If it had been built when it was planned, the 1,999 ft (609 m) tall Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle would have been the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion.

[1][2][3] Miglin-Beitler held hopes of reviving the project, but these were dashed by the murder of Lee Miglin, by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

It would have also been the tallest freestanding structure in the world, being 135 feet (41.1 meters) taller than the CN Tower in Toronto.

[5] The firm had believed that the observation deck planned atop the tower, as well as the twelve floors of parking at its lower levels, would produce large amounts of revenue.

A 1989 opinion poll conducted for the Chicago Sun-Times showed Chicagoans overall to have had strong enthusiasm about the proposed tower.

[5] There were a number of challenges faced by the project before the post-Gulf War economic downturned ultimately doomed it.

This included the earlier savings and loan crisis putting in place a stricter regulatory climate for banks and credit unions, which made many financial institutions wary of large real estate projects as investments.

The Petronas Towers have an obvious design reference, with the exception of having round floorplates as opposed to square ones.