TUESDAYTRIVIA

THE QUESTION: What Holds the Title as the Tallest Reinforced Concrete Building in the U.S.?

HINT - “It’s Not in Delaware”

THE ANSWER: 311 South Wacker Drive in Chicago

THE FACTS:

311 South Wacker Drive is a worthy accompaniment to the Sears Tower next door. In its stature it mimics the Sears, and from certain angles, its flanking wings appear to be setbacks in the same manner as its neighbor. 311 South Wacker stands out, in part, because of its location. Aside from Sears, there are few nearby towers tall enough to compete with it. Another tower planned for this plot of land is still just a drawing, and as of this writing the space where it will go is a community park. Plans for other skyscrapers on nearby blocks are also on hold, and with no serious competitors to the south, this building dominates the landscape, marking the southern edge of the Loop skyscraper forest. While the Sears Tower is much taller, 311 South Wacker takes the same skyscraper formula and updates it. Instead of the Sears Tower’s forceful black glass squares, 311 South Wacker uses an octagonal main shaft clad in pink granite from Texas. The result is a smaller, more stylish presentation. Think of it as the cute girl next door to the big brute looking down on her. While the Sears may puff out its chest and light up its spires in festive colors, 311 South Wacker shows him up through simple elegance – a 70-foot-tall, 65-foot-wide barrel lit up in white at night, and surrounded by four smaller and nearly identical forms – like a central diamond surrounded by accent diamonds in an engagement ring.