CHICAGO METRO HISTORY FAIR 2012 SUMMARY STATEMENT FORM

Please TYPE on sheet or use word processing ALL PROJECTS: Attach an annotated bibliography. Please divide primary and secondary sources from each other. Two copies of SSF & Annotated Bibliography are required for competitions. .

Title: The Sears Tower: A Sky High Revolution Student name(s) Benjamin Cooper Project Category: Group Individual and

Exhibit
rd

Performance

Website

Check if applicable (and respond to the 3 question): This project uses the 2012 National History Day theme, Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History

1. THESIS STATEMENT
Present the projects argument or interpretation in two sentences. If you are using the NHD theme, you might want to make it evident in your thesis statement.

This website will explore the revolution and reaction wrought by the Sears Tower and show how the revolution has endured in spite of challenges over time.

2. SUMMARY OF PROJECT
Briefly explain your project and its conclusion. Include: How and why did change happen and what was the impact? Why is it historically significant? What historical meaning or importance can we learn from your findings?

In 1969, Sears, which had several offices in the Chicagoland area, needed to consolidate their campuses. It would have cost them a considerable amount of money to make their building flat as they would have had to buy a lot more land. Moreover, this would have been impossible to build in downtown Chicago as downtown is only an eight-block area. Therefore, Sears decided on a single vertical campus in the Sears Tower. The impact of the Sears Tower was huge. First, the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world for 25 years and was considered a revolution by architects who looked to it for inspiration. Secondly, other countries got competitive and wanted to make their own tallest skyscrapers which sparked a chain of innovation throughout the world. Then, it had a revolutionary design that was imitated by several skyscrapers, including the Burj Khalifa of Dubai, currently the tallest building in the world. The bundled tube design of the Sears Tower allows for each tube to support one another making it very strong. The building of the Sears Tower is a very important event historically. It marked the movement of the world skyscraper capital from New York to Chicago and it took the skyscraper to new heights

3. Required for projects using the National History Day theme only.
Explain how this project integrates the NHD theme Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History into its argument.

My project focuses on the revolution of the Sears Tower and the reaction during and after construction. It shows that the Sears Tower was a revolution through its design, dimensions, materials, construction, business strategy and urban planning. Peoples reactions to this revolution ranged from awe and anger, compliments to complaints.

4. PROCESS A. What historical question did you start off withand how did it change Why did Sears want to have the tallest building in the world? This was my first question. I couldnt see a practical purpose in it. However, as I went into the project, I uncovered the answer to this. Eventually, my question evolved: how did the Great Fire of 1871 affect the construction of skyscrapers including the Sears Tower? Finally I wanted to find out: how was the Sears Tower important in the history of architecture?

B. Select one piece of evidence that you used and explain how it influenced your argument. I used a piece from the Chicago Tribune called Sears Tower: New Heights of Design Will Blend Advanced Concepts. This gave support to my thesis that the Sears Tower was revolutionary in its design, dimensions, materials, construction, business strategy and urban planning. I realized how novel this building was at that time as it is now and how it enhanced Chicagos skyline.

C. List libraries (other than school), museums, and other institutions that you visited to do your research.

1. Schaumburg Township District Library