List of early skyscrapers

Last updated

This list of early skyscrapers details a range of tall, commercial buildings built between 1880 and the 1930s, predominantly in the United States cities of New York and Chicago, but also across the rest of the U.S. and in many other parts of the world.

Contents

The first skyscrapers (1880–1899)

United States

New York's "Newspaper Row", showing the first skyscrapers built in the late 19th century: (l to r) World Building, Tribune Building, 150 Nassau Street, and the Times Building. Also visible (left) is City Hall. Newspaper Row, 1906.JPG
New York's "Newspaper Row", showing the first skyscrapers built in the late 19th century: (l to r) World Building, Tribune Building, 150 Nassau Street, and the Times Building. Also visible (left) is City Hall.

California

Georgia

Illinois

Iowa

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri


New York

New York City
Rochester
Buffalo
Albany

Pennsylvania

Utah

Wisconsin

Washington D.C.


Rest of the world

The Witte Huis in Rotterdam, Europe's first skyscraper building (1898) Rotterdam Het Witte Huis 1900.jpg
The Witte Huis in Rotterdam, Europe's first skyscraper building (1898)
The APA "Australia" Building in Melbourne (1889-1980) - Australia's tallest building until 1912 APA Australia Building in Melbourne.jpg
The APA "Australia" Building in Melbourne (1889–1980) – Australia's tallest building until 1912

Asia

Japan
Bangladesh

Europe

Netherlands
United Kingdom

North and South America

Canada

Oceania

Australia

The "First Great Age" (1900–19)

United States

The Woolworth Building overlooking New York City's Old Post Office and City Hall Park, with the peaks of the Singer Tower and the 40 Wall Street just visible (left) Woolworth Building and City Hall Park, New York City 1910s retouched.png
The Woolworth Building overlooking New York City's Old Post Office and City Hall Park, with the peaks of the Singer Tower and the 40 Wall Street just visible (left)

Alabama

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Iowa

Indiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

New York

New York City
Rochester
Buffalo

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Elsewhere in the world

Culwulla Chambers, Sydney's first skyscraper Culwulla Chambers, Sydney.jpg
Culwulla Chambers, Sydney's first skyscraper

United Kingdom

Argentina

Australia

Brazil

Canada

Canadian Pacific Building, Toronto 69 Yonge Street.JPG
Canadian Pacific Building, Toronto

Germany

Berlin
Siemensturm in Berlin Siemensstadt - Siemensstadt (19110286742).jpg
Siemensturm in Berlin
Jena

Netherlands

New Zealand

Consultancy House, Dunedin, New Zealand ConsultancyHouse.jpg
Consultancy House, Dunedin, New Zealand

Poland

Russia

Saint Petersburg
Moscow

South Africa

Ukraine

Inter-war period, boom and depression (1920–1939)

United States

Arizona

Connecticut

California

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Indiana

Illinois

Iowa

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

New Jersey

New York

New York City
Buffalo
Rochester
Syracuse
Albany
New Rochelle

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Europe

Austria

Vienna

Belgium

The Boerentoren in Antwerp Kbc-building-antwerpen.jpg
The Boerentoren in Antwerp
Antwerp
Brussels
Ghent

Czech Republic

Finland

France

Villeurbanne

Germany

The Borsigturm in Berlin Borsigwerke B-Tegel 07-2017 img3.jpg
The Borsigturm in Berlin
The Hansahochhaus in Cologne Hansahochhaus Koeln002.jpg
The Hansahochhaus in Cologne
Aachen
Berlin
Braunschweig
Chemnitz
Cologne
Dresden
Düsseldorf
Essen
Gera
Hamburg
Hanover
Jena
Leipzig
Magdeburg
Munich
Rüsselsheim
Stuttgart
Wismar
  • Hochhaus am Platz des Friedens

Hungary

Budapest

Italy

The Torrione INA in Brescia, Italy's first skyscraper. Torrione di Piazza Vittoria.jpg
The Torrione INA in Brescia, Italy's first skyscraper.
Brescia
Genoa
Milan
Turin

Netherlands

Amsterdam
Rotterdam

Poland

Warsaw
Wroclaw
Katowice

Romania

Bucharest

Russia

Serbia

Slovenia

Spain

The Telefonica Building in Madrid Edificio Telefonica Madrid.jpg
The Telefónica Building in Madrid
Madrid
Barcelona
A Coruña

Sweden

Stockholm
  • Nybropalatset (vision)
  • Kungstornen
  • Sportpalatset
  • Sankt Erikspalatset
Gothenburg
  • Otterhall

Switzerland

Ukraine

Kyiv
Kharkiv

United Kingdom

Shell Mex House, London Shell-Mex HQ London.jpg
Shell Mex House, London
London
Manchester
Liverpool

Elsewhere in the world

The Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne, Australia Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne.jpg
The Manchester Unity Building, Melbourne, Australia

Australia

Melbourne
Sydney

Argentina

Canada

Halifax
Hamilton
Montreal
Royal Bank Tower, Montreal Royal Bank Tower 03.JPG
Royal Bank Tower, Montreal
Quebec
Toronto
Vancouver

China

Broadway Mansions, Shanghai, China Broadway Mansion.jpg
Broadway Mansions, Shanghai, China
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Hong Kong
The Mutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company Building, Wellington, New Zealand MLC Building (Former), Wellington, New Zealand (34).JPG
The Mutual Life & Citizens Assurance Company Building, Wellington, New Zealand

