This Is the Tallest Building in Your State Best Life
In 1885, construction wrapped up on the very first skyscraper: the Home Insurance Building in downtown Chicago. Reaching 10 stories into the stratosphere, it was quickly minted as the tallest building in the world, all 138 feet of it. At the time, it was a marvel of technology and engineering, but today, that all seems quaint. Now, every city in the country has a building that eclipses the Home Insurance Building in height.
Curious which skyscraper stands tallest in your state? Well, we've rounded up the tallest buildings in each of the 50 U.S. states, going by architectural height as defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). So that means significant architectural structures (like the spires atop of New York's One World Trade Center) count, but antennae (which you'll spot on Chicago's Willis Tower) don't. Read on to find out what the tallest building is in your state! And for more high-reaching trivia, here is The Weirdest Landmark Every State Is Extremely Proud Of.
City: Mobile
Height: 745 feet
Floors: 35
Year Completed: 2006
The RSA Battle House Tower (pictured here on the far right) is named in honor of the historic Battle House Hotel, which it also happens to be connected to. If you don't count Houston, Texas—and all of the massive developments there as a result of nonexistent zoning laws—the Tower is the tallest building on the Gulf Coast. And for some surprising places, check out the 23 Super Secret Spaces Hidden in Famous Landmarks.
City: Anchorage
Height: 296 feet
Floors: 22
Year Completed: 1983
This three-building complex is a physical manifestation of Alaska's long-time connection to the oil industry. Originally built as the Arco Tower in the early '80s, ConocoPhillips quickly became the primary tenant. According to a 2013 report in the Alaska Journal of Commerce, a real estate firm scooped up the entire property for $104 million. But the oil behemoth has continued to be the primary tenant, so the name stayed.
City: Little Rock
Height: 546 feet
Floors: 40
Year Completed: 1986
At the epicenter of Little Rock's central business district, you'll find Simmons Tower (pictured here in the middle), a mixed-use structure complete with quintessentially '80s architectural flair: dark glass windows and staggered setbacks. And for more fun cross-country tours, This Is the One Must-Visit City in Every State.
City: Phoenix
Height: 483 feet
Floors: 40
Year Completed: 1972
Though it dominates the Phoenix skyline, the Chase Tower—named as such because JP Morgan Chase occupies 27 floors of the structure—isn't just massive in height. It takes up an entire city block, too!
City: Los Angeles
Height: 1,100 feet
Floors: 73
Year Completed: 2016
The relatively new Wilshire Grand Center (pictured here on the right) muscled out the U.S. Bank Tower—also in L.A.—as the tallest building in California in 2016. It won the title by just 82 feet! And to test how well you know your skylines, Can You Guess These American Cities Based on Just a Photograph?
City: Denver
Height: 714 feet
Floors: 56
Year Completed: 1984
If you want to check out Republic Plaza in the Mile High City and do some good, sign up for the American Lung Association's annual Fight For Air Climb—a pledge drive in which participants climb up all 1,098 steps (56 stories) of the tower to raise funds for lung cancer research.
City: Hartford
Height: 535 feet
Floors: 38
Year Completed: 1980
Designed by the legendary architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (the same folks responsible for Dubai's Burj Khalifa, currently the world's tallest building), City Place I beat out the nearby Traveler's Tower by just six feet to become Connecticut's tallest building.
City: Wilmington
Height: 360 feet
Floors: 23
Year Completed: 1988
Another tower born from vaunted Skidmore, Owings & Merrill blueprints, 1201 North Market Street is the preeminent office building in Wilmington.
City: Miami
Height: 868 feet
Floors: 85
Year Completed: 2018
In 2018, Panorama Tower became the tallest building in Miami (and, not for nothing, the tallest residential building south of Manhattan). But the structure won't be holding the title for long. On the horizon is One Bayfront Plaza, a building in development in Miami that's planned to top out at 1,049 feet.
City: Atlanta
Height: 1,023 feet
Floors: 55
Year Completed: 1992
Bank of America Plaza is totally cutting-edge. Thanks to all manner of energy efficient augmentations—including glazed windows, faucet aerators, and an electronic waste recycling program—the structure is LEED-certified silver. And to see more of the region where this skyscraper stands, These Are the Best Road Trips in the South.
