Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
Chicago's Sears Tower has opened a glassed-in viewing platform that is not for the faint of heart.
By Karen Hawkins, AP
Visitors to the Sears Tower's new glass balconies all seem to agree: The first step is the hardest.
"It's like walking on ice," said Margaret Kemp, of Bishop, California, who said her heart was still pounding
even after stepping away from the balcony. "That first step you take – 'am I going down?'"
Kemp was among the visitors who got a sneak preview of the balconies Wednesday. "The Ledge," as the
balconies have been nicknamed, open to the public Thursday.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet (412 meters) in the air and jut out 4 feet (1.22 meters) from the
building's 103rd floor Skydeck. They're actually more like boxes than balconies, with transparent walls,
floor and ceiling.
Visitors are treated to unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping
vista of the street and Chicago River below – for those brave enough to look straight down.
John Huston, one of the property owners of the Sears Tower, even admitted to getting "a little queasy" the
first time he ventured out. But 30 or 40 trips later, he's got the hang of it.
"The Sears Tower has always been about superlatives – tallest, largest, most iconic," he said. "Today is
also about superlatives. Today, we present you with 'the Ledge,' the world's most awesome view, the
world's most precipitous view, the view with the most wow in the world."
The balconies can hold five tons, and the glass is 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) thick, officials said.
Sears Tower officials have said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead
prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to
clean: floors.
The balconies are just one of the big changes coming to the Sears Tower. The building's name will
change to Willis Tower later this summer.
Last week, officials announced a 5-year, $350 million green renovation complete with wind turbines, roof
gardens and solar panels.
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
Don't look down: Terrifying view from glass box balcony jutting out from skyscraper's 103rd floor
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 12:22 PM on 02nd July 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196941/The-violent-country-Europe-Britain-worse-South-Africa-U-S.html
If you're scared of heights, it may be time to look away now.
Not content with having the tallest building in America, the owners of Sears Tower in Chicago have
installed four glass box viewing platforms which stick out of the building 103 floors up.
The balconies are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's Skydeck.
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Floating on air: Visitors get their first view from The Ledge, four glass balconies suspended from the
103rd floor of Chicago's Sears Tower
Designers say the platforms - collectively dubbed The Ledge - have been purposely designed to make
visitors feel as they are floating above the city.
The reward is unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side and a heart-stopping vista of
the street and Chicago River below - for those brave enough to look straight down.
'It's like walking on ice,' visitor Margaret Kemp, from Bishop, California said. 'The first step you take you
think "Am I going down?"'
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
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Fearless: Anna Kane, five, spreads out on the floor of the 10ft square box which is 1,353ft up
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
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Spectacular: She also enjoyed amazing views out across the city
'At first I was kind of afraid but I got used to it,' 10-year-old Adam Kane from Alton, Illinois, said as clouds
drifted by below.
'Look at all those tiny things that are usually huge.'
John Huston, one of the owners of the Sears Tower, even admitted to getting 'a little queasy' the first time
he ventured out on to the balcony. However, after 30 or 40 trips, he seems to have got used to it.
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
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Thrillseekers: The boxes jut out four feet from the building and were specifically designed to make visitors
feel as if they are floating
Enlarge
'The Sears Tower has always been about superlatives - tallest, largest, most iconic,' he said.
'The Ledge is the world's most awesome view, the world's most precipitous view, the view with the most
wow in the world.'
The balconies are 10ft high and 10ft wide, can hold five tons, and have glass which is 1.5 inch thick.
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
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Unfazed: Although some adults felt dizzy after experiencing the Ledge, children seemed to take it in their
stride
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
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Long way up: Even the floor of the platforms are glass - few were brave enough to look straight down
Inspiration came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every
week. Now, staff will have a new glass surface to clean: floors.
Architect Ross Wimer said: 'We did studies that showed a four-foot-deep (1.2 metres) enclosure makes
you feel like you're floating since there's only room for one row of people, not two.'
The Skydeck attracts 25,000 visitors on clear days. They each pay $15 to take an elevator ride up to the
103rd floor of the 110-story office building that opened in 1973.
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Sears Tower Unveils 103rd Floor Glass Balconies
Towering: A view of the Sears Tower (black building in the foreground). The Ledge is on the 103rd floor
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