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A lot of people are too young to remember that in early 1970s when the World Trade Center was being built in Manhattan there was a lot of competition of cities outside of NYC and Chicago to build a skycraper.
A competition among American cities seems almost quaint in a day Burj Khalifa a skyscraper in Dubai, soars to 2,722 ft which is well over the maximum 2000' height permitted in the US by the FAA. Saudi Arabia has put the world's first skyscraper planned for over 3000' on hold despite construction beginning in April 2013.
Nevertheless in the last few years after a lull of decades, when the corporate campus became a status symbol, five new record breakers have topped out.
feet year City "Name" - Tallest skyscraper in a City other than NYC and CHI that is over 800' ranked by year completed
900' 2019 Jersey City "99 Hudson Street" - residential
1121' 2018 Philadelphia "Comcast Technology Center"
1070' 2018 San Francisco "Salesforce Tower"
868' 2017 Miami "Panorama Tower" - residential
1099' 2017 Los Angeles "Wilshire Grand Center"
...
844' 2012 Oklahoma City "Devon Energy Center"
...
871' 1992 Charlotte "Bank of America Corporate Center"
1023' 1992 Atlanta "Bank of America Plaza"
947' 1991 Cleveland "Key Tower"
937' 1985 Seattle "Columbia Center"
921' 1985 Dallas "Bank of America Plaza"
1002' 1982 Houston "JPMorgan Chase Tower"
841' 1971 Pittsburgh "U.S. Steel Tower"
Many cities do not have a building over 800'. Washington DC has severe height limits since 1899. Boston, Orlando, San Jose and San Diego have height limitations because of a nearby airport. Portland wants to protect views of Mt Hood.
Largest cities by population with no skyscraper that is over 800'
Any opinions on this trend? Would you like to see more skyscrapers over 1000' in American cities outside of NYC and CHI? Would you like to see supertall residential structures like Panorama Tower in Miami?
or
Skyscrapers are wasteful and the day of the supertall skyscraper should pass on to Asia and the Middle East?
I guess. Tall buildings are cool, but not the most important characteristic in what makes a beautiful, important, relevant city (at least to me). But, a well designed tower can add a lot to a city and its skyline.
That being said, Philadelphia could certainly use another supertall or two. One on the Western side of the city (U City) was proposed a few years back, but that will likely get chopped down quite a bit. There is a 600' residential tower under construction in Rittenhouse and will likely be a very attractive addition to the city and fill a long vacant lot.
A lot of people are too young to remember that in early 1970s when the World Trade Center was being built in Manhattan there was a lot of competition of cities outside of NYC and Chicago to build a skycraper.
A competition among American cities seems almost quaint in a day Burj Khalifa a skyscraper in Dubai, soars to 2,722 ft which is well over the maximum 2000' height permitted in the US by the FAA. Saudi Arabia has put the world's first skyscraper planned for over 3000' on hold despite construction beginning in April 2013.
Nevertheless in the last few years after a lull of decades, when the corporate campus became a status symbol, five new record breakers have topped out.
feet year City "Name" - Tallest skyscraper in a City other than NYC and CHI that is over 800' ranked by year completed
900' 2019 Jersey City "99 Hudson Street" - residential
1121' 2018 Philadelphia "Comcast Technology Center"
1070' 2018 San Francisco "Salesforce Tower"
868' 2017 Miami "Panorama Tower" - residential
1099' 2017 Los Angeles "Wilshire Grand Center"
...
844' 2012 Oklahoma City "Devon Energy Center"
...
871' 1992 Charlotte "Bank of America Corporate Center"
1023' 1992 Atlanta "Bank of America Plaza"
947' 1991 Cleveland "Key Tower"
937' 1985 Seattle "Columbia Center"
921' 1985 Dallas "Bank of America Plaza"
1002' 1982 Houston "JPMorgan Chase Tower"
841' 1971 Pittsburgh "U.S. Steel Tower"
I'm not a huge fan of Wilshire tower ( seems like it's cheating sticking that antenna up to steal the title form U.S Bank tower, which is a better looking building) but I will say looking at L.A's recent new additions it seems like LA is almost starting to get the skyline it deserves and more befitting of the 2 largest city, Not there yet but moving in that direction
Honestly, though I think when I’m in Chicago looking at the Willis Tower or Billionaires Row in Manhattan, it’s cool seeing so many very tall buildings, but at the same time, it’s simply an aesthetic thing that doesn’t really effect how the city actually is. Also, honestly, when I do visit cities to see their downtown or what not, I focus on pre-world war 2 highrises and skyscrapers because I find them a lot more architecturally appealing compared to buildings constructed after that.
I know you do have a lot of people that point out how many insanely tall skyscrapers they are building in places like U.A.E but overall those places don’t seem very appealing to visit unless you are looking for an extremely expensive shopping trip, but that’s about it.
Honestly, as much as I love skyscrapers and supertalls, if the architecture is crap and the street level is meh, then it's an automatic dud for me. Panorama tower for example, the architecture is meh (thanks to the usual bait and switch) and the pedestrian level is abysmal. Unfortunately, this applies to a lot of modern skyscrapers and supertalls, which really takes away from the allure. Height + architecture + street level presence (bars, restaurants, retail, etc..) is the holy trinity of a perfect development.
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