WATCH: Chicago’s Willis Tower SkyDeck cracks under visitors’ feet

Chicago, Illinois, USA - 2019: The view from the Willis Tower, a 110-story 1,450-foot (442.1 m) skyscraper in the downtown district.

Visitors to Chicago’s 100-storey-high Willis Tower SkyDeck have had the fright of their lives after the attraction’s protective layer “splintered into thousands of pieces”, according to reports.

The Willis Tower told CBS Chicago after the event on Monday local time that no one was in any danger, as the layer – which covers and protects the SkyDeck’s 680 kilogram glass panels– did what was intended.

Jesus Pintado, a Chicago-area resident, was there when the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere’s SkyDeck Ledge protective layer splintered, and he managed to capture it on video.

“There was a woman with two kids and they looked really pale and scared because the floor just cracked,” Pintado told CBS Chicago

Following the incident, the ledge is already back up and running, with Willis Tower advertising yoga on the SkyDeck for next week.

The SkyDeck Ledge attracts more than 1.7 million visitors each year.

According to Willis Tower’s company website, the SkyDeck Ledge’s glass box – installed by MTH Industries, the Chicago-based 120-year-old glass and architectural metal contractor that installed the Cloud Gate in Millennium Park – extends more than four feet from the SkyDeck on the 103rd floor of the building.

The Willis Tower is one of the tallest buildings in the Western Hemisphere at 1,450 feet and 110-storeys high, and is home to more than 100 companies including prominent law, insurance, transportation and financial services.

The tower has also implemented several green strategies, including the installation of a mock-up of the world’s tallest “green roof” on its 90th floor roof, in order to test its ability to absorb storm water and reduce urban heat island effect.

Latest News

  • News

Collette special offers across peak northern summer season

Global tour operator Collette has announced a series of special offers on selected dates across a range of tours in the peak northern hemisphere 2024 summer season. Greece The offers include ‘Greece & Its Islands’ features classics such as the Parthenon as well as the picturesque islands of Mykonos and Santorini. A saving of $700 […]

  • Aviation
  • News

Air India and All Nippon codeshare between the two countries

Air India and All Nippon Airways have signed a codeshare agreement connecting their networks. The new commercial partnership will provide more travel opportunities for customers of both India’s leading global airline and the largest Japan’s largest carrier. Effective from 23rd May, the Air India and All Nippon Airways agreement will see passengers fly to their […]

  • News

A&K offers minimum 18 weeks paid parental leave

A&K Travel Group will now provide a minimum of 18 weeks paid parental leave for both care-givers, setting a new standard for the travel industry. By providing 18 weeks of paid time off for all new parents, regardless of gender, A&K Travel Group is not only enabling parents to spend valuable time with their newborns […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]