Towering Ambition

The Chicago Spire aims to be the tallest skyscraper in North America. But will it get built? The twisting tale so far

By Jay Pridmore

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From left: The architect, Santiago Calatrava; the original developer, Christopher Carley; the new developer, Garrett Kelleher

True to its profile, the Chicago Spire was conceived in a spirit of soaring optimism. In the spring of 2002, Christopher T. Carley, a local real-estate developer, learned that the architect Santiago Calatrava would be in Chicago for a lecture at the Art Institute. When Carley arrived, he sidled up to the front where Calatrava stood waiting for the event to begin. Carley introduced himself. Calatrava was gracious, then said he needed to give his lecture. The businessman sat down and plotted his next move.

As one of Chicago's most successful condominium builders, Chris Carley, the CEO of Fordham Development, has a strong head for numbers. But there's evidence that he has something else: a weakness for good architecture. As Calatrava spoke, Carley reveled in the architect's slide show—images of bridges that seemed weightless and buildings that appeared poised to move like living things. When Calatrava said good night to the audience, Carley jumped up and raced across Michigan Avenue to the BorgWarner building, where the reception for the architect was being held at the Cliff Dwellers Club.

Carley waited in the lobby for Calatrava to arrive, and when he did, he reintroduced himself. The express elevator came, and they got on. That's when Carley told the Spaniard, his captive audience for the ride to the 22nd floor, that he built luxury condominiums and that he was a big fan of the architect's work—not just the beauty of his structures but also the genius of the engineering that holds them up. Then he got to the point: Carley wanted Calatrava to design a marquee tower, something truly dazzling, for Chicago.

At the end of the line, just before Calatrava's handlers ushered him in to the reception, the architect took out a pad and scribbled down his phone numbers in Zurich, where he has his office, and in New York City, where he has an apartment. On another sheet, he drew a bird, signed it, and gave it to Carley. It was a brilliant way to end the conversation (Calatrava loves to give impromptu drawings away) and a lyrical beginning to what might become the tallest building in North America.

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Photo Illustration: Courtesy of Shelbourne Development/Santiago Calatrava; Photography: (Calatrava) AP photo/Gisela Svedberg, (Carley) Chicago Tribune/Bonnie Trafelet, (Kelleher) Chicago Tribune/Nancy Stonese, a 54-story structure in Malmö, Sweden, called Turning Torso (2005), is a twisting precursor to the Chicago Spire.