Building under construction in New York could bring Willis Tower down another notch

On the day Chicago officially landed President Obama’s planned library, comes word — unofficially — that the city’s tallest building is once again set to slip in the world’s skyscraper rankings.

New York’s Nordstrom Tower, which is under construction, could be set to take over the title as America’s tallest building — beating out the current titleholder, the Big Apple’s One World Trader Center and knocking Willis Tower down to third.

New diagrams of Nordstrom Tower show its planned spire will reach to 1,795 feet, three feet higher than the beacon atop the One World Trade Center, according to the website newyorkyimby.com

However, the Chicago-based organization that makes these things official, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, said on its website Tuesday that it’s too early to say how tall Nordstrom Tower will ultimately be.

“CTBUH has not received any official drawings for the tower, and therefore has not ratified any definitive rulings on this height change,” according to the organization’s website.

The Chicago-based firm designing Nordstrom Tower, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, had no comment Tuesday.

In November 2013, in a highly anticipated ruling, CTBUH declared One World Trade Center to be America’s tallest building. The organization, irritating many in Chicago, said the New York building’s “needle,” unlike the Willis Tower’s antennae, is a permanent architectural feature that should be included in calculating the building’s height.

Willis Tower could be knocked down yet another notch. | Sun-Times File Photo