View of the Willis Tower from Lake Michigan. Photo by Chris6d, Wikipedia

The Tallest buildings in the United States


 

The United States has been home to some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, since 1885 when the world’s first skyscraper, Home Insurance Building, was built 1885. It has been noted that New York City most especially in Manhattan has the tallest skyline in the country. New York and Chicago have always been the center of American skyscraper buildings. There are about nine American buildings that have held the title of the tallest building in the world.

Therefore, this article is likely to list some of the completed and topped-out buildings in the United States, since numerous supertall buildings are both proposed or still under construction throughout the country. The buildings stand at least 800 feet tall based on standard height measurements which include spires and other architectural details.

The tallest building in the United States include the following;

1. One World Trade Center

It is also known as the One World Trade or One WTC. It was previously referred to as Freedom Tower. This is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex that is located in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is the tallest building in the United States, in the Western Hemispheres and it is the seventh-tallest in the world with a height of 1,776 feet tall.

 It was designed by architect David Childs. The building was opened on November 3, 2014, after its final spire was installed in 2013. 

2. Central Park  Tower

This is a supertall residential skyscraper, situated at 225 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan. It was designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture. The building is 1,550 feet, making it the second tallest building in New York City, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere, it is also the 14th tallest building in the world. It is also considered the tallest primarily residential building in the world and the tallest building outside Asia by roof height.

It was developed by Extell Development Company and Shanghai Municipal Investment Group. Later on, in 2019, the building was topped out and was completed in July 2021.

3. Willis Tower

View of the Willis Tower from Lake Michigan. Photo by Chris6d, Wikipedia

This is a 108-story, 1450-foot skyscraper located in Chicago. It was previously known as the Sears Tower. It surpassed the World Trade Center in New York City in 1974 after its completion and became the tallest building in the world, hence held to the title for almost 25 years. It also became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere for almost 41year, after it was surpassed in 2013 by One World Trade Center.

It is currently the third tallest building in the United States and the Western Hemisphere and the 23rd tallest in the world. It is one of the most Chicago’s most popular tourist destinations since more than one million people visit its observation deck, which is the highest in the United States. It is considered a seminal achievement for engineer Fazlur Rahman.

4. 111 West 57 Street

It is also known as Steinway Tower, it is a supertall residential skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was developed by JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group. It is an 84-story, 1428-foot tower that was designed by Shop Architect and was completed in 2021.

The tower is one of the tallest buildings in the United States and also the thinnest skyscraper in the world.

5. One Vanderbilt

One Vanderbilt is a skyscraper located at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is a 93-story, with a skyscraper roof of 1301 feet high and its spire is 1,401 feet above the ground, thus the fourth tallest building in the city. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and was proposed as part of a planned Midtown East rezoning in the early 2010s by SL Green Realty.

6.432 Park Avenue

432 Park Avenue, “skinny tower” is one of the tallest residential towers in the world. By Epistola8 – Own work, Wikipedia

This is a residential skyscraper situated at 57th Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The building was the third tallest building in the United States and the tallest residential building in the world at 1,396 feet tall. Currently, it is the sixth tallest building in the United States, the fifth tallest building in New York City, and the third-tallest residential building in the world.

It was developed by CIM Group and Harry B. Mack Lowe and was designed by Rafael Vinoly.

7. Trump International Hotel and Tower

This is a skyscraper that is a condo-hotel in Chicago, Illinois. It is a 98-story-building with 1,388 feet tall including its spire and its rooftop is 1,171 feet. The building was named after Donald Trump and was designed by architect Adrian Smith, Owings, and Merrill while Bovis Lend Lease built the building.

It became the seventh-tallest building in the United State surpassing the City’s John Hancock center after the architect scaled back the building’s plan and its design underwent several revisions due to the 11 attacks that the building encountered after Trump announced that it would become the tallest building in the world in 2001.

8. 30 Hudson Yard 

This is a supertall skyscraper which is located in the west side area of Manhattan, New York City, near Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea. It is also referred to as the North Tower. It is the six-tallest building in New York City. It is part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project to redevelop the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Westside Yard.

9. Bank of America Tower

It is also referred to as 1 Bryant Park, it is located at 1111 Avenue of the Americas between 42nd and 43rd street. It is also a 55-story skyscraper with a height of 1,200 feet. The building is the eighth tallest building in New York City and the tenth tallest building in the  United State according to 2021. The building was designed by Cook Fox and Adamson Associates and developed by the Durst Organization for Bank of America.

10. Empire State Building

Empire State – NY – Aerial View, by Sam Valadi, Wikipedia

This is a 102-story skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, it is an art deco building. Until1970, the building was the world’s tallest building, which was then surpassed by the World Trade Center. As of 2020, the building is the seventh-tallest building in New York City, the ninth tallest completed skyscraper in the United States, the 49th tallest in the world, and the sixth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas,