Sears Tower

12 Pages 3092 Words

rity. Sears did not know exactly what they were looking for, but they knew it had to be big for the expected growth and it had to be in Chicago, Illinois. They were residing on the Westside of Chicago at the time in a fourteen-story building that was outdated and small; they used old warehouse buildings for the extra office space they needed. They were located in what had become one of the worst ghettos in America In late 1960, Sears Chairman Gordon Metcalf decided it was time to move out of the Westside of Chicago; he was not sure of where the move would be. . (BENNET p.71) Metcalf’s board members were the people involved in finding the right real-estate brokers, architects, and engineers for Sears’ new building. By 1970, Sears Roebuck & Company still had no idea how their building would look or where it would be located. Metcalf announced “The largest retailer in the world” he said “We thought we should have the largest headquarters in the world” He was not telling the truth, because he had no idea of what the building would look like
. Environetics was the interior design firm, who had made a detailed plan for the store. Environetics began by talking to ninety-five of the Sears department heads, the firm assessed their needs and projected their growth. The conclusion that Environetics came to was Sears needed about 2 million square feet of space, and that in thirty years they would need double the space. (Pridemore p.7) Now, they knew how much space they needed the next decision to be made was the location. Sears Senior Management was in charge of where the building would go they worked hard and fast to find the right piece of property for the new building. There were several spots in mind but downtown Chicago was the main target, Sears wanted to show their loyalty by staying close to the heart of the city. Warren Skonning was Sears vice president of real estate; he was a well-liked executive and a well...