Editing Skyscraper (section)

==History of the tallest skyscrapers==
{{Main|History of the tallest buildings in the world|List of tallest buildings}}
At the beginning of the 20th century, New York City was a center for the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts architectural]] movement, attracting the talents of such great architects as [[Stanford White]] and [[Carrere and Hastings]]. As better construction and engineering technology became available as the century progressed, New York City and Chicago became the focal point of the competition for the tallest building in the world. Each city's striking skyline has been composed of numerous and varied skyscrapers, many of which are icons of 20th-century architecture:

* The [[E. V. Haughwout Building]] in Manhattan was the first building to successfully install a passenger elevator, doing so on 23 March 1857.<ref>{{cite inside|pages=101-103}}</ref>
* The [[Equitable Life Building (Manhattan)|Equitable Life Building]] in Manhattan was the first office building to feature passenger elevators.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States|date=November 1901|title=The Elevator Did It|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jmwPAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA43|journal=The Equitable News: An Agents' Journal|issue=23|page=11|access-date=10 January 2012|archive-date=12 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012234137/http://books.google.com/books?id=jmwPAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA43|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt19960908">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=8 September 1996|title=1915 Equitable Building Becomes a 1996 Landmark|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/08/realestate/1915-equitable-building-becomes-a-1996-landmark.html|access-date=14 May 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809154626/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/08/realestate/1915-equitable-building-becomes-a-1996-landmark.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Home Insurance Building]] by [[William Le Baron Jenney]] in Chicago, which was built in 1884, was the first tall building with a steel skeleton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/topics/home-insurance-building|title=Home Insurance Building|work=HISTORY.com|date=21 August 2018 }}</ref>
* The [[Singer Building]], an expansion to an existing structure in [[Lower Manhattan]] was the world's tallest building when completed in 1908. Designed by [[Ernest Flagg]],<ref name="nyt20050102">{{cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|authorlink=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=2 January 2005|title=Streetscapes: Once the Tallest Building, but Since 1967 a Ghost|work=The New York Times|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/realestate/02scap.html|access-date=1 August 2010|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> it was {{convert|612|ft|m|sp=us}} tall.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Singer Building|website=The Skyscraper Center|publisher=[[Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat]]|url=https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/singer-building/2080|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612232448/https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/singer-building/2080|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The [[Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower]], across [[Madison Square Park]] from the [[Flatiron Building]], was the world's tallest building when completed in 1909. It was designed by the architectural firm of [[Napoleon LeBrun]] & Sons and stood {{Convert|700|ft|m|sp=us}} tall.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=26 May 1996|title=Streetscapes/Metropolitan Life at 1 Madison Avenue;For a Brief Moment, the Tallest Building in the World|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/26/realestate/streetscapes-metropolitan-life-1-madison-avenue-for-brief-moment-tallest.html|access-date=5 July 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* The [[Woolworth Building]], a neo-Gothic "Cathedral of Commerce" overlooking [[New York City Hall]], was designed by [[Cass Gilbert]]. At 792&nbsp;feet (241&nbsp;m), it became the world's tallest building upon its completion in 1913, an honor it retained until 1930.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|title=Streetscapes: 40 Wall Street; A Race for the Skies, Lost by a Spire|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|date=15 November 1992|url-access=limited|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html|access-date=3 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107033354/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/realestate/streetscapes-40-wall-street-a-race-for-the-skies-lost-by-a-spire.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[40 Wall Street]], a 71-story, {{Convert|927|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] tower designed by [[H. Craig Severance]], was the world's tallest building for a month in May 1930.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jay|last=Hoster|title=Early Wall Street 1830–1940|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]]|location=Charleston|year=2014|pages=127|isbn=978-1-4671-2263-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MA0vBQAAQBAJ|access-date=7 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/06/archives/bank-of-manhattan-built-in-record-time-structure-927-feet-high.html|title=Bank of Manhattan Built in Record Time; Structure 927 Feet High, Second Tallest in World, Is Erected in Year of Work.|date=6 May 1930|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 April 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 
* The [[Chrysler Building]] in New York City took the lead in late May 1930 as the tallest building in the world, reaching 1,046&nbsp;feet (319&nbsp;m).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=83 |title=Chrysler Building. Quote: An exhibition in the building's lobby reports the height as 1046 |publisher=Skyscraperpage.com |access-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> Designed by [[William Van Alen]], an [[Art Deco]] style masterpiece with an exterior crafted of brick,<ref>{{cite web|author=Emporis GmbH |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114867 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040415123744/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=114867 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=15 April 2004 |title=– Chrysler Building statistics |publisher=Emporis.com |access-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> the Chrysler Building continues to be a favorite of New Yorkers to this day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |title=America's Favorite Architecture: Chrysler Building ranked 9th |publisher=Favoritearchitecture.org |access-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510113118/http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php |archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref>
* The [[Empire State Building]], nine streets south of the Chrysler in Manhattan, topped out at 1,250&nbsp;feet (381&nbsp;m) and 102 stories in 1931.  The first building to have more than 100 floors, it was designed by [[Shreve, Lamb and Harmon]] in the contemporary [[Art Deco]] style and takes its name from the [[List of U.S. state nicknames|nickname]] of [[New York State]]. The antenna mast added in 1951 brought pinnacle height to 1,472&nbsp;feet (449&nbsp;m), lowered in 1984 to 1,454&nbsp;feet (443&nbsp;m).<ref name="pollak">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03EEDD153FF930A15757C0A9609C8B63&scp=4&sq=%22empire%20state%20building%22%20height%201,454&st=cse|title=75 YEARS: F. Y. I.|last=Pollak |first=Michael|date=23 April 2006|work=The New York Times|access-date=31 October 2009}}</ref>
* The [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] by [[Minoru Yamasaki]] officially surpassed the Empire State Building in 1970, was completed in 1973, and consisted of two tall towers and several smaller buildings. For a short time the World Trade Center's North Tower―completed in 1972―was the world's tallest building, until surpassed by the [[Willis Tower|Sears Tower]] in 1973. Upon completion, the towers stood for 28&nbsp;years, until the [[September 11 attacks]] destroyed the buildings in 2001.
* The [[Sears Tower]] (now known as Willis Tower) was completed in 1974. It was the first building to employ the "[[Tube (structure)|bundled tube]]" structural system, designed by [[Fazlur Khan]]. It was surpassed in height by the [[Petronas Towers]] in 1998, but remained the tallest in some categories until [[Burj Khalifa]] surpassed it in all categories in 2010. It is currently the third tallest building in the [[United States]], after [[One World Trade Center]] (which was built following 9/11), and [[Central Park Tower]] in [[New York City]].

