16-Sep-14 – Marina City will be the last solid ground for professional daredevil Nik Wallenda before he steps off the 61st floor observation deck of its west tower and walks a tightrope south across the Chicago River.

He will do this on Sunday, November 2, at night without a harness or a net.

The Discovery Channel is calling it Wallenda’s “most audacious and challenging tightrope walk yet.”

It will be a two-part stunt. First, Wallenda will walk from the observation deck of Marina City’s west tower south across the Chicago River and Wacker Drive to the 50-story Leo Burnett Building. It will be an uphill walk, at about a 15-degree angle. (Left) Professional daredevil Nik Wallenda rides a bicycle on a tightrope stretched between two buildings in this image on his website.

The 35-year-old is the great-grandson of legendary high-wire artist Karl Wallenda. Nik was the first person to walk a tightrope directly over Niagara Falls and the first to high-wire walk across the Grand Canyon. He has a contract with The Discovery Channel for near-exclusive broadcast of his stunts.

According to The Discovery Channel, “not only will this be the highest skyscraper walk in the history of the ‘Flying Wallenda’ family, it will be the first time that he has ever attempted it at such a steep angle.”

Then, with dozens of cameras and helicopters watching, Wallenda will walk from the top of Marina City’s west tower to the top of its east tower.

(Right) This is how dark it will be at about 7 p.m. on November 2. This view looks west down the Chicago River on December 9, 2005, with Leo Burnett Building at far left and Marina City at far right.

“This is going to be the most incredible tightrope walk of my career,” Wallenda said. “I can’t think of a better city to do it. I have fond memories of spending time performing in Chicago and the Midwest with my family. Besides, it’s the ‘Windy City’ and there’s nothing like doing this during winter in Chicago. That’s a challenge for me and I love to push myself to do things that most people think are impossible.”

Skyscraper Live With Nik Wallenda will broadcast live, worldwide, on November 2 at 6 p.m. Central Time. It will be hosted by NBC News personalities Willie Geist, Natalie Morales and, from The Weather Channel, Jim Cantore.

City officials have been working with Wallenda and The Discovery Channel since April, when there was speculation that the stunt would involve the Chicago River.

“This will be one for the history books,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We are thrilled Nik Wallenda has chosen our great city with its iconic skyline as the site of the next walk.”

The show has also been working with Marina Towers Condominium Association, which broke the news to residents early Tuesday afternoon.

Sorry, Nik, Jose beat you to the east tower 39 years ago Walking a tightrope between the towers is nothing new for Marina City. It happened on November 18, 1975. Jose Martinez of Ecuador was in town to promote newly expanded facilities at Chicago Health and Tennis Club, then located at Marina City. He used a tightrope suspended about 60 feet up between the two towers and performed a variety of tricks along the way. (Left) This photo by Gene Pesek, which appeared in the Chicago Sun Times on November 19, 1975, was taken from the west tower parking ramp. It shows the tightrope anchored to the east tower at about the seventh floor.