St. Regis Chicago
The world's tallest building designed by a woman rises 1,198 ft from the Lakeshore East shoreline — and it moves with the wind on purpose.
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Jeanne Gang's 101-story tower breaks the rules of skyscraper construction: its perimeter columns step inward and outward rather than running straight, and entire uninhabited floors are left open to let wind blow through rather than push back. Chicago's third-tallest building is also an engineering experiment you can read from the sidewalk.
What to look for
- Three interconnected masses of different heights — the tower is not a single monolithic form but a trio of volumes that shift as you walk around it
- Perimeter columns that visibly step in and out along the facade, unlike the flush columns on almost every other skyscraper
- Blow-through floors — bands of open, uninhabited levels built specifically to reduce wind-induced sway
The hotel lobby (first 10 floors, opened 2023) is accessible to visitors; approach from Lakeshore East plaza for the clearest view of all three massing shifts.
St. Regis Chicago is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.