Give your opinion of the top 10 skylines in the U.S. & top 10 in the world

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

There's no doubt in my mind the spire on Comcast Technology Center is a part of the building. It's not tacked on at all... and the entire spire/spine of the building lights up at night which looks great

yeah, as i said before, comcast 2's spire is very gray area to me.

not fully a "crown", but also way more substantial than a stick-on "pole".

"black and white these things are not" [/yoda]

Originally Posted by summersm343

as an aside, IMO philly is a textbook example of a city with the kind of top-end skyline-defining height that boston could really use to bring it more solidly into top 10 territory.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Well, there's NYC, Toronto, Chicago and Jacksonville and anything after that is up for rigorous and objective debate.

[Altoic]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waikiki_view_from_Diamond_Head.JPG


I believe Honolulu is really underrated.

[38 Geary]

I thought about Honolulu too but it kinda falls into the same category as Boston. Very beautiful natural setting (top 5 in the US) but ultimately the skyline itself isn't enough to elevate it into the top 10. The buildings aren't particularly tall, nor architecturally interesting, being they are almost all nondescript hotel/residential buildings.

[SLO]

Originally Posted by Altoic

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waikiki_view_from_Diamond_Head.JPG


I believe Honolulu is really underrated.

People often forget Hawaii, I think its pacific islander bias....lol
but seriously its probably around #10ish? Kind of a larger San Diego, lots of low and mid rise towers, but lacking really tall stuff.

[SLO]

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

wheres seattle on this list

Definitely top 10;
For the US, and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone;
NY, Chi, SF, LA, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phil, Seattle, Honolulu, all in the conversation..I think Minneapolis, Denver, Austin, Boston, Charlotte, KC, St Louis maybe SD, up next

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

as an aside, IMO philly is a textbook example of a city with the kind of top-end skyline-defining height that boston could really use to bring it more solidly into top 10 territory.

I do also think the last few buildings in Philadelphia south of Market street has really enhanced the east/west view of the skyline. It gives the it several new peaks

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by homebucket

I thought about Honolulu too but it kinda falls into the same category as Boston. Very beautiful natural setting (top 5 in the US) but ultimately the skyline itself isn't enough to elevate it into the top 10. The buildings aren't particularly tall, nor architecturally interesting, being they are almost all nondescript hotel/residential buildings.

Agreed.

Great setting.

Solid bulk/density.

But Honolulu's buildings are too uniformly bland and too uniformly short for me to put it in my top 10 US skylines.

[edale]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Agreed on all counts.

Great setting.

Solid bulk/density.

But Honolulu's buildings are too uniformly bland and too uniformly short for me to put it in my top 10 US skylines.

Honolulu has a large number of highrises, but I don't even know if they have a real skyline, per se. There really aren't any distinct buildings, from a both a design and height perspective. There isn't even really a defined CBD cluster-- just a mass of buildings that covers a few square miles. Photoshop out the ocean and mountains, and would anyone be able to recognize Honolulu? It's kind of like a mini Sao Paolo in this sense. An impressive number of tallish buildings, but very nondescript. No way it should make it as a top 10 skyline, imo.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

I do also think the last few buildings in Philadelphia south of Market street has really enhanced the east/west view of the skyline. It gives the it several new peaks

Philly is really filling out in multiple directions. West (U City/Penn/Life Sciences Cluster) along Market Street, South (Broad Street residential extension), SW in the UCity/Grad Hospital cluster, North (Broad Street) and Northeast (Northern Liberties/Fishtown). The east-west perspective of the city coming up 95 when you're running parallel to Center City around the airport and stadiums has gotten very very impressive.

[JManc]

I was pretty underwhelmed by Honolulu's skyline when i was there. Mostly forgettable buildings and the natural setting stoke the show; nearby Diamond Head.

[SFBruin]

I would say NYC, then Chicago.

I would probably put SF third, in the US, followed by Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Seattle.

I would say Dallas, Houston and Miami round out the top ten.

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by homebucket

I thought about Honolulu too but it kinda falls into the same category as Boston. Very beautiful natural setting (top 5 in the US) but ultimately the skyline itself isn't enough to elevate it into the top 10. The buildings aren't particularly tall, nor architecturally interesting, being they are almost all nondescript hotel/residential buildings.

I think this can be said about Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Jose, Boston, and maybe even Portland and Denver to an extent. I also think some of this applies to Miami and Austin.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yeah, as i said before, comcast 2's spire is very gray area to me.

not fully a "crown", but also way more substantial than a stick-on "pole".

"black and white these things are not" [/yoda]

Yes, spires, especially the pole/stick variety, are controversial when they are incorporated in the building height. In L.A., the newer Wilshire Grand tower has a tall flagpole/stick-like spire to claim a height of 1100' and number one height status in the city. The nearby U.S. Bank tower (1017') doesn't have a spire, but the highest occupied floor is almost 100' above that in the Wilshire Grand. You look down on Wilshire Grand from that observation floor/restaurant. Maybe highest floor height should be more important than spire height in judging height.

