Park Row Building
Location: New York City
Year completed: 1899
Height: 391 feet (30 storeys)
Claim to fame: Tallest office building in the world from 1899-1908, the Park Row Building is probably the first "real" building to surpass the height of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria. (That is, it is a building in which there are many floors, unlike the case with the Great Pyramid, the cathedrals and the Washington Monument).
Status: Unlike the other early skyscrapers, the Park Row Building is still standing. Yay!
Moreover in 2000, a $30-million renovation of the structure converted the floors above the 11th into 210 rental apartments. The most unique (and expensive) apartments are two made out of the pair of three-story cupolas at the top. The floors below the 11th remain commercial and office space. Thus, the Park Row Building is now a "mixed use" building that combines offices, retail and residential units.
The building was within the restricted area following the WTC attacks of 2001, but escaped damage.
Philadelphia City Hall
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Year completed: 1901
Height: 548 feet
Claim to fame: The City Hall of Philadelphia began construction in 1871, but took 30 years to finish. Originally, it was designed to be the world's tallest building, but by the time it was completed it had already been surpassed by the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, to say nothing of the Washington Monument and the Eiffel Tower.
I include it here because it was the largest non-cathedral ever to be undertaken when work began, and even after a 30-year delay the Philly City Hall still placed fourth tallest overall, and its spire was taller than any of the office buildings in New York or Chicago at the time. It is often forgotten in the history of tall buildings, and this is unfair.
Status: A fine example of Second Empire architecture, and still one of the tallest buildings in the City of Brotherly Love.
Singer Building
Location: New York City
Year Completed: 1908
Height: 612 feet (47-storeys)
Claim to Fame: The Singer Building (it was the headquarters of the sewing machine company) was the first building to surpass the height of the Washington Monument, and take over the number two spot among all structures on Earth. (See comparison chart below). As such it was also the first office building to be higher than the tallest cathedrals, and it exceeded the Park Row Building by 221 feet!
The base of the building covered an entire city block, rising 22 storeys. This podium was then topped by narrow 25-storey tower. This was an early attempt to limit the shadows caused by the height of a tall building by setting the tallest parts back from the street.
The Singer Building was demolished in 1968 as it was considered "obsolete." The floors in the graceful and slender tower portion were only 65 feet on each side, making them too small for modern office operations. The US Steel Building (a shapeless black box) was built where the lovely Singer Building used to stand.
The Singer Building was the
tallest building ever demolished until September 11, 2001. It is still currently the tallest building ever legally demolished by its owners, as opposed to being destroyed in a terrorist act.
^size comparison of the Eiffel Tower, Singer Building and the Washington monument — the three tallest structures in the world in 1908. Philadelphia City Hall (which would be fifth in 1908) is included to show how impressive it really is.