City: Honolulu
Height: 429 feet
Floors: 30
Year Completed: 1996
Built in the mid-'90s as the headquarters for First Hawaiian Bank, the state's largest financial firm, First Hawaiian Center also has some artsy bona fides: It's home to an offsite exhibition space of the Honolulu Museum of Art.
City: Boise
Height: 323 feet
Floors: 18
Year Completed: 2014
One of booming Boise's newest structures, Eighth & Main is built on hallowed ground. The lot originally housed a popular Oregon Trail waypoint before becoming an office building in the early 20th century. That structure then burned down in the late '80s and sat vacant for about 20 years, earning the nickname "The Boise Hole." In 2011, Zions Bank designated the space for their Idaho headquarters, and, voila: the state's tallest building was born.
City: Chicago
Height: 1,451 feet
Floors: 108
Year Completed: 1974
One of the most iconic skyscrapers on the planet, the Willis Tower (née Sears Tower) dwarfs the Chicago skyline—and almost the rest of the country's, too: Not counting One World Trade Center in New York City, it's the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. One of the structure's coolest features is the Skydeck, which sits at 1,300 feet, is open to the public, and has a completely transparent glass floor. Look down if you dare!
City: Indianapolis
Height: 811 feet
Floors: 45
Year Completed: 1991
Yes, Salesforce just cut the ribbon on their 61-story tower in San Francisco (that city's largest, by the way) in 2018. But not long before that, the tech giant became the primary tenant of Indianapolis' tallest building. As a result, in 2016, the structure was rebranded as Salesforce Tower Indianapolis.
City: Des Moines
Height: 630 feet
Floors: 45
Year Completed: 1991
Des Moines' 801 Grand is a veritable piece of art—a stunning riff on the Art Deco skyscrapers of the early 20th century. And aside from its height and beauty, the main draw is the 801 Chophouse, one of the top-rated steakhouses in Iowa. In 2018, the 48-seat restaurant earned top honors from both Wine Spectator and OpenTable. And for more facts delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
City: Wichita
Height: 325 feet
Floors: 22
Year Completed: 1989
Yes, the Epic Center is no doubt epic—but it was almost more epic. Rather than one 22-story structure, the original plans called for two 24-story ones. Still, it injected energy into Wichita's downtown when it finally opened in 1989. In addition to several high-profile law firms, the building is home to field offices for the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI.
City: Louisville
Height: 549 feet
Floors: 35
Year Completed: 1993
Kentucky's tallest building has had four names in its less-than-three-decade history. First, it was the Capital Holding Center, then it was the Providian Center, then the AEGON Center, and nowadays, it goes by 400 West Market, simply after its actual street address.
City: New Orleans
Height: 697 feet
Floors: 51
Year Completed: 1972
As the first official skyscraper in Louisiana, the Hancock Whitney Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 (as One Shell Square, its original name).
City: Lewiston
Height: 220 feet
Floors: 3
Year Completed: 1890
Built as St. Patrick's Church in the late 1800s, the Agora Grand is the oldest structure you'll read about in this article, by nearly 40 years! Today, it's been redone as an event center and, with a 450-person capacity, is one of Lewiston's most popular venues for weddings and conferences.
City: Baltimore
Height: 528 feet
Floors: 40
Year Completed: 1971
Before 2011, holding company Transamerica occupied one of the most iconic skyscrapers on the planet: San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid. But, in 2011, the company packed up and moved their headquarters into Maryland's tallest building, which was then renamed the Transamerica Tower. (Residents still sometimes call the skyscraper by its old name, the Legg Mason Building.)
City: Boston
Height: 790 feet
Floors: 62
Year Completed: 1976
Colloquially, the tallest tower in Massachusetts is known as the John Hancock Tower after John Hancock Financial Services, a long-term primary lessee. But, as reported by the Boston Globe in 2015, after the lease expired, the name had to change. Now, the glass and steel obelisk is officially known only by its address: 200 Clarendon. Still, ask any Bostonian, and they'll tell you it's called the John Hancock Tower (or, more simply, "The Hancock").
City: Detroit
Height: 755 feet
Floors: 73
Year Completed: 1977
Part of a complex of seven skyscrapers known as the GMRENCEN, the Detroit Marriott at Renaissance Center features 1,300 rooms and nearly three miles of riverwalk.
