Chicago Spire – the World’s Tallest Penthouse Suites

We won’t say what it looks like from a distance, but you’ve got to admire the chutzpa of reputable architect Santiago Calatrava for designing a luxury residence tower, Chicago Spire, along Lake Michigan for the “Windy City,” a 150-story, er, screw.

Don’t get us wrong, the Valencia, Spain native’s plan for 1,200 luxury residences targets elite bank accounts, like Ty Warner’s (the Beanie Baby man), who purchased a reported $40 Million penthouse at the Spire’s summit for an unprecedented view that is still a figment of engineers’ imaginations. In fact, the faith in the building’s emergence is realized by the fact that over 50 percent of the units have already been sold, though construction is not expected to complete until 2012.

Bad news is developer Shelborne Development Group currently owes Mr. Calatrava and various others millions for initial design work, and construction has been halted while project leads continue talks with the AFL-CIO unions to shore up additional funding. Find them here.