History of the world's tallest structures

File:Burj Khalifa.jpg

Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, is currently the world's tallest building.

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} This is the History of the world's tallest structures.

Overall

Below is a list of the tallest structures supported by land. For most of the period from around 2650 BC to 1240 AD, the Egyptian pyramids (culminating in the Great Pyramid of Giza) were the tallest structures in the world. From 1240-1884 the records were held by European churches, and from 1954-2008 they were held by guyed radio or TV masts.

Since 2008, a skyscraper in Dubai called the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure supported by land, at 829.8 metres (2,722 feet). Although oil platforms supported by the sea have been the taller since about 1980, with some examples up to 2,934 metres (9,627 feet). And some countries monitor their borders with tethered aerostats which can rise to 6,096 metres (20,000 feet).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:Color box Taller than all past structures (including destroyed structures)

Record from	Record held (years)	Name and location	Constructed	Height (metres)	Height (feet)	Coordinates	Notes
c. 9500 BC<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	1,500	Göbekli Tepe, Turkey	c. 9500 BC	5-6	18	Template:Coord	Possibly one of the earliest known temples.
c. 8000 BC	4,000	Tower of Jericho, West Bank, Palestine	c. 8000 BC	8.5	27.9	Template:Coord	One of the earliest ever stone monuments.
c. 4000 BC	1,350	Anu ziggurat, Uruk, Iraq<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	c. 4000 BC	13	40	Template:Coord
c. 2650 BC	40	Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt	c. 2650 BC	62.5	205	Template:Coord	First Egyptian pyramid, formed of six stacked mastabas.
c. 2610 BC	5	Meidum Pyramid, Egypt	c. 2610 BC	91.65	301	Template:Coord	Shortly after completion Meidum Pyramid collapsed due to bad design/instability and is now Template:Convert.
c. 2605 BC	5	Bent Pyramid, Dashur, Egypt	c. 2605 BC	104.71	343.5	Template:Coord	Angle of slope decreased during construction to avoid collapse.
c. 2600 BC	30	Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt	c. 2600 BC	105	344.5	Template:Coord
c. 2570 BC	3,086 (first run)	Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt	c. 2570 BC	146.6	481	Template:Coord	See also 516-534 and 534-1240.
516	18	Yongning Pagoda in Luoyang, China<ref name="news.xinhuanet.com 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	516	147	482		It was destroyed by a lightning strike in 534. Its exact height is unknown, and estimates range from 137 m (in which case the Great Pyramid of Giza would've kept the record) to 240 m.
534	3,792 (prior 3,086 + new 706)	Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt	c. 2570 BC	146.6	481	Template:Coord	See also 2570 BC - 516 and 516 - 534. By 1647, the Great Pyramid's height had decreased to Template:Convert after its top was removed.
1240	71	Old St Paul's Cathedral in London, England	1087–1666	149	489	Template:Coord	The spire was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1561. Its height is disputed, for example by Christopher Wren (1632–1723), who suggested a height of Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Gutenberg</ref>
1311	237	Lincoln Cathedral in England	1092–1311	160	525	Template:Coord	The central spire was destroyed in a storm in 1549. While the reputed height of Template:Convert is accepted by most sources,<ref name="Haughton, Brian 2007 p.167">Haughton, Brian (2007), Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries, p. 167</ref><ref name="Michael Woods 2009 p.41">Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods (2009), Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, p. 41</ref><ref name=skyscrapernews>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Darwin Porter 2010 p.588">Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince (2010), Frommer's England 2010, p. 588</ref><ref name="Mary Jane Taber 1905 p.100">Mary Jane Taber (1905), The cathedrals of England: an account of some of their distinguishing characteristics, p. 100</ref><ref name="time.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> others consider it doubtful<ref name="Kendrick 1902 60">Template:Cite book</ref>
1549	20 (first run)	St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany	1384–1478	151	495	Template:Coord	See also resumption 1573–1647.
1569	4	Beauvais Cathedral in France	1272–1569	153	502	Template:Coord	Spire collapsed in 1573; today, the church stands at a height of 67.2 metres (220.5 ft).
1573	94 (prior 20 + new 74)	St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany	1384–1478	151	495	Template:Coord	See also 1549–1569. The church tower's spire burnt down after a lightning strike in 1647. Today the tower has a dome and stands at a height of Template:Convert.
1647	227	Strasbourg Cathedral in France	1439	142	466	Template:Coord	By 1647, the Pyramid of Khafre's height had decreased from Template:Convert to Template:Convert after its top was removed.
1874	2	St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany	1846–1874	147	483	Template:Coord	The nave was demolished by aerial bombing during World War II; only the spire remains.
1876	4	Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France	1202–1876	151	495	Template:Coord
1880	4	Cologne Cathedral in Germany	1248–1880	157.38	516	Template:Coord ;Template:Coord
1884	5	Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., United States	1848–1888	169.29	555	Template:Coord	The world's tallest all-stone structure, as well as the tallest obelisk-form structure.
1889	42	Eiffel Tower in Paris, France	1887–1889	312	1,024	Template:Coord	The addition of a telecommunications tower in the 1950s brought the overall height to Template:Convert.
1930	1	Chrysler Building in New York City, United States	1928–1930	319	1,046	Template:Coord
1931	23	Empire State Building in New York City, United States	1930–1931	381	1,250	Template:Coord	First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to Template:Convert. This was subsequently lowered to Template:Convert.
1954	2	Griffin Television Tower Oklahoma (AKA KWTV Transmission Tower), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States	1954	480.5	1,576	Template:Coord
1956	3	KOBR-TV Tower, Caprock, New Mexico, United States	1956	490.7	1,610	Template:Coord	Collapsed in 1960; rebuilt
1959	1	WGME TV Tower, Raymond, Maine, United States	1959	495	1,624	Template:Coord
1960	2	KFVS TV Mast, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, United States	1960	511.1	1,677	Template:Coord
1962	1	WTVM/WRBL-TV & WVRK-FM Tower, Cusseta, Georgia, United States	1962	533	1,749	Template:Coord
1963	0	WIMZ-FM-Tower, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States	1963	534.01	1,752	Template:Coord
1963	11 (first run)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also resumption 1991–1998 and 1998-2008.
1974	17	Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland	1974	646.4	2,121	Template:Coord	Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
1991	18 (prior 11 + new 7 for second run)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also 1963–1974 and 1998-2008.
1998	0	KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States<ref name="KRDK">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1966	629.1	2,064	Template:Coord	Height includes the 1998 addition of a short flagpole, which was later removed.
1998	28 (prior 18 + new 10)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also 1963–1974 and 1991-1998. 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack constructionTemplate:Citation needed
2008	Template:Age	Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2004–2009	829.8	2,722	Template:Coord

