Indeed. I neglected to mention the Terminal Building. My entries are very chronological, and thus far the only sidebar stops I've made were providing some back story on Philadelphia's City Hall and some early skyscrapers that were shorter than Cathedrals. The Terminal Building got lost in the shuffle. My Bad. This is why input from people familiar with historic structures is essential.
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At this juncture it might behoove me to mention that height alone is not the deciding factor in determining the significance of these structures.
Nobody cares if one cathedral is ten feet taller than another. The Home Insurance Building was never the biggest, or the most beautiful. The story of 40 Wall Street is a case in point. Nobody visits it if they don't work there, and nobody has written a poem about it or cast it in a film. When Donald trump changed its name, few noticed or cared.
A few of the structures on this list are icons, however. The Great Pyramid is one. So is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. I could include the Leaning Tower of Pisa, "Big Ben," the Brooklyn Bridge, the Sydney Opera House and many others.
For me, the Singer Building was a lovely building, perhaps the only 600-foot structure in history that I'd describe as pretty or adorable. It saddens me that I'll never be able to visit it.
The next structure, however, is my favourite building of all time.
Chrysler Building
Location: New York City
Completed: 1930
Height: 1,046 feet to the spire (77 storeys)
Claim to Fame: 40 Wall Street was 135 feet taller than the Woolworth Building, and indeed it was designed to be two feet taller than automobile tycoon Walter Chrysler's proposed new headquarters.
However, the designers of the Chrysler Building quietly changed the projected height of their building after 40 Wall Street neared completion in April 1930.
A 125-foot spire was covertly assembled in the building's crown in strict secrecy. Overnight on May 27, 1930 this spire was welded together hoisted into place, and the Chrysler Building was the tallest office building in the world when the sun rose over the East River.
The roof of the 77th floor is 925 feet above the sidewalk below, making it technically shorter than 40 Wall Street by that measure. The spire, however, is not some "tacked-on" addition, but rather a work of art in its own right, resembling an engine grill or a old-style radio depending on your view, and is an integral part of the overall design. The antenna on top of the Eiffel Tower is only 17 feet higher, and it is not much more than a flag pole.
But the Chrysler Building has much more than height going for it. It has class, and opulence. The level of detail and attention that went into its design are phenomenal. The building is an Art Deco masterpiece.
The corners of the 61st floors feature eagles that are giant replicas of 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments. Corner ornamentation at the 31st-floor level are replicas of Chrysler radiator caps. This building celebrates industry and modernity with no apologies.
It is perfect.
^The main lobby
^the inside of an elevator
Status: Taller buildings have been built since, but none is as sexy as the Chrysler Building. If you disagree, look deep into yourself and try to find out why you are so wrong.
In 2005, the Skyscraper Museum asked one hundred architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians and scholars to choose their 10 favorite buildings.
90% of them placed the Chrysler Building in their top 10. The other 10% probably needed somebody else to fill out the questionnaire for them.