Momentum in setting records passed from the United States to other nations with the opening of the [[Petronas Twin Towers]] in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1998. The record for the world's tallest building has remained in Asia since the opening of [[Taipei 101]] in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2004. A number of architectural records, including those of the world's tallest building and tallest free-standing structure, moved to the Middle East with the opening of the [[Burj Khalifa]] in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This geographical transition is accompanied by a change in approach to skyscraper design. For much of the 20th century large buildings took the form of simple geometrical shapes. This reflected the "international style" or [[Modern architecture|modernist]] philosophy shaped by [[Bauhaus]] architects early in the century. The last of these, the Willis Tower and World Trade Center towers in New York, erected in the 1970s, reflect the philosophy. Tastes shifted in the decade which followed, and new skyscrapers began to exhibit [[Postmodernism|postmodernist]] influences. This approach to design avails itself of historical elements, often adapted and re-interpreted, in creating technologically modern structures. The Petronas Twin Towers recall Asian [[pagoda]] architecture and Islamic geometric principles. Taipei 101 likewise reflects the [[pagoda]] tradition as it incorporates ancient [[Motif (visual arts)|motifs]] such as the [[Ruyi (scepter)|ruyi]] symbol. The Burj Khalifa draws inspiration from traditional [[Islamic art]]. Architects in recent years{{when|date=October 2024}} have sought to create structures that would not appear equally at home if set in any part of the world, but that reflect the culture thriving in the spot where they stand.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

