(Left) Four of 61 blueprints for the construction of the 426-foot broadcast tower that topped Marina City’s west tower from 1964 to 1978. At bottom, detail of the broadcast tower from one of the plans. Dates on one blueprint range from December 2, 1963, to May 1, 1964. (Click on images to view larger versions.)
WBKB (now WLS-TV) made the announcement on October 16, 1962, that it would build a tower at Marina City to improve reception in Chicago and increase the station’s range to as wide as ten miles.
Construction started on May 7, 1964, and was completed in the fall of 1964. After the 284-foot-ten-inch mast was built, the 140-foot-six-inch antenna was hoisted and attached. Rising to 1,549 feet above sea level, the tower for a time was the highest point in Chicago.
In 1974, WLS moved its transmitter to Sears Tower (now Willis Tower). The broadcast tower at Marina City was dismantled in 1978.
The plans were drawn by David Architectural Metals, Inc., which is still located at 3100 South Kilbourn Avenue in Chicago. Other projects the company has worked on include Prudential Building in 1955, Wrigley Field in 1988, and United Center in 1994.
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