Hancock Building Observatory Reviews (Chicago, Illinois)

High in the Sky

Stephenville, Texas

February 20, 2013

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The John Hancock Observatory is one of those places that should be on your must do when you come to Chicago. Used to the Sears Tower which has been renamed the Wills Tower was the must do sigh, but now it’s the JHO and I agree. The JHO has the ...Read more

From journal Blown away by the Windy City

Too High

by artslover

Calgary, Alberta

June 12, 2009

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I hate heights. So why did I decide to go up the Hancock Observatory?Maybe it was because getting up high is the best way to see all the skycrapers of Chicago instead of from the canyon formed on ground level. Maybe it was because it was just too ...Read more

From journal Four Days of Chicago Delights

Not worth going up-head to the Signature Lounge instead

by aa02451

St Louis, Missouri

February 4, 2009

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If you are willing to pay $15 for adults and $9 for kids to go up, have a wonderful time. I personally would recommend visiting the Signature Lounge (located two floors higher than the observatory!). You can bring the kids and purchase a soda ($6) ...Read more

The John Hancock Observatory

by GB from Devizes

Devizes, United Kingdom

June 14, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo I never made the time to see this black monolithic structure close up last October, so this would be one of my priorities this time around. The building is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile at 875 N. Michigan Ave, surrounded by such ...Read more I never made the time to see this black monolithic structure close up last October, so this would be one of my priorities this time around. The building is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile at 875 N. Michigan Ave, surrounded by such sights as the Water Tower and Mall and it’s close neighbour, the intricately designed and swanky 900 N. Michigan Ave which at 871 feet is the city’s seventh tallest building.

The entrance to the lifts that whisk you to the observation platform is found below street level at the rear of a selection of stores selling souvenirs, t-shirts, jewellery, and suchlike. Noticeable straight away is how much quieter it is than the queue for the Sears Skydeck – there were no more than a dozen in the queue and no security checks. We paid our $9.95 and within 30 seconds, were hurtling up to the 94th floor.

The observation platform has recently undergone a major refurbishment and now features multi-lingual "soundscopes", a history wall detailing the city’s rise from small town to metropolis, and the "windows on Chicago" screens that let you explore some of the city’s other major sights at the push of a button.

The view here is staggering and for my money, better than the Sears for the John Hancock Building is more centrally located within its retinue of lesser skyscrapers and affords wonderful views of Navy Pier and Ohio St beach, the Magnificent Mile, Lake Michigan, and so much more.

This iconic building was completed in 1969 and, although pushed to third tallest in the city by the Sears Tower and the Aon Centre (by just 9 feet), is still nevertheless, one of the tallest buildings on the planet. It was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and eventually topped out at 1127 feet, not including the huge antennae mounted on its roof. With its massive, external diagonal braces, it appears almost alien in design with a brooding presence for, unlike the Sears which sends just two of its nine "tubes" to its summit, the John Hancock maintains its massive girth all the way to its roof, other than a slight tapering effect that makes the top floors slightly narrower than those below.

We stayed here for maybe an hour, using the 360- degree panoramic views as a showcase for the city on this warm and clear day. It was easy to see jets landing at O’Hare and Midway airports, to see cargo ships far out on the lake that ordinarily would be way below our horizon, and of course, the frenetic activity down on the Mag Mile although we could hear nothing of the car horns and traffic from our lofty perch. It’s quite surreal really and an experience that you could easily enjoy for hours, spotting various landmarks, buildings, streets, and Expressways from this city in the sky.

Opening hours are 9am – 11pm www.hancockobservatory.com. Tel. (312)-751-3681. Close

From journal The Second City Revisited - Chicago in the Spring

Hancock Observatory

by callen60

Ozarks, Missouri

January 21, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo The Hancock Center was once Chicago’s tallest building and the world’s second tallest. Not for long—within five years it was locally eclipsed by the Aon Center (which entered life as the Standard Oil Building) and then the Sears Tower. Still, at ...Read more The Hancock Center was once Chicago’s tallest building and the world’s second tallest. Not for long—within five years it was locally eclipsed by the Aon Center (which entered life as the Standard Oil Building) and then the Sears Tower. Still, at 1,127’ and a round 100 stories, ‘Big John’ still makes a grand end to the Magnificent Mile.