The following list measures height of the roof, not the pinnacle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/statistics/worlds-tallest-buildings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127102428/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/worlds-tallest-buildings |url-status=usurped |archive-date=27 January 2012 |title=The World's Tallest Buildings &#124; Statistics |publisher=Emporis |access-date=12 March 2014}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=March 2014}} The more common gauge is the "highest architectural detail"; such ranking would have included Petronas Towers, built in 1996.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Built || Building || City || Country || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Official Height||Floors|| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Pinnacle || Current status
|-
|1870 || [[Equitable Life Building (New York City)|Equitable Life Building]] || [[New York City|New York]] || rowspan=12| {{flag|United States}} || 43&nbsp;m||142&nbsp;ft|| 8 || || || Destroyed by fire in 1912
|-
|1889 || [[Auditorium Building, Chicago|Auditorium Building]] || [[Chicago]] || 82&nbsp;m||270&nbsp;ft||17 |||||| Standing
|-
|1890 || [[New York World Building]] || [[New York City|New York]] || 94&nbsp;m||309&nbsp;ft||20 ||106&nbsp;m||349&nbsp;ft|| Demolished in 1955
|-
|1894 || [[Philadelphia City Hall]] || [[Philadelphia]] || 155.8&nbsp;m||511&nbsp;ft  || 9 || 167&nbsp;m||548&nbsp;ft|| Standing
|-
|1908 || [[Singer Building]] || rowspan=7| [[New York City|New York]] || 187&nbsp;m||612&nbsp;ft|| 47 |||||| Demolished in 1968
|-
|1909 || [[Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower|Met Life Tower]] || 213&nbsp;m||700&nbsp;ft||50 |||||| Standing
|-
|1913 || [[Woolworth Building]] || 241&nbsp;m||792&nbsp;ft||57 |||||| Standing
|-
|1930 || [[40 Wall Street]] || 282&nbsp;m||925&nbsp;ft|| 70||283&nbsp;m||927&nbsp;ft|| Standing
|-
|1930 || [[Chrysler Building]] || 319&nbsp;m||1046&nbsp;ft||77 ||319&nbsp;m||1,046&nbsp;ft|| Standing
|-
|1931 || [[Empire State Building]] || 381&nbsp;m||1,250&nbsp;ft||102 ||443&nbsp;m||1,454&nbsp;ft|| Standing
|-
|1972 || [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] (North Tower) || 417&nbsp;m||1,368&nbsp;ft||110 ||526.8&nbsp;m||1,728&nbsp;ft|| Destroyed in 2001 in the [[September 11 attacks]]
|-
|1974 || [[Willis Tower]] (formerly Sears Tower) || [[Chicago]] || 442&nbsp;m||1,450&nbsp;ft || 110 || 527.3&nbsp;m||1,729&nbsp;ft  || Standing
|-
|1996 || [[Petronas Towers]] || [[Kuala Lumpur]] || {{flag|Malaysia}} || 451.9&nbsp;m ||1,483&nbsp;ft  || 88 || 451.9&nbsp;m || 1,483&nbsp;ft || Standing
|-
|2004 || [[Taipei 101]] || [[Taipei]] || {{flag|Taiwan}} || 508.3&nbsp;m ||1,667&nbsp;ft  || 101 || 509.2&nbsp;m || 1,668&nbsp;ft || Standing
|-
|2010 || [[Burj Khalifa]] || [[Dubai]] || {{flag|United Arab Emirates}} || 828&nbsp;m || 2,717&nbsp;ft || 163 || 829.8&nbsp;m || 2,722&nbsp;ft  || Standing
|}

===Gallery===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="220">
File:Empire State Building cropped.jpg|The [[Empire State Building]] was the tallest from 1931 to 1971. It was the first skyscraper to have over 100 floors.
File:Photo of WTC1 (cropped).jpg|The original [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|1 World Trade Center]] (North Tower) was the tallest in the world from 1971 to 1974
File:Sears Tower1.JPG|The [[Willis Tower]] in Chicago was the world's tallest building from 1974 to 1998
File:The Twins SE Asia 2019 (49171985716) (cropped) 2.jpg|The [[Petronas Towers]] in Kuala Lumpur were the tallest from 1998 to 2004.
File:Taipei 101 in 2019.jpg|[[Taipei 101]] in Taipei, the world's tallest skyscraper from 2004 to 2010, was the first to exceed the {{cvt|500|m}} mark.
</gallery>