7 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, Perspective View

This proposal for the heart of downtown Chicago, initiated by European-American Realty Ltd., sought to create the world’s tallest building. The mixed-use tower would have measured 2,000 feet in height, including the antenna. The proposed structure was to house a retail concourse, parking, offices, 250 residential units, and communications facilities.

Architect Adrian Smith of the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill led a team that proposed a rectangular steel and glass tower with curved corners. The design included six sections that step back as the building rises. The structure, a concrete tube down the center, forms a spine from which floors cantilever out some 20 to 30 feet. The entire top section would have been devoted to communications floors, mechanical systems, a cooling tower and the tuned mass damping system.

The development company decided not to proceed with this ambitious project because of financing difficulties.