Willis Tower, Hancock Center Architect Dies
By Lindsey Miller in News on Mar 9, 2010 8:00PM
Bruce Graham, the architect who designed two of Chicago's tallest and most iconic buildings, died this weekend at his home in Hobe Sound, Fla. He was 84 and died due to complications from Alzheimer's disease, according to Crain's. Graham designed the Willis Tower - formerly known as the Sears Tower - which was the world's tallest building from its opening in 1974 until 1996. At 1,451 feet, it's still the tallest building in the U.S. He also designed the 100-story John Hancock Center, which opened in 1970. He helped design the green-glass high-rise Inland Steel Building, located at 30. W. Monroe, in the 1950s. Graham, originally from Bogota, Colombia, was a senior architect at the famous firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, from 1951 to 1989.