The loop in Chicago was the main point of interest for the building; for years, the loop had been changing from a factory center to a financial center for office buildings. Many zoning restrictions had been changed in the loop; the Mayor of Chicago, Richard Dailey, had also lifted height restrictions on the buildings. (Pridemore p.7) Office buildings were being built rapidly in downtown Chicago. Skonny had many different locations in mind but Metcalf did not care for any of them. Skonny agreed to make one more offer in mid 1968, this offer came from James Peters, a New Yorker with Cushman & Wakefield, one of the largest real estate brokers in the country. Peters had recently discussed the Sears project with his friend Al Taubman who was a major shopping center developer; Skonny and Taubman had worked together for years. Taubman had told Peters what Sears was looking for; Peters had sellers who had lots on the Eastside of South Wacker Drive; that just might work for the Sears project. Peters flew to Chicago; Skonning was interested in the lots, but Sears would need more land Skoning explained that Sears needed at least a full city block. (p.11) Peters told his sellers that if they sold the remainder of their lots; which were located on Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard that their investment would quickly pay off. It was a deal; Sears now owned a full city block. Except for a small city street that ran through the middle of the property, the three-acre site went for a reported eleven million dollars.
The next step was planning, pricing, and figuring out the right architect for the job of building the Sears building. Anthony Peters a Cushman & Wakefield consultant and James Peter's brother quickly involved himself in finding the right people for the job and at an economical price. Anthony Peters had proposal from five different firms; by the end of 1969, his recommendation was for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