New Zealand

South Africa

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Gilbert</span> American architect (1859–1934)

Cass Gilbert was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia, the Detroit Public Library, the Saint Louis Art Museum and Public Library. His public buildings in the Beaux Arts style reflect the optimistic American sense that the nation was heir to Greek democracy, Roman law and Renaissance humanism. Gilbert's achievements were recognized in his lifetime; he served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908–09.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaux-Arts architecture</span> Neoclassical architectural style

Beaux-Arts architecture was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Renaissance and Baroque elements, and used modern materials, such as iron and glass, and later, steel. It was an important style in Europe and the Americas through the end of the 19th century, and into the 20th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George B. Post</span> American architect (1837–1915)

George Browne Post, professionally known as George B. Post, was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. Active from 1869 almost until his death, he was recognized as a master of several prominent contemporary American architectural genres, and instrumental in the birth of the skyscraper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Life Insurance Building</span> Former skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Manhattan Life Insurance Building was a 348 ft (106 m) tower on Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equitable Building (Manhattan)</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Equitable Building is an office skyscraper located at 120 Broadway between Pine and Cedar streets in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The skyscraper was designed by Ernest R. Graham in the neoclassical style, with Peirce Anderson as the architect-in-charge. It is 555 feet (169 m) tall, with 38 stories and 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m2) of floor space. The building's articulation consists of three horizontal sections similar to the components of a column, namely a base, shaft, and capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotia Plaza</span> Office building in Toronto, Ontario

Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally built to serve as the global headquarters of Canadian bank Scotiabank, it is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Street West on the north. At 275 m (902 ft), Scotia Plaza is Canada's third tallest skyscraper and the 52nd tallest building in North America. It is connected to the PATH network, and contains 190,000 m2 (2,045,143 sq ft) of office space on 68 floors and 40 retail stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Life Building</span> Historic office building in Toronto

The Canada Life Building is a historic office building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph and stands at 285 feet (87 m), 321 feet (97.8 m) including its weather beacon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Jacques Street</span> Street in Montreal, Canada

Saint Jacques Street, or St. James Street, is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running from Old Montreal westward to Lachine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookfield Place (Toronto)</span> Office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Brookfield Place is an office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comprising the 2.1 ha (5.2-acre) block bounded by Yonge Street, Wellington Street West, Bay Street, and Front Street. The complex contains 242,000 m2 (2,604,866 sq ft) of office space, and consists of two towers, Bay Wellington Tower and TD Canada Trust Tower, linked by the Allen Lambert Galleria. Brookfield Place is also the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telus Tower (Montreal)</span> Office in Quebec, Canada

The Telus Tower is an office building at 630 René Lévesque Boulevard West in Montreal. It was built for Canadian Industries Limited from 1960 to 1962, given the name CIL House. Designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft from the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill with local architects Greenspoon, Freedlander and Dunne, it stands 135.6 m (445 ft) and 34 storeys tall. In 1960, Bunshaft had recently completed his seminal work, Lever House in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20 Exchange Place</span> Residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

20 Exchange Place, formerly the City Bank–Farmers Trust Building, is a skyscraper in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1931, it was designed by Cross & Cross in the Art Deco style as the headquarters of the City Bank–Farmers Trust Company, predecessor of Citigroup. The building, standing at approximately 741 feet (226 m) with 57 usable stories, was one of the city's tallest buildings and the world's tallest stone-clad building at the time of its completion. While 20 Exchange Place was intended to be the world's tallest building at the time of its construction, the Great Depression resulted in the current scaled-back plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Toronto</span> Central business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the northwest, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don Valley to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west. It is also the home of the municipal government of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equitable Life Building (Manhattan)</span> Former building in Manhattan, New York

The Equitable Life Assurance Building, also known as the Equitable Life Building, was the headquarters of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, at 120 Broadway in Manhattan, New York. Arthur Gilman and Edward H. Kendall designed the building, with George B. Post as a consulting engineer. The Equitable Life Building was made of brick, granite, and iron, and was originally built with seven above-ground stories and two basement levels, with a height of at least 130 feet (40 m). An expansion in 1885 brought the total height to 155 feet (47 m) and nine stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Street (Los Angeles)</span> Historic district in Downtown Los Angeles

Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed Wall Street of the West, lined with Beaux Arts buildings and currently experiencing gentrification. This section forms part of the Historic Core district of Downtown, together with portions of Hill, Broadway, Main and Los Angeles streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 Broad Street</span> Skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

15 Broad Street is a residential condominium and former office building in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, on the eastern side of Broad Street between Wall Street and Exchange Place. It has entrances at 51 Exchange Place and 35 Wall Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Insurance Company Building</span> Skyscraper in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States

The American Insurance Company Building is one of the oldest and tallest skyscrapers in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Located at 15 Washington Street on Washington Park it was once headquarters for the American Insurance Company and is now part of Rutgers University. The neo-classical tower is a contributing property to the James Street Commons Historic District which also encompasses Washington Park, Newark Museum, and Newark Public Library. It re-opened in November 2015 as student dorms, event space, and chancellor's apartment. In 2023 it was renamed in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

References

  1. "Skyscraper plans in Budapest - High-rise buildings were planned for Károly Boulevard, Astoria and Rákóczi Road". pestbuda.hu. 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

[UK first iron building 1797 Shrewsbury Flaxmill]