[dc_denizen]

Philadelphia like Montreal has the advantage of vast low rise rowhouse sections punctuated by a good skyline . This juxtaposition is quite neat. Plus the two supertalls . Philadelphia is also very monumental , big parkways and grand avenues from the art museum

[dc_denizen]

Denver has a lot of mid rise surrounding it’s mostly 1980s central skyline . The area around the core has filled in nicely but you don’t get the same high rise surrounding effect as Seattle

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

and i think the sears tower looks bettter with its small forest of antennas on top than it did before they were added.

but they still shouldn't figure into its height figure IMO.



source: https://www.archdaily.com/62410/ad-classics-willis-tower-sears-tower-skidmore-owings-merrill source: https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/willis-tower/169

Antennae are an entirely separate discussion from architectural flag poles. There are exceptions, of course, as there are to everything however, antennas are the privy of a third party function. They are dismantled and/or replaced when that function is no longer needed or requires an upgrade.

Of course, I'm much more impressed with a crown than a flagpole but, I'm also more impressed with 100 floors than I am with 60. Another 60 floor supertall is not something I'd bitch and moan about.

[CaliNative]

Here are my U.S. lists, which I reserve the right to modify when the wine wears off:

Height, mass, number:

1. NYC
2. Chicago
3. Miami (shear number of tall buildings, mostly residential, is massive)
4. Houston
5. SF, LA, Atlanta, Philadelphia (tied for 5th)
6. Dallas
7. Seattle (or maybe tied with Dallas and/or Boston)
8. Boston (moving up)
9. Minneapolis, Las Vegas tied for 9
10. Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Austin, Detroit, Denver (tied for 10th)

Beauty, aesthetics:
1. Chicago, great lakefront location, wonderful mix of old and new skyscrapers. More pleasing skyline than NYC in my opinion. If you are visiting, go on a historic building walking tour led by a docent, and also an archictecture boat tour on the river loop.
2. San Francisco, tied with Seattle for beautiful setting and nice pleasing skylines on the waterfront, with hills and mountains in distance.
3. NYC (the sheer massiveness overwhelms like Hong Kong, several skylines really, which is OK, but not fan of skinny towers) the harbor setting is great and lively, and the historic mix of buildings wonderful. You could walk for a lifetime and still leave sights unseen. Go on several walking tours and take in all the skylines: Downtown. Union Square/Village/Flatiron districts. Midtown south (Empire State district), Midtown west, Midtown center, Midtown east. Brooklyn, which has developed an impressive skyline. Also walk the high line along the Hudson.
4. Boston....history & harbor & growing skyline.
5. Miami, great harbor, bay, large number of buildings, but very little historical mix. Mostly bland tall new condo towers
6. Pittsburgh. Wonderful setting where 2 rivers meet to form the Ohio. Nice forested hills. Good mix of old and new buildings. Big fan of Cathedral of Learning on U.Pitt campus. They have rooms for almost every nation, decorated and furnished in the style of that nation ca. 1935.
7. Philadelphia, nice balanced impressive skyline with old and new, but not wild about the latest Comcast tower with the "post". Tied with Atlanta, which is Multicentric, but the overall effect of multi skylines is impressive from a distance. Sometimes more mundane when you get there. Typical office parks where everyone drives.
8.San Diego. Great harbor/bay setting with mountains behind, and a large central park (Balboa Park), and busy historic Gaslamp, and one of the best baseball parks, but the 500 foot ht limit because of the airport gives a table top effect. Tie with Honolulu. Same tabletop but great setting.
9. L.A., yes, L.A. Impressive skyline (#5), nice mix of old and new, tall mountains behind that are white with snow after winter storms. L.A. should move up in the beauty list before the Olympics. Tied with Denver..come on, the Rockies backdrop and a nice medium sized skyline with some historical balance.
10. Tie, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Detroit...first 2 classic river cities with modest skylines with a good mix of old and new, plus St. Louis has the Arch; Detroit...great mix of historical buildings and newer, although not a big fan of RenCen. Also Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, possibly Austin. 3 classic Texas skylines, Houston and Dallas rising abruptly and impressively from the flatlands, Austin on the river near the hills, sprouting skyscrapers. Baltimore nice harbor, good mix of old and new. Cleveland almost made the tie gor #10 for Terminal Tower. OK, tied for #10. Cleveland is moving up. Filling in.

Later: most beautiful world skylines.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Antennae are an entirely separate discussion from architectural flag poles. There are exceptions, of course, as there are to everything however, antennas are the privy of a third party function. They are dismantled and/or replaced when that function is no longer needed or requires an upgrade.

Of course, I'm much more impressed with a crown than a flagpole but, I'm also more impressed with 100 floors than I am with 60. Another 60 floor supertall is not something I'd bitch and moan about.

I am a pedant about this particular thing. Antennae are for insects, antennas are for signals .

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Antennae are an entirely separate discussion from architectural flag poles.

I don't agree.

Sticks are sticks.


you are entirely free to hold the position that BofA NY is taller than JHC because the former's pole is a decorative architectural feature, while the latter's poles are merely functional broadcast antennas, but that's a hair-splitting rabbit hole that i won't follow you down.



source: https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=98916404


from a purely visual perspective, the building above on the left is taller than the one of the right anyway you slice it.