Will Chicago Reclaim Title Of World's Tallest?

A skyscraper that looks somewhat like a tapering, 2,000-foot drill bit is the subject of much talk in the Windy City.

The city's Sears Tower reigned for years as the world's tallest skyscraper, until the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and then a succession of other buildings in Asia, assumed the title.

Now, a developer in America's second most skyscrapered city has proposed a giant new hotel and condominum tower that would dwarf its global competitors. (Indeed, there has been talk of two new developments that would give Chicago the world's two tallest buildings.)

The concept is an intriguing one. However, your humble correspondent questions whether this particular behemoth, or any other, can any longer be built in America. It's not just a matter of economics. It's also a matter of vision, or, if you will, visceral preference.

When it comes to outsized construction projects, Americans no longer seem to care to take the bad with the good. The Big Dig in Boston is an example of all the inconvenience and political prattle that comes with megaprojects.

Will Chicago regain status as champion in the world of Levianthans? Only time will tell.

For more information and an artist's conception of the proposed tower, see this article in the Chicago Tribune.