City: Minneapolis
Height: 792 feet
Floors: 57
Year Completed: 1973
At the base of the IDS Tower (pictured here in the middle) you'll find Crystal Court, a seven-story atrium that is dubbed the "crossroads of Downtown Minneapolis."
City: Biloxi
Height: 347 feet
Floors: 32
Year Completed: 1999
The Beau Rivage (that's French for "beautiful shore") was ravaged during Hurricane Katrina. But the hotel and casino reopened good as new on Aug. 29, 2006, exactly one year after the storm.
City: Kansas City
Height: 623 feet
Floors: 42
Year Completed: 1988
Though One Kansas City Place is seven feet shorter than Missouri's tallest structure, St. Louis' Gateway Arch, it's technically the tallest building in the state since the arch doesn't act as a residential or commercial building.
City: Billings
Height: 272 feet
Floors: 20
Year Completed: 1985
At 20 stories tall, the First Interstate Center dominates the Billings skyline. Don't confuse it with the First Interstate Center in nearby Missoula, though—that one's just six stories tall!
City: Omaha
Height: 633 feet
Floors: 46
Year Completed: 2002
As internet legend has it, The Tower at First National Center (colloquially called the First National Bank Tower) was designed to one-up the 801 Grand in Des Moines as the tallest skyscraper in the Heartland. It's just one story—and three feet—taller than Iowa's obelisk.
City: Paradise
Height: 642 feet
Floors: 50
Year Completed: 2008
Though it's on the Las Vegas Strip, the Palazzo's address technically falls within the limits of Paradise, a town adjacent to the City of Sin. However, Vegas is about to outdo itself on the "tallest building" front. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Drew, a glamorous 67-story resort, is set to open nearby in 2022, when it will officially claim its title.
City: Manchester
Height: 275 feet
Floors: 20
Year Completed: 1992
City Hall Plaza (pictured here on the right with the green roof) is far and away the tallest building in Northern New England (which consists of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont). Still, at a height of less than 300 feet, it's shorter than the majority of skyscrapers in the region's other main cities, like Boston, Providence, and Hartford.
City: Jersey City
Height: 781 feet
Floors: 42
Year Completed: 2018
Yes, 30 Hudson is the tallest building in New Jersey… but not for long! A nearby residential tower, 99 Hudson, will dwarf 30 Hudson by more than 100 feet when it's completed in the near future.
City: Albuquerque
Height: 351 feet
Floors: 22
Year Completed: 1990
Part of a two-tower complex, Albuquerque Plaza is connected to the nearby (yet markedly shorter) Hyatt Regency Albuquerque by a two-story promenade.
City: New York City
Height: 1,776 feet
Floors: 104
Year Completed: 2014
A physical testament to American patriotism, this skyscraper is constructed on the grounds of the Twin Towers, which were tragically destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001. If you count the spire (and experts at the CTBUH do), One World Trade Center clocks in at an astonishing 1,776 feet, making it not just the tallest structure in New York or even America, but in the entire Western Hemisphere. Also, note the significance of the height: It's the year the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.
City: Charlotte
Height: 871 feet
Floors: 60
Year Completed: 1992
If there's one building the Charlotte skyline is known for, it's the global headquarters of Bank of America. On the top, you'll notice a 100-foot silver crown, meant to pay homage to Charlotte's nickname, "the Queen City."
City: Bismarck
Height: 242 feet
Floors: 19
Year Completed: 1934
The tallest building in North Dakota also happens to be the most important building in North Dakota: It's the state capitol.
City: Cleveland
Height: 947 feet
Floors: 57
Year Completed: 1991
Columbus and Cincinnati have their fair share of tall buildings, but you'll find the tallest building in the state—Key Tower, the stratospheric headquarters of KeyBank—on the edge of Cleveland's Public Square.
City: Oklahoma City
Height: 850 feet
Floors: 50
Year Completed: 2012
Though there's no observation deck at Devon Energy Center, you can still get a 50-story view of Oklahoma City. Just book a reservation at Vast, a farm-to-table restaurant occupying the top two floors of the tower.
