The Ten Tallest Buildings In Chicago
Published 08/31/2026
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North America
Travel Guides
Article Highlights
1
Compare ten towers that shape Chicago's skyline, from Willis Tower to newer residential high-rises.
2
The profiles look at architectural form and building use alongside height.
Article Sections
1Willis Tower
2Trump International Hotel And Tower
3St. Regis Chicago
4Aon Center
5875 North Michigan Avenue
AuthorVoyajeBoard Editors
Published08/31/2026
Read4 min
#things-to-do
#chicago
Chicago’s tallest buildings tell a story through changes in height, shape, and purpose. This guide looks at the towers that define the skyline and the design details to notice when you see them from the street or across the city.
Ranking and visitor information checked November 1, 2026. The order and metric heights follow the Council on Vertical Urbanism’s Skyscraper Center list for Chicago. Architectural height includes permanent spires but excludes functional antennas; it is not the height of an observation floor. Floor counts can use different conventions and do not determine this order.
Willis Tower
No. 1: 442.1 meters. The database and SOM project record give a 1974 completion year for the former Sears Tower. Its bundled tubes stop at different heights, creating the stepped outline you can read from a distance.
For an interior visit, Skydeck’s visitor guide describes the 103rd-floor observation deck and The Ledge. Check the timed-ticket and access arrangements for your date; a building height is not a guarantee of visibility or immediate entry.
Trump International Hotel And Tower
No. 2: 423.2 meters. The Skyscraper Center record identifies this 2009 SOM tower as a combination of residences and a hotel at 401 North Wabash Avenue. Its position beside the river makes it a useful comparison with the older buildings nearby.
If you want to enter for a meal, use the hotel’s current dining information and book the venue you actually intend to visit. Hotel services and private residences do not amount to a public observation deck.
St. Regis Chicago
No. 3: 362.9 meters. The database entry provides the comparison height; the residential project’s design explanation describes Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang’s stacked frustum forms. These straight-sided modules widen and narrow to give the outline its changing rhythm.
The developer’s description distinguishes hotel facilities from resident-only amenities. Choose a hotel or dining reservation for its stated access, not on the assumption that a skyline landmark lets day visitors use the pools, terraces, or residential floors.
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Aon Center
No. 4: 346.3 meters. The Chicago Architecture Center’s history credits Edward Durell Stone with Perkins + Will and dates the office tower to 1973. The white granite exterior replaced the original marble cladding, so the material you see today is part of the building’s later history.
Compare that solid-looking vertical facade with nearby glass towers. Treat it as an exterior architectural stop unless a specific current event or authorized building visit provides interior access.
875 North Michigan Avenue
No. 5: 343.7 meters. Formerly the John Hancock Center, this tower makes its structure part of its appearance. SOM’s account explains that the exterior diagonalized tube system allows wider column spacing. That does not mean every internal column disappears.
For the observation experience, consult 360 CHICAGO’s current visitor information. It describes the 94th-floor deck, timed reservations, and separate conditions for features such as TILT. Check current access and ticket inclusions rather than assuming every upper floor is open or the view is guaranteed.
Franklin Center
No. 6: 306.9 meters. The height belongs to The Franklin - North Tower, not to the combined outline of the entire Franklin complex. The database lists this SOM office tower as completed in 1989 with 60 above-ground floors.
Use the named tower and its 227 West Monroe Street address when planning a street-level stop. Offices and tenant amenities need authorization; a description of the complex’s services is not an invitation to use them.
Chicago Destination GuideGo To Destination Guide
Two Prudential Plaza
No. 7: 303.3 meters. The Two Prudential Plaza record identifies the office tower at 180 North Stetson Avenue, completed in 1990. It is part of the Prudential Plaza complex, but the height here refers to this tower rather than its older neighbor.
Compare the tower’s full outline from outside before looking more closely at its upper levels. No public observation floor or unrestricted office entry is implied by its place in this list.
One Chicago East Tower
No. 8: 295.8 meters. The database identifies the taller tower as One Chicago - 14 West Superior, completed in 2022. Goettsch Partners’ project account credits the partnership with Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture and describes a 77-story main tower.
The development combines two residential towers and a shared podium. Read the setbacks and vertical fins from the street, and distinguish businesses at the base from private residential and amenity areas.
311 South Wacker Drive
No. 9: 292.9 meters. The database dates this office tower to 1990. KPF’s project account describes an octagonal tower and a crown formed by a large translucent cylinder with four surrounding cylinders; the whole building is not simply cylindrical.
KPF pairs the office tower with a glass-ceilinged winter garden at its base. Check current building access before planning an indoor stop; architectural descriptions do not establish today’s opening arrangements.
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NEMA Chicago
No. 10: 273.1 meters. The database lists NEMA as a residential tower completed in 2019. Rafael Vinoly Architects’ project description explains the stacked square bays and stepped profile at Indiana Avenue and Roosevelt Road, with a deliberate reference to Willis Tower.
That gives you a design relationship to compare across the skyline. The pool deck and residential amenities described by the architect are for residents, not a public sightseeing floor.
Conclusion
Compare the towers’ outlines, materials, and details rather than looking only at their height. A street-level view and a view across the skyline reveal different parts of the design. If you want to go inside, check the building or venue’s current visitor arrangements; offices, residences, and their amenities are not automatically open to the public.
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Takeaways
1.
Use the tower locations to plan an architectural walk or choose a wider skyline viewpoint.
2.
Check current public access before expecting to enter a building or visit an observation level.
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