Ever since I saw the movie Poltergeist III (1988), I have at some point in my life wanted to visit…read morethe site it was shot on. In December 2025 I finally had a chance to visit Chicago and see the building.
875 North Michigan Avenue is on Chicago's Magnificent Mile (Mag Mile), which holds an impressive array of skyscrapers, historic buildings, and shops. Known until 2018 and still commonly referred to as the John Hancock Center, this skyscraper boasts 100 floors, with businesses on the lower half and apartments on the upper. It is 1,128 foot high - 1,500 feet when including its two antennas.
The site of the building was originally a parking lot, and its owner hired an architect firm to design two towers on the site. However, the vision was changed to a single skyscraper thanks to architect Bruce Graham. Engineer Fazlur Khan, originally from Bangladesh, came up with the building's trapezoidal shape and the distinctive pattern of X braces. These eliminated the need for large internal columns and helped it withstand the strong winds coming off Lake Michigan.
When the skyscraper was completed in 1968, it was the second-tallest building in the world after New York's Empire State Building. This illustrious building changed Chicago's skyline forever. The original name referred to its tenant, the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company. The building was constructed for multi-purpose use, and it became a home to offices, restaurants and around 700 apartments.
The 44th floor sky lobby is the floor where the building transitions from offices to residential. It has a resident swimming pool, USA's highest indoor swimming pool. The sky lobby also has its own grocery store, accessible only to apartment residents and office tenants.
Guests can enter the building through North Michigan Avenue's garden plaza. Food options are Starbucks and The Cheesecake Factory. The highlight for the visitors is the 360 CHICAGO Observation Deck on the 94th floor. North America's fastest elevator ride takes you up to the 17,000 square-foot observation deck for beautiful views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan from 1,030 feet above. I didn't purchase it, but you can also get a ticket to the TILT ride, which is an enclosed moving platform that tilts you out and over the edge of the building at a 30° angle for down-facing views.
The observation deck also includes CloudBar, where you can get yourself a drink or snack. The observation deck can be rented for dinners, receptions, weddings, birthdays, etc.
You can purchase tickets beforehand at 360chicago.com, to avoid lines. I also recommend getting the Fast Pass Entry, so you can skip the main queue and head directly to the elevator bay.
Thanks to its history, architecture, and observation deck, 875 North Michigan Avenue is a celebrated landmark and a must-see attraction for any visitor to Chicago.