ever since the world's first skyscraper
attempted to touch the skies in chicago
in 1885
there has been an architectural boom of
soaring super towers in the usa
unlike several eyesores around the world
cities in the usa like new york
are often recognized by their iconic
skylines alone
however in the usa too architects are in
stiff competition with one another to
see who can come up with the most
beautiful skyscraper art
and from the looks of these 10 most
impressive skyscrapers in the usa
you'll know why usa truly leads the
field in stunning skyscraper
architecture in the world
number 10. the chrysler building at 1046
feet
the chrysler building may not qualify as
among the tallest skyscrapers in the usa
but it clearly stands out for its
beautiful design it is one of the most
easily recognized buildings in new york
famous for its hubcap style
ornamentation surrounding its upper
facade
the chrysler building earns the
distinction of being the tallest brick
skyscraper in the world
with a design that follows an art deco
style which was the architectural trend
at the time
the chrysler building was built in 1930
by architect william van allen
and gave new yorkers one of their
earliest chances to view the city and
its
skyline from its spectacular observation
deck from the world's tallest building
at the time
an interesting anecdote about the
chrysler was its 125 foot spire
concealed within its main spire
when the neighboring building called 40
wall street was constructed slightly
higher than the chrysler in a bid to
take over the title
the concealed spire atop the chrysler
was raised to its full length
thus helping the building retain its
title
number 9 the wells fargo plaza the wells
fargo plaza was
earlier called the allied bank plaza and
first interstate bank plaza
the 20th tallest building in the usa
located in downtown houston texas
stands 992 feet tall and comprises of 71
floors
with four floors extending below street
level the tallest
all-glass building in the western
hemisphere the wells fargo plaza is a
beautiful structure famous for its sky
lobbies on the 34th and 35th
and 58th and 59th floors that are open
for public viewing
and which offers some spectacular views
of downtown houston
the building houses a number of
consulates including that of the united
kingdom
and also hosts the houstonian light
health club located in a 12 000 square
foot area
on the 14th floor the club offers some
amazing amenities for tenants
like group exercise studio space locker
rooms
a private pilates studio and exercise
equipment
the wells fargo plaza was also featured
in the final scene of a movie the 1989
american thriller
cohen and tate number eight
157 157 was earlier known as carnegie 57
and is a 75-story 1005 foot skyscraper
located in the midtown neighborhood of
manhattan new york city
the skyscraper known as billionaires
tower is a stunning one
and is considered among the most
impressive super towers in new york
and let's not forget its penthouses are
super priced too
the tower developed by extel development
company was designed by the
prize-winning french architect
cristian de porzampark who used dark and
light glass on the building's exterior
facade to create vertical stripes that
manipulated sunlight and maximized views
its main standout feature is its rippled
canopy's numerous setbacks on 57th
street
completed in 2015 the tower is an
artistic sculpture
that appears to be billowing in a
cloud-like formation and a striated
custom facade
that looks like a waterfall cascading
down to the earth
the building is truly a work of art and
houses 92 condominiums above the 20th
floor
all listed at prices in excess of 50
million dollars
the building set the record for the most
expensive residence
when some of its units sold for 100
million dollars in its first year of
operation
number seven transamerica pyramid san
francisco usa
adorning the san francisco skyline like
a jewel in the sky is the spectacular
transamerica pyramid
a skyscraper that was built in 1972 the
unique 853 foot skyscraper
was once the eighth tallest building in
the world and was constructed at a cost
of 72 million dollars
designed by architect william pereira
the transamerica pyramid is an iconic
landmark in san francisco
known for its crown jewel that adorns
its tip the building is often
illuminated on all public holidays
as san francisco's second tallest
building the 48 story skyscraper was
erected to be the headquarters of the
transamerica corporation
which is now operational in baltimore
maryland the highlight of the
transamerica pyramid
is the beautifully landscaped redwood
park at its base
featuring a variety of redwood trees
that were transplanted from the santa
cruz mountains
unfortunately though the building has no
viewing deck which earlier was on the
27th floor but was closed down and never
reopened
instead the building features a digital
and virtual viewing room
number 6. fountain place one of the most
modernistic skyscrapers in the usa
is a small tower in dallas texas called
the fountain place
the 60-story 720 foot skyscraper may not
be tall in terms of today's giants
gracing the skyline
but it is impressive no doubt the
building completed in 1986
was a collaboration of various
architects and is acclaimed for its 172
dancing fountains constructed in the
plaza at the base of the building
fountain place was designed as a large
multifaceted prism with a unique feature
of its slanted sides
that causes the building to have a
completely different profile
from all directions the top two levels
of the skyscraper are occupied by dallas
architecture firm
roush architects while a few floors
serve as the region's six headquarters
for the u.s environmental protection
agency it is also the headquarters of
tenet healthcare
