Author
Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist who’s worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.
Top 25 States Ranked by Their Tallest Building
June is Skyscraper Month so EmpireStakes.com decided to take a break from NY sports betting to rank states by their tallest buildings. Unsurprisingly, New York wins. If we’d just ranked the tallest buildings overall, New York City and Chicago would hold the first 13 spots.
We utilized World Poplulation Review’s “Tallest Building by State” list to develop a ranking of the Top 25 states by their tallest building in the state.
Here is a list you won’t find on any NY betting apps:
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Tallest Buildings in States
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Snapshots of Skyscrapers
In first place, is One World Trade Center, at a patriotic 1776 feet. Built on the northwest corner of the former Twin Towers site, One WTC is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the seventh tallest building in the world. It was designed by Yale alum David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and opened Nov. 3, 2014. By the way, the tallest building in the world is Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, whose tippy top is nearly 1,000 feet higher.
In second place in the U.S. is Illinois, with the Willis Tower in Chicago, trying to reach the clouds at 1,451 feet. Previously called the Sears Tower, it opened in 1973 and until 1998 was the world’s tallest building. Now it’s No. 23 in the world. It was officially re-named the Willis Tower in 2009 and was purchased by the Blackstone Group in 2013 for $1.3 billion, and then restored for another $500 million in 2017. The building was designed by University of Pennsylvania graduate Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
At No. 3 is Pennsylvania with the 1,121-foot Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia. The building, not to be confused with the Comcast Tower across the street, is the 14th tallest in America. The designer was Foster & Partners, with interiors by Gensler (no relation). It opened in July 2018.
California comes in at No. 4 with the Wilshire Grand Center, rising 1,100 feet in Los Angeles. It was designed by AC Martin Partners and opened June 2017. The tallest building west of Chicago, its construction holds the record for the longest continuous pour of concrete — 82 million pounds.
Georgia snags the fifth spot with Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta — 1,023 feet. It’s the 23rd tallest building in the U.S. and tallest in the southeast. It was designed by Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo and Associates and opened in 1992. At that time, it was the 8th tallest building in the country and tallest outside of NYC and Chicago.
Texas, at No. 6, is our last state winner with a building over 1,000 feet. The JP Morgan Chase Tower in Houston sneaks by with 2 feet to spare. This one is the tallest building in the south-central part of the country and the tallest five-sided building in the world. It was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and opened in 1982.
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