John Hancock Center - view from the Sears Tower

John Hancock Center is located at 875 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, Illinois, in the commercial district. When completed, it was the tallest building on the world outside New York. Now, it is the third-tallest skyscraper in Chicago and the fourth-tallest in the United States. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. There are 100 floors (with the total floor area 260,126 square mertes). The top floor is in the height 328.6 metres. On the 94th floor there is an observation deck that displays exhibits about the city of Chicago.

The actual height of the building is 343.5 metres, together with the antenna it is 457.2 metres. At the top of the building there is a band of white lights visible all over Chicago and it changes its colour for different holidays.

John Hancock Centre was built in 1965 – 1969. The architect of the building became SOM company (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill); more concretely it was a structural engineer Fazlur Khan. The developer was John Hancock Insurance. It is one of the most famous buildings of the structural expressionist style; skyscraper's distinctive X-bracing exterior is actually a hint that the structure's skin is indeed part of its 'tubular system'. The interior was remodeled in 1995. There were travertine and textured limestone surfaces added to the lobby. The building has won various awards for its distinctive style, including the Distinguished Architects 25 Year Award from the American Institute of Architects in May of 1999.

John Hancock Centre isn’t owned by any big company. There are lots of offices and restaurants, as well as about 700 condominiums.

There are 50 elevators in John Hancock Centre. However, every year on the last February Sunday there is a competition in stair climbing held. The record time, from the bottom to the 94th floor observation is 9 minutes 39 seconds.