When it comes to skyscrapers, it’s not all about the height. Tall buildings are a dime a dozen these days and new ones are popping up around the world on almost a daily basis. Hell, the iconic main tower of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan is just the 101st tallest building in the United States.
To me, what defines a skyscraper as truly great is how it defines the skyline it is a part of. Some cities in Canada and the United States are instantly identified in pictures by that one special building. On the other hand, I have a hard time sometimes telling the difference between Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg in Canada (ok, that’s a little exaggerated). South of the border, I would probably mistake Miami for Tampa or San Diego with just a quick look at the skyline.
What follows is a look at what I feel are the eight most iconic skyscrapers in North America that instantly identify the skyline. Keep in mind, these are skyscrapers. The CN Tower, Calgary Tower and Seattle’s Space Needle do instantly identify their city but are not included here.
Willis Tower
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
U.S. Bank Tower
Transamerica Pyramid
Renaissance Center
Place Ville Marie
The Key Tower
Chrysler Building
Willis Tower
Formerly known as, and better known as, the Sears Tower, the Willis Tower is Chicago. Completed in 1973, this Lego block, jet black structure was the tallest skyscraper in the world until 1998 when surpassed by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Willis Tower stands 442 metres or 1,450 feet tall and consists of 108 floors. With the completion of the latest version of the World Trade Center, the tower has dropped to the second tallest in the United States and is ranked the eleventh tallest in the world.
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel
Since 1976, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel has defined the Atlanta, Georgia skyline with its cylindrical shape. Not the tallest building in the city, the Westin is 220 metres or 723 feet tall and consists of 73 floors. The building is the 107th tallest skyscraper in the United States.
If the tower was surrounded by four smaller towers, it might confuse Atlanta with Detroit. The main tower of the Renaissance Center in Detroit is nearly an exact twin to the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.
U.S. Bank Tower
We’ve all seen the Los Angeles skyline thousands of times via the movies and television. The U.S. Bank Tower is the tallest and most uniquely shaped. It is also the first to get blown up in an alien invasion.
The U.S. Bank Tower was completed in 1989 and stands 310 metres or 1,018 feet tall. Nearly 300 feet taller than the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the U.S. Bank Tower consists of the same number of floors at 73. The building is the eleventh tallest in the United States and the 65th tallest skyscraper in the world.
Transamerica Pyramid
Probably the most unique skyscraper in the United States. The Transamerica Building, or the Transamerica Pyramid, has defined the San Francisco skyline since 1972. The building in 260 metres or 850 feet tall but contains just 48 floors.
The Transamerica Pyramid remains the 35th tallest building in the United States. In the world, the tower is the 190th tallest skyscraper.
Renaissance Center
On the banks of the Detroit River, across from Windsor, Ontario, the Renaissance Center is an island of prosperity in a dying city. Completed in 1977, the main tower is the tallest in Detroit and stands 222 metres or 727 feet tall. There are 73 floors in the main building, which now serves as worldwide headquarter for General Motors. As mentioned earlier, this is the 101st tallest building in the United States.
Place Ville Marie
Canadian cities tend to have skylines that are ill-defined or are defined by towers or sports stadiums. Calgary has the Calgary Tower and the odd shaped ScotiaBank Saddledome Arena. Toronto has the CN Tower. Place Ville Marie in Montreal, Quebec is the exception. This X or cross shaped building seems ageless, completed in 1962.
Not the tallest building in Montreal, Place Ville Marie stands 188 metres or 617 feet tall and consists of 47 floors. Currently, the tower is the 20th tallest in Canada. That rank will drop to 27th over the next few years as the crazed building boom continues in Toronto.
The Key Tower
Cleveland? Cut the city some slack, it’s the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Key Tower defines the city because it is so out of place with the rest of the downtown core. A little better off than Detroit, but not by much, the Key Tower allows the city to cling to hopes of a better future.
The tower was completed in 1991 and opened for business in January, 1992. It was a time of renewal in Cleveland, Ohio with the nearby construction of Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena. Progressive, formerly Jacob’s Field, is home to the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Quicken Loans Arena is home to the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.
Key Tower stands 289 metres or 947 feet high and consists of 57 floors. It is the 20th tallest building in the United States and the 109th tallest in the world.
Chrysler Building
What kind of idiot would pick the Chrysler Building over the Empire State Building or the new World Trade Center as the skyscraper that defines the Manhattan skyline? Me. It might not be the tallest but that unique ‘chrome-dome’ and the gargoyles that guard it make it more identifiable than the city’s other great structures.
The Chrysler Building was completed in 1930 and was the tallest building in the world for nearly a full year before the Empire State Building was completed. The tower stands 282 metres or 925 feet tall and consists of 77 floors. this is the eighth tallest building in the United States and the 60th tallest in the world.
As far as television and movie appearances go, the Chrysler Building is probably neck and neck with the ESB.
What do you think?
Disagree? Do you have a building that instantly identifies a city for you in pictures? Let us know in the comments…
