For more than a century, the American skyscraper has been a symbol of American wealth and grandeur. How did they begin? When and why did they peak? And what does the future hold for these magnificent but sometimes controversial structures?
Commercial real estate blog COMMERCIALCafé has done an excellent job satisfying our curiosities. Using data from Yardi Matrix and CTBUH’s Skyscrapercenter among others, they recently mapped out the trajectory of the American skyscraper from the first structure over 500 feet built in Midtown Manhattan in 1909 to the most ambitious projects underway today.
The analysis, available here, includes an interactive timeline for the years 1909 through 2022. It also breaks down the American cities with the most impressive skylines to date, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
One interesting thing we learned is that technological advancement is replacing height as the true measure of a building’s prestige.
A few other highlights worth mentioning:
• Los Angeles is home to 20 skyscrapers. The tallest is the Wilshire Grand Center in downtown L.A.
• San Francisco saw the first skyscraper on the West Coast to top 500 feet in 1966 with the construction of the Forty Four Montgomery office tower. It was topped by the 620-foot Place Tower in Downtown L.A. the following year. Later, San Francisco built a 779-foot structure at 555 California Street.
• Among the 10 tallest skyscrapers scheduled for completion in the coming years is the 675-foot Oceanwide Plaza Tower in L.A.