/ / / /

Trump Chicago Gets Hit with Lightning But Don't Worry, It's Safe

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 401 N. Wabash Ave. [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60611
June 25, 2010 at 2:00 PM | by | Comments (0)

We were pretty excited to see the Trump Chicago International Hotel and Tower light its spire the other night. But we had no idea how amazing the sight would be when a bolt of lightning hit the 227-foot-tall spire.

A Chicago Tribune photographer snapped this great picture, which captures both the Willis Tower and the Trump spire getting struck at the same time. According to the Trib’s Cityscapes blog, the photographer perched himself on the John Hancock skydeck to snag this pic.

Chicago was hit with tornado warnings on June 23, which put some area hospitals and other places in lockdown. According to Trump officials, there weren’t any blackouts or disruptions in the building. The building's spire is grounded so that if it does get struck the energy is safely discharged into the earth.

The three outdoor terraces of the building have smaller lightning rods fixed every 4 feet along each of the terrace railings that do the same thing. The building was designed anticipating such events like lightning strikes given the height and massive size of the building and spire, officials said.

Tornado warnings are hella scary, but this photo shows a beautiful side to the storm. We’re thinking the Trump Chicago should plaster it all over its marketing materials.

[Photo: Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune]

Hotels mentioned in this story

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

Join the conversation!

Not a member? .
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices