Proposed Philly Mega-Skyscraper Rivals US' Best

Philadelphia took a step toward entering America's mega-skyscraper club today, the Daily News reports, with a city councilman introducing zoning legislation for a building that, at 1,500 feet, would eclipse Chicago's Sears Tower. Plenty of bureaucratic hurdles remain for the proposed American Commerce Center, including retooling the city's planning commission.

"This could be a wonderful opportunity … for what could be one of the most incredible buildings built not just in Philadelphia but anywhere in the country," Mayor Michael Nutter said. Though the building would beat the Sears Tower by some 50 feet, a 2,000-foot skyscraper is under construction in Chicago, and a 1,776-foot structure has been proposed for the World Trade Center site in New York, Wikipedia notes.