and houses several famous institutions
like the wells fargo company
an interesting fact of fountain place is
when nineteen-year-old hossam maher
hussein smatty of jordan
was arrested by the fbi for trying to
bomb the building in september two
thousand
nine number five five ppg place
pittsburgh pennsylvania
it's been called a jewel in the already
beautiful pittsburgh skyline
and is all of 40 stories high five ppg
place is part of a six building complex
spanning three city blocks in downtown
pittsburgh
what's unique about ppg pittsburgh is
its architecture that features a design
made up of nineteen
thousand seven hundred and fifty pieces
of glass the building
which is six hundred and thirty five
feet tall was designed by architects
philip johnson and john burgie
and at 635 feet tall is just half the
size of one world trade center
the skyscraper was commissioned by its
principal tenant ppg industries
who initiated the project for its
headquarters all the buildings in the
ppg complex reflect the glass feature
and were built in 1984 at a combined
cost of 200 million dollars
which at today's value would amount to
529.9 million dollars
the skyscraper from afar looks like a
cathedral and was designed in a
modernist version of the neo-gothic
style which drew inspiration from
london's victoria tower
during excavation and preparation of the
site anthropologists from pittsburgh
university collected over 10
000 artifacts dating back to the 18th
century
number 4. trump international hotel and
tower
there is no denying that the trump
international hotel and tower in
downtown chicago illinois is quite an
impressive building designed by famous
architect adrian smith of skidmore
owings and merrell
it reaches a height of 1 388 feet from
ground to spire
and has 98 floors in total trump tower
was completed in 2009
and was then the second tallest building
in the country it overlooks the chicago
river
and has some amazing views of lake
michigan the trump tower is designed
with three setback features that were
meant to offer visual continuity with
the skyline
each setback coincides with the height
of a nearby building
the tower offers 2.6 million square feet
and houses 486 luxury residential
condominiums
such as studio apartments suites and
penthouses
the trump international luxury hotel
occupies 339 guest rooms
including a two-star michelin restaurant
three five star restaurants and a lovely
spa
number three the tribune tower the
tribune tower is a gorgeous neo-gothic
skyscraper completed in 1925.
it is not very high and stands 470 feet
tall
but it is impressive nonetheless the
36th floor skyscraper at 435 north
michigan avenue in chicago illinois
was part of an international competition
hosted by the chicago tribune
to design the most beautiful and
distinctive office building in the
world the base of the building contains
136 fragments from a variety of
important buildings
and historical sites from around the
world now home to the chicago tribune
and its subsidiaries
the tribune tower was designed by
architects john mead howells
and raymond hood and constructed on the
site of the earlier original tribune
tower that was first built in 1868
and destroyed by the great fire of
chicago in 1871
number two the empire state building the
empire state building is obviously the
country's most iconic and historic
skyscraper
standing tall at a total height of 1432
feet
from ground to spire the 102 story art
deco skyscraper on 5th avenue in midtown
manhattan in new york city
was designed by shreve lam and harman it
is famous for its signature blonde color
due to the indiana limestone that was
used in its construction
what's weird about the empire state
building is that as you go higher
the size of the floors reduces due to
some faults in the architectural
planning
which means the top 81 floors are
smaller than the lower five floors
completed in 1931 at a cost of 40.9
million dollars
there were plans to dock airships above
its 102nd floor
a major attraction in the building is a
simulation project
built to complement the observation
decks on the 80th 86th
and 102nd floor the empire state
building is an american icon
and has been featured in several tv
shows and movies including the famous
king kong
it is a symbol of new york city and the
usa and is often regarded as one of the
seven wonders of the modern world
it was ranked first on the american
institute of architects list of
america's favorite architecture in 2007.
the building was designated a city
landmark by new york city landmarks
preservation commission
in 1980 and in 1986 became a national
historic landmark
number one one world trade center
no list of skyscrapers in the usa can be
complete without mentioning one world
trade center
one world trade center is extremely
symbolic for the country
besides being a symbol of triumph
erected as a skyscraper
and a monument to commemorate the 911
attacks its height of 1776 feet
also commemorates the year of the
declaration of america's independence
the actual height of one world trade
center from ground to tip
is 1792 feet and is designed like a
monolith of eight tall isosceles
triangles constructed from glass
giving its facade the look of a shiny
and glistening mirror
the 94-story building also called the
freedom tower
is reinforced with steel and can even
withstand pressure seven
times more than any concrete building
the most outstanding attraction on one
world trade center is of course its
observation deck
occupying the 100th 101st and 102nd
floors
one world trade center is considered the
first major building
whose construction is based upon a
three-dimensional building information
model
which of these beautiful skyscrapers
would you like to stay in tell us in the
comments
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