Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Taking a trip to the Sears Tower Skydeck will now be even more of a vertigo-inducing experience. The media is getting a preview today.

The new Sears Tower Ledge was unveiled on Wednesday. It will open to the public on Thursday.

The Ledge is a set of clear glass walkways that extend out 4.3 feet from the Skydeck windows. Its four enclosures look down 1,353 feet over Wacker Drive and the Chicago River's South Branch.

CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports that if you ever wished you could float through the clouds, the Ledge at the Sears Tower may be the closet you'll get.

For the first visitors Wednesday, this was the stuff dreams are made of: peering down through a glass floor at the world 1,353 feet below.

 

 VIDEO: Check Out The View From Ed Curran's iPhone

"This side was elected because it's straight down, other parts of the building you have sub roofs with the different roof lines," said Sears Tower Skydeck General Manager Randy Stancik.

On the west side of the tower, the Ledge is actually a series of three glass enclosed boxes that peak out just four feet from the building itself.

The glass is three layers thick, and each layer is a half-inch thick. The balconies can hold about five tons.

"Three layers of glass are bonded together so that it's more substantial," said Ross Wimer, Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. "It's actually super clear glass that's laminated with two plastic layers."

Sears Tower officials said the inspiration for the balconies came from the hundreds of forehead prints visitors left behind on Skydeck windows every week. 

"People got right up to the windows and they're trying to get that view straight down," Stancik said. "They are trying to get that challenging view down because you can get out but you couldn't get that vertigo shot straight down."

"This whole glass box is suspended from above and there's a structural steel frame and all these glass panels are hung from it," Wimer said. "The frame itself can be retracted into the building, so the whole box can be retracted into the building."

The box can be moved on giant conveyor belts into and out of the building for cleaning. It's strong enough, they say, to hold three midsize cars.

The Niro family from New Jersey was there Wednesday to experience the lofty attraction.

When asked if he was apprehensive, Patrick Niro said, "No, not at all. I'm not afraid of heights."

But stepping onto the glass floor, even the more timid Niros' enjoyed having their heads and feet in the clouds.

"I was really nervous at first, but once I got up here, it was nice," Kristy Niro said.

Other similar attractions are found at a variety of national landmarks. The Grand Canyon Skywalk protrudes over a 3,600-foot drop with a glass floor, and the CN Tower in Toronto has a glass floor on part of its observation deck. Closer to home, the House on the Rock attraction in Wisconsin has a glass floor in its Infinity Room, which protrudes 218 feet out into an adjoining river valley.

In addition to the new attraction, the Sears Tower will soon be changing its name. In March, the London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Ltd. that it would be moving in, and the skyscraper will be renamed Willis Tower in the summer.

Building officials also recently announced a $350 million green renovation.
 
And now on a clear day, you can do more than see forever. You can check out if your ride's waiting 103 floors below.

If you want to check out the Ledge for yourself, it's included in the admission price to the Sears Tower Skydeck. It's $15 for adults, and $11 for children age 11 and under.

CBS 2's Vince Gerasole contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Editor's Picks

• Real Or Fake?
• Celebs Who Lean To The Right
• Top 10 Smartest And Dumbest Dog Breeds
• World's Most Useless Facts