8 Tallest Skyscrapers of New York City
Skyscrapers and New York City, the two go hand in hand. Sure, other cities in the United States may have their own skyscrapers. Chicago is home to the two tallest buildings in the nation, but let’s face it, New York’s are more iconic. Los Angeles has skyscrapers, but no one there cares since its downtown isn’t really “downtown” (a fact that can drive tourists crazy); LA emanates from the Sunset Strip, several miles away. No, when it comes to skyscrapers, New York takes the cake. Here is a list of New York City’s tallest, which are some of the most famous buildings in the world.
Empire State Building
photo credit: Joel Bedford
We’ll start with the big one, literally. As of now, the Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York City, the third tallest building in the United States, and the tenth tallest in the world. These facts are even more impressive when one considers that the mighty Empire State building was completed all the way back in 1931. When it was completed, the Empire State Building stood as the tallest building in the world for over 40 years until the original World Trade Center’s north tower was completed in 1972. Following the tragic events of 9/11, however, the Empire State Building once again stands as the tallest building within the New York City Skyline. Height: 1,250 ft.
Bank of America Tower
Image Via Wikipedia
Having just been completed, this is the newest skyscraper to grace the skyline of New York City. The building is one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world, and the first ever to attain a Platinum LEED Certification. The building sports its own electric cogeneration plant to help supply a portion of its necessary electricity. The building also features an extensive greywater system utilizing rain and used sink water for purposes such as toilets. This building is a masterpiece of environmental design. Height: 1,200 ft.
Chrysler Building
photo credit: matt semel
The first man-made structure to ever stand at more than 1000 feet, the Chrysler building stood as the world’s tallest building for less than a year before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building. Despite this, the building is still the tallest steel supported brick structure anywhere. The building also features the epitome of Art Deco design. As the name implies, it was originally owned by the Chrysler family, famous for their line of automobiles. The gargoyles around the exterior of the building, are actually replicas of Chrysler hood ornaments. To this day, the Chrysler Building is considered one of the most popular skyscrapers among New Yorkers. Height: 1,046 ft.
New York Times Building
photo credit: Kevin Prichard
As the name suggests, this is the headquarters of the New York Times, which also happens to run The Boston Globe as well as several other regional newspapers. The building was completed only recently, in 2007. The building considers itself green, although it admittedly can not hold a candle to the Bank of American Tower (at this point in time, no one can). That being said, the building also features its own cogeneration electrical plant as well as a lighting system that requires 30% less energy. 90% of the building’s steel came from recycled material. The building’s design gives it the appearance of something out of the movie, “Blade Runner”. Height: 1,046 ft.
American International Building
photo credit: epicharmus
The name might not sound familiar, but it is. The building is named after its current owner, the American International Group. Still not sound familiar? They typically go by their acronym, AIG. Suffice to say, a sale is currently pending and AIG will vacate the building by the end of 2010. The building, originally known as the “Cities Service Building” was built during the skyscraper race of the 1930’s which explains its resemblance to the Empire State Building and other skyscrapers built at the time. Height: 952 ft.
40 Wall Street
Originally known as the “Bank of Manhattan Trust Building”, this building is now known as the “Trump Building”. It was the tallest in the world for only one month until the Chrysler Building was completed. They intended on holding the record longer, but it turned out the developers of the Chrysler building had secretly changed their plans to ensure their building would be taller. 40 Wall street was later indirectly purchased by Ferdinand E. Marcos, the late president of the Philippines. The building went into limbo when Marcos was overthrown. In 1995 the building was purchased by Donald Trump for supposedly $1 million. It has since been revitalized. Height: 927 ft.
Citigroup Center
photo credit: Alexandros Maragos
This skyscraper is famous for it’s iconic 45 degree angled roof, easily spotted along the New York City Skyline. It is also famous for almost potentially collapsing. During the towers construction, the building’s design was changed to call for bolted joints instead of welded joints. The structural engineer realized, after the fact, that having made this change, 70mph quarter winds could potentially knock the building over. Faced with this crisis, the engineer ultimately approached Citicorp and alerted them to the problem. Over a period of three months, the joints were welded over. Today, the structure is perfectly sound. Height: 915 ft.
1 World Trade Center
Proposed One World Trade Center
Although not yet complete, this one deserves an honorable mention for several reasons. This is the main building of the new World Trade Center. Most have probably already heard of it by its other name “Freedom Tower”. Once complete, however, its official name will indeed be “1 World Trade Center”. The roof of the tower will be 1,368 feet, the same height as the original “One World Trade Center”. If the spire is included (as it usually is in official measurements), the total height of the new world trade center will be a patriotic 1,776 feet signifying the year the United States came into existence. Completion of the tower has been estimated from anywhere between 2013 to 2018. Height: 1,776 ft.
The skyscrapers of New York City are awe-inspiring feats of architecture and engineering. Small wonder then why New York City continues to have one of the absolute most beautiful skylines in the world.
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