John Hancock Center
Episode 28 · 2005-06-08
- Documentary
Episode overview
A steel giant standing 1,107 feet high on broad shoulders, this vertical city houses 1,200 people. Join us as we explore how a young architectural team from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill conceived of an innovative 100-story, multi-use tower. A construction crisis halted the project for six months, but once it resumed, it took just four years and 50 million man-hours to complete the John Hancock Center. In the heart of Chicago, the John Hancock Center rises 100 stories above the luxury shops and restaurants that line the famous Magnificent Mile. It opened on May 5, 1970 with 237,657 square feet of retailing, 812,160 square feet of offices, 703 rental apartments (converted to condominiums in 1974), 507-car parking garage, and an ice skating rink! There are 1,250 miles of wiring and 11,459 panes of glass. Nicknamed “Big John”, it cost $100-million and took 46,000 tons of steel to build.
44 minutes
Season 12 episodes
1. Poison2005-01-05
2. Car Tech of the Future2005-01-06
3. The Arch2005-01-12
4. More Nature's Engineers2005-01-18
5. World's Biggest Machines 32005-01-26
6. Blackbird Stealth2005-02-04
7. The Butcher2005-02-08
8. George Washington Carver Tech2005-02-15
9. Firefighting!: Extreme Conditions2005-02-15
10. Desert Tech2005-02-23
11. Sub Zero2005-02-23
12. The Great Bridge: 8 Miles of Steel2005-02-23
13. Howard Hughes Tech2005-02-28
14. Edwards Air Force Base2005-03-02
15. Taxidermy2005-03-09
16. SWAT2005-03-09
17. Deadliest Weapons2005-03-16
18. The Doomsday Clock2005-04-07
19. The Basement2005-04-26
20. Paint2005-04-27
21. Mega Movers2005-04-27
22. Punishment2005-04-28
23. Bricks2005-05-11
24. Glue2005-05-18
25. F/A-22 Raptor2005-05-20
26. Civil War Tech2005-05-25
27. Machines of D-Day2005-06-03
28. John Hancock Center2005-06-08
29. The Cape Cod Canal2005-06-15
30. Secret Japanese Aircraft of World War II2005-06-16
31. Future Tech2005-06-22
32. Edison Tech2005-06-28
33. Secrets of Soviet Space Disasters2005-07-01
34. Mountain Roads2005-07-05
35. Route 662005-07-06
36. Cowboy Tech2005-07-20
37. Sewers2005-07-27
38. Challenger Tank2005-07-29
39. World's Biggest Machines 42005-08-02
40. Dredging2005-08-03
41. Lube Job2005-08-10
42. Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft of World War II2005-08-17
43. The World's Fastest2005-08-24
44. The B-2 Stealth Bomber2005-08-26
45. High Risk: Helicopter Lineman2005-08-31
46. Wiring America2005-08-31
47. Nature Tech: Lightning2005-08-31
48. HMS Victory2005-09-02
49. Engineering an Empire: Rome2005-09-13
50. Coffee2005-09-14
51. Sugar2005-09-14
52. Cereal: History in a Bowl2005-09-14
53. F-117 Nighthawk Stealth2005-09-22
54. German Small Arms of World War II2005-09-24
55. The Auto Store2005-10-05
56. Secret Allied Aircraft of World War II2005-10-14
57. Engineering Disasters 172005-11-02
58. Brewing2005-11-16
59. The Lumberyard2005-11-30
60. Da Vinci Tech2005-12-04
61. Custom Cars2005-12-05
62. More Hardware2005-12-06
63. Weird Weapons: The Allies2005-12-17
64. More Snack Food Tech2005-12-20
65. Walt Disney World2005-12-25
66. Nature Tech: Hurricanes2005-12-29
70. Private Collections2004-12-06
