| Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers | |
|---|---|
 Original rendition of theOld Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment, including the Twin Towers. | |
 Interactive map of Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers | |
| General information | |
| Status | Never built |
| Type | Residential, Commercial, Hotel |
| Location | Chicago,Illinois, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°52′30.0″N87°38′14.8″W / 41.875000°N 87.637444°W /41.875000; -87.637444 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 120 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Joseph Antunovich |
| Developer | Bill Davies |
TheOld Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers was a proposedmixed usesupertallskyscraper planned as part of the visionOld Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment project in theChicago Loopcommunity area. The 120-story twin towers were planned to reach a height of 2,000 feet (610 m), the same as the cancelledChicago Spire that began construction in 2007. Had it been built according to plan, the building would have been thetallest in the United States.
In 2009, British real estate developer Bill Davies bought Chicago'sOld Main Post Office for $24 million and in March 2011, he bought an adjacent property for $14 million.[1] On July 21, 2011, Davies announced his plans for the Twin Towers within the Old Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment.[2][3] Davies' plans were filed by his company, International Property Developers.[4] A previous 2,000-foot (610 m) building plan for theChicago Spire stalled during theGreat Recession.[4] The plan was approved on July 18, 2013.[5]
Joseph Antunovich was thearchitect.[5] If built as planned, the 2,000-foot (610 m) building, which was intended as the second of three phases of the overall project,[4] would have been the tallest in North America.[6] The building was also intended to support revenue-generating communications antennas[2] and to host commercial, hotel and residential facilities.[3]
According to theNew York Times, critics of the project noted potential problems with the proposed towers' proximity to the extantSears Tower. For example, the heights of the residential accommodations in the planned building would have placed residents within the radiation impact zone from the antennas atop theSears Tower. Also, there was a claim that the airconvection surrounding the two buildings would create a vacuum.[7]
In October 2014, Davies'joint venture for redevelopment withSterling Bay was dissolved.[8] In December 2014, Davies canceled the project and put the post office building up for sale.[9][10]
