Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers
A proposed pair of 2,000-foot mixed-use skyscrapers that formed the planned second phase of the Old Chicago Main Post Office redevelopment.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers was the name used for a proposed pair of supertall mixed-use skyscrapers in Chicago's Loop, conceived as part of a larger redevelopment of the city's former Main Post Office. The proposal called for two 120-story towers reaching approximately 2,000 feet, or 610 meters, a height that would have placed the project among the most ambitious skyscraper schemes ever proposed in the United States. Had the towers been completed as planned, they would have exceeded the height of existing American buildings and matched the scale of the previously proposed, ultimately cancelled Chicago Spire. The project was advanced by British real-estate developer Bill Davies through his company, International Property Developers. Davies acquired Chicago's Old Main Post Office in 2009 for $24 million and purchased an adjacent property in March 2011 for $14 million. On July 21, 2011, he publicly announced a redevelopment vision that included the Twin Towers. The towers were intended to be the second of three phases in the broader Old Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment project, rather than a standalone construction effort. Joseph Antunovich was identified as the architect. The proposed buildings were planned as mixed-use properties, combining commercial, hotel, and residential facilities. Their exceptional height would also have allowed revenue-generating communications antennas. The proposal reflected a period in which large-scale developers sought to reposition underused or obsolete urban properties through high-density, vertically integrated projects. The project received approval on July 18, 2013. Approval did not lead to construction, however. The scale and location of the proposal generated concerns, including its proximity to the existing Sears Tower, now known as Willis Tower. Critics cited possible interactions between the towers' communications infrastructure and residential areas in the proposed buildings, as well as claims that air movement around the structures could create hazardous or disruptive conditions. These concerns were reported alongside broader questions about the feasibility of constructing a 2,000-foot complex during a difficult post-recession real-estate environment. In October 2014, Davies's redevelopment joint venture with Sterling Bay was dissolved. Two months later, Davies cancelled the Twin Towers proposal and placed the former post-office property on the market. The towers therefore remained an approved but unbuilt development concept. They generated attention primarily as an architectural and urban-development proposal, not as an operating consumer brand, completed building, or continuing commercial enterprise.
History
The Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers emerged from redevelopment plans for Chicago's former Main Post Office, a large historic property in the Loop. The proposal was assembled during a period when obsolete urban buildings and underused downtown sites were being reconsidered for large mixed-use projects. The development concept sought to combine the adaptive reuse or redevelopment of the post-office property with new high-rise construction. British real-estate developer Bill Davies acquired the Old Main Post Office in 2009 for $24 million. In March 2011, he acquired an adjacent property for $14 million, expanding the land base available for his redevelopment vision. Davies's company, International Property Developers, filed plans for the project. On July 21, 2011, he announced the proposed Twin Towers as part of the wider Old Chicago Main Post Office Redevelopment scheme. The proposed towers were designed as 120-story buildings with an intended height of about 2,000 feet, or 610 meters. They were planned as the second of three phases in the overall project. Joseph Antunovich was named as the architect. The towers were to include commercial, hotel, and residential uses, while communications antennas at the top were expected to create an additional revenue stream. The concept was therefore both an architectural landmark proposal and a conventional mixed-use real-estate development intended to generate income from several property categories. The proposal drew comparisons with the Chicago Spire, another planned Chicago supertall whose development had stalled after construction began in 2007. The Twin Towers' proposed height would have been comparable to the cancelled Spire and would have made the pair the tallest buildings in the United States if completed. The project was approved on July 18, 2013, but approval did not resolve its technical, financial, and market challenges. Critics focused in part on the proposed towers' relationship to the existing Sears Tower, now Willis Tower. Reported concerns included the possible effect of communications antennas on residential areas in the new buildings and claims that air circulation between the structures could produce a vacuum or other problematic wind conditions. These objections added to the uncertainty surrounding a project whose scale would have required substantial engineering, financing, and market support. The development framework deteriorated in 2014. In October, Davies's joint venture with Sterling Bay was dissolved. In December, Davies cancelled the Twin Towers project and placed the former post-office building on the market. No part of the proposed towers was constructed, and the project subsequently became an example of an ambitious but unrealized Chicago supertall scheme.
- 2014
Sterling Bay joint venture dissolved
[1]The redevelopment partnership between Davies and Sterling Bay ended in October.
- 2014
Project cancelled
[1]Davies cancelled the Twin Towers proposal in December and offered the post-office property for sale.
- 2013
Project approved
[1]The proposed Twin Towers redevelopment received approval on July 18.
- 2011
Adjacent property acquired
[1]Davies purchased an adjacent property in March, expanding the site associated with his redevelopment plans.
- 2011
Twin Towers proposal announced
[1]International Property Developers announced plans for two 120-story towers reaching approximately 2,000 feet.
- 2009
Davies acquires the Old Main Post Office
[1]British developer Bill Davies purchased Chicago's former Main Post Office for $24 million, establishing the property base for the later redevelopment proposal.
Products and positioning
An exceptionally high-density, mixed-use redevelopment proposal intended to transform Chicago's former Main Post Office site and establish a new American supertall landmark.
Proposed mixed-use skyscraper complex · 2011
Old Chicago Main Post Office Twin Towers
A planned pair of 120-story towers intended to rise approximately 2,000 feet above Chicago. The complex was designed to combine commercial, hotel, and residential uses and to accommodate communications antennas. It formed the second phase of a larger redevelopment vision for the former Main Post Office site but was never built.
Brand decisions
2014
Cancel the Twin Towers projectOtherBackground
The redevelopment joint venture with Sterling Bay was dissolved in October, leaving the wider project without its reported partnership structure.
Action taken
Davies cancelled the Twin Towers proposal in December and put the former post-office property up for sale.
Aftermath
The approved towers remained unbuilt and the proposal became a discontinued Chicago supertall development.
2011
Position the post-office site as a supertall mixed-use developmentStrategyBackground
After acquiring the former Main Post Office and an adjacent property, Bill Davies and International Property Developers sought to redevelop the site through a multi-phase project.
Action taken
The developer announced a second-phase plan for two 120-story towers incorporating commercial, hotel, residential, and communications uses.
Aftermath
The proposal was approved in 2013 but did not advance to construction.
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