago Board of Trade Building1885-189510
Masonic Temple Building1895-189921
Montgomery Ward Building1899-192222
Wrigley Building1922-192430
Chicago Temple Building1924-193023
Chicago Board of Trade Building1930-196544
Richard J. Daley Center1965-196932
John Hancock Center1969-1973100
Aon Center1973-197483
Willis Tower1974-present108