When completed in 1973, the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, had overtaken the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City as the world's tallest building. It is normally said to have 110 stories but by some measures has 108. The height of the roof is 1,450 feet (442 m) measured from the main entrance, or 1,454 feet (443 m) measured from the side entrance. The total height of the structure including the two television antennas on top was 1,707 feet (520 m), until these were later extended to 1,729 feet (527 m) to outstrip the WTC antenna. At 452 m (1,483 feet) tall, including decorative spires, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, laid claim to replace the Sears Tower as the tallest building in the world in 1997. In the ensuing controversy four different categories were created with the Petronas Twin Towers only taking one of these, however, the re-definition has done little to help. With the arrival of another rule bender, the Taipei 101 in the Taiwanese capital city, Taipei, the Petronas Twin Towers were surpassed in spire height, and for the first time the Sears was surpassed in roof height, but the Sears Tower antenna is still taller than the Taipei 101 spire. The Sears Tower is the tallest office building in the U.S.A. (although the Freedom Tower (plans to be built on the northwest part of the WTC site) in New York City plans to exceed the Sears Tower's structural, but not occupied, height by 2008) and it retains the world record when measuring the height from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the top of the antenna. It was unseated for having the highest roof of any building in the world and the highest habitable floor in the world by Taipei 101.

• The Sears Tower.