And if you want to look out over the city, what’s a few hundred feet? Its Observatory may be 323' below its competition, the Sears Tower SkyDeck, but it sits closer to the lakefront, amid the city’s commercial district (while Sears is on the far west side of the Loop). And the Hancock is open until 11pm, allowing for a late, late night look (the Sears closes at 8pm Oct-April).

We gazed upward at the Hancock during our walk up Michigan Avenue, admiring its black exterior, a great example of graceful form following function. The building’s X-braces, the iconic series of exterior diagonal crosses, are part of the ingenious design of skyscraper architectural engineer par excellence Dr. Fazlur Khan (also responsible for the Sears Tower). These transfer a large part of the building’s load to the exterior, freeing up more interior space.

None of that was on our minds as we wound our way north, sprinting between awnings to avoid as much water and wind as we could. After a detour on the warm, indoor escalators of Water Tower Place, we crossed the street into the Hancock’s sunken plaza and the west entrance that leads to the Observatory’s ticketing area.

After paying ($10.50 adults, $7.25 kids), we had a brief wait amidst wall-sized blueprints. The 20mph elevators then took us from basement to 94th floor (or 95th floor restaurant) in 40 seconds.

Last view of the city
You exit facing the lake, and can walk completely around the 94th floor, which is all windows, floor to ceiling. The one exception is the skywalk along the south side, where you step outdoors on to a very securely screened-in patio, good for an extra dose of adrenalin if you, like me, suffer from agoraphobia.

Below and to the left were Navy Pier’s lights and ferris wheel; to the right stretched the Lake Michigan shoreline. The ladies who staffed the observatory were already bemoaning the limited visibility from the night’s clouds ("If you’d been here at 7, you could see 80 miles"). The increasing fogginess added additional difficulty to picking out landmarks, but we had fun circling the floor and enjoying the clouds and moisture that gradually reduced our view to zero.

In addition to the view, the Observatory features a small but decent history of Chicago on three or four large panels, a series of interactive video displays, and (of course) dollar bill-operated telescopes. Along the north side, a little booth lets you photographically record your career as a simulated window-washer, and a small gift shop will take your money if you just have to have a souvenir. Close

From journal Wintry Mix: First Time in the Second City

John Hancock Building

by teebee29

San Antonio, Texas

February 24, 2006

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This is the place to get the best view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Go at sunset, and watch night fall over the midwest... from the 94th floor.

From journal Winter Weekend in Chicago

John Hancock Tower

by c_rau

Denver

September 10, 2005

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I like the Hancock observation deck a little better than the Sears Tower simply because it's closer to the water and you have fantastic views of the beaches and marinas up and down the Lake Michigan (it's all about the water). The cost is $9.75, ...Read more

From journal Weekend in Chicago

John Hancock Tower

by melissa_bel

Hautrage, Belgium

August 2, 2004

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The John Hancock Center Tower is maybe not Chicago's most beautiful building but is one of the most recognizable. After the Sears Tower, and the Aeon Building, the Hancock is the third tallest building in Chicago and in the US. While the Sears Tower ...Read more

From journal Chicago-My Kind of Town

John Hancock Tower

by legokid50

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

July 27, 2004

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Seeing the John Hancock Tower was great. Once you get there, you ride up a very fast elevator to get the observatory. From the observatory, you can see the whole city. They also have tons of displays with historical information.

From journal Trip to Chicago

John Hancock Center Observatory

by billmoy

Chicago, Illinois

March 17, 2003

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Best of IgoUgo While the Hancock Observatory is not the tallest one in Chicago (the Sears Tower owns that title), it is usually regarded as the one offering the best high-rise views of Chicago. This is because of its proximity to Lake Michigan and the landmarks of ...Read more

From journal Bill at home in CHICAGO - Activities

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