New windows sharpen views at Chicago's 360 deck
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Glass installers outside the 95th floor of 875 N. Michigan Ave. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
The view at the top of 875 N. Michigan Ave. just got a little clearer.
Why it matters: 360 CHICAGO is adding two more floors to the current observation deck on the 94th floor in the building most Chicagoans know as the Hancock.
- When the two-floor viewing area and events space on the 95th and 96th floors are complete, it will create Chicago's first multi-story observation deck.
Driving the news: 360 CHICAGO and Christopher Glass & Aluminum invited reporters to watch the removal of some 95th-floor windows that were original to the building's 1969 construction and replaced them with newer, more energy-efficient glass.
Zoom in: The new windows are insulated to keep heat out in the summer and cold in the winter, and offer a clearer view by replacing the older windows' dark tint.
State of play: The replacement process required two workers on an exterior platform and three installers inside to remove the glass, clear the old tape from the frame, and set the new window.
- Each new window measured 5 by 8 feet and weighed 350 lbs.
- Christopher Glass & Aluminum removed 209 panes on the 95th floor and installed 201 new panels.
Flashback: The Signature Room restaurant used to occupy the 95th floor, but it closed in 2023, making room for 360 CHICAGO's expansion.
What's next: The new observation deck is on schedule to open mid-2027, 360 Chicago's Nichole Benolken said.
- In addition to Cloud Bar on the 94th floor, Benolken says a new bar will open on the 95th.