In contrast to Sears and the Hancock, which are monolithic to a fault, its setbacks and notches split the building into clearly recognizable parts. The question is whether Smith can fuse them into an aesthetic whole. If he can't, the tower will resemble four medium-sized office buildings impaled on a spike. The old city that stacked wheat and butchered hogs is long gone. This is the age of e-mail, the Internet and the Web.
Communications is what it's all about.
Fair enough, but clearly the tower needs tweaking. While the rounded corners of its middle reaches are particularly appealing, recalling the streamlined shapes of art deco, the uppermost section is far too right-angled. If the building is to become a captivating presence on the skyline, its summit should be more sculptural. While the tower's top is squared-off when it ought to be round, the base, one can argue, is round when it should be square. They are like walls that shape an outdoor room, the public space of the sidewalk and the street.