City: Portland
Height: 546 feet
Floors: 41
Year Completed: 1972
Technically, the Wells Fargo Center is a two-structure complex: a five-story office building (not the tallest building in Oregon) and a 40-story commercial-zoned tower (the tallest building in Oregon).
City: Philadelphia
Height: 1,121 feet
Floors: 60
Year Completed: 2018
For years, a gentlemen's agreement held that no structure would top the William Penn statue, perched high above Philly's hulking city hall (not pictured). Long since abrogated, the Comcast Technology Tower (pictured here on the left) is the latest building to soar past ol' Billy. It's also currently the holder of several records, including tallest building outside of Manhattan and Chicago, and 10th tallest building in the United States.
City: Providence
Height: 428 feet
Floors: 26
Year Completed: 1927
Officially, the tallest building in Rhode Island is called the Industrial National Bank Building. Unofficially (and Providence locals prefer this term), it's called the Superman Building—and it seems the building has run into some bureaucratic kryptonite. In early 2019, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named it one of the "most endangered buildings in the country."
City: Columbia
Height: 349 feet
Floors: 25
Year Completed: 1987
Despite its name, South Carolina's Capitol Center has nothing to do with governance. It just happens to be mere feet away from the South Carolina capitol.
City: Sioux Falls
Height: 174 feet
Floors: 11
Year Completed: 1986
Yes, it has "tower" in the name, but it's a matter of debate whether or not CenturyLink Tower (CLT) is a high-rise. Emporis, the internationally accepted gold standard for building information, defines high-rises as anything taller than 35 meters (which CLT is) or anything at least 12 stories in height (which CLT is not).
City: Houston
Height: 1,002 feet
Floors: 75
Year Completed: 1982
Hey, everything is bigger in Texas—and the JP Morgan Chase Tower (pictured here on the right) is no exception. The building houses a staggering 52 elevators and is currently the tallest five-sided tower on the planet.
City: Nashville
Height: 617 feet
Floors: 33
Year Completed: 1994
Locally, the AT&T Building is known as the Batman Building. You needn't look twice to understand why.
City: Salt Lake City
Height: 422 feet
Floors: 26
Year Completed: 1998
The Wells Fargo Center (originally built as the American Stores Tower) is the focal point of Salt Lake City's central business district. It features not one but two helipads!
City: Burlington
Height: 124 feet
Floors: 11
Year Completed: 1970
Many buildings in Burlington are of a similar height, but the tallest is a complex called the Decker Towers. In the early 1970s, the city of Burlington scooped up the property, and it is currently operating as public housing for seniors and those with disabilities.
City: Virginia Beach
Height: 508 feet
Floors: 38
Year Completed: 2007
You'd think the tallest tower in Virginia would be one of the corporate behemoths in Alexandria (which isn't limited by the height restrictions of Washington, D.C.). But the tallest building in Virginia is located even farther away from the capital: It's the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center (pictured here on the right).
City: Seattle
Height: 933 feet
Floors: 76
Year Completed: 1985
Even if you count the Space Needle as a skyscraper (it's not), Columbia Center is still the tallest building in Washington state. Oh, and with its Sky View Observatory perched at 902 feet, it offers even better views than Seattle's iconic structure can!
City: Charleston
Height: 293 feet
Floors: 4
Year Completed: 1932
The West Virginia state capitol has been built and torn down and rebuilt four times over. The latest iteration, which was finished in the middle of the Great Depression, also has the honor of being the state's tallest building—an honor it's held strong 'til this day.
City: Milwaukee
Height: 601 feet
Floors: 42
Year Completed: 1973
The U.S. Bank Center is the tallest building in Wisconsin, sure. But it also has another gold star: It's the tallest building on the route between Chicago and Minneapolis.
City: Cheyenne
Height: 148 feet
Floors: 11
Year Completed: 1990
The Wyoming Financial Center is indeed the tallest building in the state. But, like the CenturyLink Tower in Sioux Falls, it's a matter of debate on whether or not the thing counts as a high-rise. It is taller than 35 meters, but it's also one story short of the 12 in the CLT's definition. Hey, they can't all be One World Trade, right? And for more amazing tours around the country, These Are the Happiest States in the U.S.
ncG1vNJzZmialajBrbXFnqanpJmjsm%2BvzqZmrZmcobK0wIybrKKklJ67qL%2BMmqSeqpmYrnA%3D