Sears Tower

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America's Tallest Building Is ... in NYC

1 World Trade Center now officially the US' tallest building

(Newser) - Breathe easy, New Yorkers: Your new World Trade Center was officially declared the tallest building in the US today, when the Height Committee of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat concluded that the 408-foot needle atop it counted as a spire rather than an antenna , and hence could...

New World Trade Center's Tallest Title on the Line

Decision should come next week

(Newser) - Rising from the ashes of 9/11, the new World Trade Center tower has punched above the New York skyline to reach its powerfully symbolic height of 1,776 feet and become the tallest building in the country. Or has it? A committee of architects recognized as the arbiters on world...

Willis What? Sears Tower Changes Names

Insurance company gets naming rights

(Newser) - An insurance company no one's ever heard of is suddenly a big name in Chicago.  Starting today, the Sears Tower—the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere—becomes Willis Tower, after Willis Group Holdings, the Sun-Times reports. Chicagoans grumbling about the name change, which Willis earned by leasing just...

Step Up to New 'Ledge' at Sears Tower

Glass balconies jut 4 feet into the air

(Newser) - The view from Chicago’s Sears Tower just got more vivid. Starting tomorrow, visitors can step into glass enclosures that extend 4 feet out from the building’s 103rd floor and see all 1,353 feet straight down, the Tribune reports. Designed by the original architects of the soon-to-be-renamed Willis...

After 2 Mistrials, 5 Convicted in Sears Tower Attack Plot

One of the Liberty City Six was acquitted

(Newser) - Five men were convicted today of plotting to join forces with al-Qaeda to destroy Chicago's Sears Tower and bomb FBI offices in hopes of igniting an anti-government insurrection. A jury in Miami acquitted one member of the so-called "Liberty City Six." Ringleader Narseal Batiste was the only...

Goodbye, Sears Tower; Hello, Willis Tower

Iconic skyscraper gets rebranded with new lease

(Newser) - Sears Tower is to be rechristened Willis Tower in accordance with a new lease signed by insurance firm Willis Group Holdings, the Chicago Tribune reports. The company plans to move some 500 associates into multiple floors. It says its $14.50-per-square-foot move means big real-estate savings, and the name change...

Stair Masters: Tower Running a Painful High

Racing up skyscrapers 'not all that pleasant,' yet spreading fast

(Newser) - "Think about the most painful thing you've ever done, then multiply by 10," says one devotee (yes, devotee) of tower running, in which hearty soles summit the world's tallest buildings. The Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and Taiwan's Taipei 101 are some of the majors of the...

Second Mistrial Declared in Sears Tower Terror Case

'Enough is enough,' says defense attorney

(Newser) - A federal judge called a second mistrial today in the case of six men who allegedly conspired with al-Qaeda to blow up the Sears Tower. After 13 days of deliberation, the jury was finally released, unconvinced the defendants were serious about terrorism. “Enough is enough,” said the defense...

Judge Declares Mistrial in Sears Tower Plot Case

Jury acquits 1, splits on 6 others accused of pursuing al Qaeda ties

(Newser) - A jury acquitted one suspect today and was deadlocked over the six others in the "Liberty City Seven" case, in which prosecutors had accused the Miami men of swearing allegiance to al Qaeda and plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago. The case was a centerpiece in...

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