What is the tallest building in your state? Before answering this question, let’s go over a brief history of tall buildings. For nearly 3000 years, the Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest human-built structure. In 1311, additions to the Lincoln Cathedral pushed its height to nearly 525 feet, making it the tallest structure. A storm in 1548 damaged Lincoln’s spire and St. Mary’s Church in Stralsund, Germany, which was 29 feet shorter inherited the title. For more than three centuries, the title passed between half a dozen cathedrals in France and Germany. Some were taller than their predecessors, while others ascended when their predecessors collapsed. Yet none of these surpassed the original Lincoln Cathedral in height.
End of the Religious Reign
Religion’s dominance of the tallest human structure ended with the completion of the Washington Monument in 1884. Initial construction began in 1848, but a lack of funding halted building in 1854. The monument remained incomplete at 152 feet until Construction restarted in 1879. The restart resulted in several changes to the original plan. Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, who took over as the chief architect, reduced the height to 555 feet. He made the change to match the 10:1 height-to-base ratio of ancient obelisks. The more noticeable change is the darker color of the later stones. Because the original quarry was tapped out, the stones for the second phase came from a different location. When completed, it stood at 555 feet, but recent measurements list it at 554 feet 7+11⁄32 inches. The Monument’s reign lasted until 1889, when the 984-foot (300m) Eiffel Tower surpassed it.
Skyscrapers Take Over
The invention of the safety elevator (1857) and the introduction of steel-framed construction facilitated the era of the modern skyscraper. The term initially applied to any steel-framed building standing at least 10 stories tall. Chicago’s 138-foot-tall Home Insurance Building (1885) was the first official skyscraper. Over the next 50 years, ever-taller buildings in the US and, later, in other Western countries pushed the limits of construction technology. The Chrysler Building (1930, 1046 feet) was the first to surpass the Eiffel Tower. In 1931, the Empire State Building (1250 feet, 1454 including antenna) rocketed past it. The Great Depression and World War II temporarily halted skyscraper construction. Beginning in the 1950s, the skyscraper became a worldwide phenomenon. Today, more than 7,000 buildings top 150m (492 feet). Over three-quarters of them are in Asia, including the world’s tallest, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (830m/2722 feet). As of 2025, twenty cities have at least 100 skyscrapers. With 569, Hong Kong has more skyscrapers than any other city. FWIW, China also comes in second, with Shenzhen at 465, while New York City sits in third at 324.
Today’s Map
Finally, our featured map, courtesy of visualcapitalist.com, identifies each US state’s tallest building. It also provides additional building information.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to pay the bills
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