Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle
The Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle was a proposed 125-floor skyscraper intended for Chicago, Illinois, United States, by Lee Miglin and J. Paul Beitler and designed by architect César Pelli. The site of the proposed Skyneedle now is host to a parking garage. If it had been built when it was planned, the 1,999 ft (609 m) tall Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle would have been the tallest building in the world.[1]
| Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle | |
|---|---|
| |
| General information | |
| Status | Vision |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Address | 201 West Madison Street |
| Height | 609 m / 1,999 ft |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 125 +1 below ground |
| Floor area | 127,276 m² / 1,369,987 ft² |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Cesar Pelli |
The tower's plans were unveiled in 1988. The plans would falter due to the post-Gulf War market downturn.[1][2][3] Miglin-Beitler held hopes of reviving the project, but these were dashed by the murder of Lee Miglin.[3]
The firm had believed that the observation deck planned atop the tower, as well as the twelve floors of parking at its lower levels would produced large amounts of revenue.[3][2] Plans also called for the building to include a two-story health club.[2] Office space in the building would have been marketed to smaller yet prestigious firms.[1]
Across the street (Wells Street) from the site where the tower had been planned is another Pelli project previously developed by Miglin-Beitler, 181 West Madison Street, which reportedly inspired the general design of the Skyneedle. Visually the upper floors of the Skyneedle do appear to be similar to a stretched 181 W Madison.
César Pelli also designed the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The Petronas Towers have an obvious design reference, with the exception of having round floorplates as opposed to square ones.
References
- Kerch, Steve (May 11, 1997). "An Unbuilt Tower Is A Fine Legacy For Lee Miglin". Chicago Tribune.
- "Imagining the Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle as Willis' Big Brother". Curbed Chicago. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- Ori, Ryan (19 March 2018). "Five decades after Chicago's greatest skyscraper boom, city aims high again". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 3 April 2020.