File:Maszt radiowy w Konstantynowie.jpg

Warsaw radio mast, the height record holder from 1974 to 1991

The Kanishka Stupa near Peshawar, Pakistan was built c. 151 and rebuilt in the 4th century. Ancient travelers claimed it was up to 171 metres (560 feet) tall, which would've been a record at the time. Although modern estimates suggest a height of 122 metres (400 feet), which would not have been a record. It was destroyed by lightning.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Guyed structures

As many large guyed masts were destroyed at the end of World War II, the dates for the years between 1945 and 1950 may be incorrect. If Wusung Radio Tower survived World War II, it was the tallest guyed structure shortly after World War II.

Record from	Record held (years)	Name and location	Constructed	Height		Coordinates	Notes
				m	ft
1913	7	Central mast of Eilvese transmitter, Eilvese, Germany	1913	250	820	Template:Coord	Mast was divided in 145 m by an insulator, demolished in 1931
1920	3	Central masts of Nauen Transmitter Station, Nauen, Germany	1920	260	853	Template:Coord	2 masts, demolished in 1946
1923	10	Masts of Ruiselede transmitter, Ruiselede, Belgium	1923	287	942	Template:Coord?	8 masts, destroyed in 1940
1933	6	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1933	314	1,031	Template:Coord	Blaw-Knox Tower, insulated against ground, destroyed in 1945; rebuilt
1939	7	Deutschlandsender Herzberg/Elster, Herzberg (Elster), Germany	1939	335	1,099	Template:Coord	Insulated against ground, dismantled 1946/1947
1946	2	Lakihegy Tower, Lakihegy, Hungary	1946	314	1,031	Template:Coord	Blaw-Knox Tower, Insulated against ground, rebuilt after destruction in 1945
1948	1	WIVB-TV Tower, Colden, New York, United States	1948	321.9	1,056	Template:Coord
1949	1	Longwave transmitter Raszyn, Raszyn, Poland	1949	335	1,099	Template:Coord	Insulated against ground
1950	4	Forestport Tower, Forestport, New York, United States	1950	371.25	1,218	Template:Coord	Insulated against ground, demolished
1954	From 1954-2008 guyed masts held the record for tallest structure overall, as seen in the table above.
1963	11 (first run)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also resumption 1991–1998 and 1998-2008.
1974	17	Warsaw Radio Mast, Gąbin, Poland	1974	646.4	2,121	Template:Coord	Mast radiator insulated against ground, collapsed in 1991
1991	18 (prior 11 + new 7 for second run)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also 1963–1974 and 1998-2008.
1998	0 (first run)	KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States<ref name="KRDK"/>	1966	629.1	2,064	Template:Coord	See also 2018-present. Height includes the 1998 addition of a short flagpole, which was later removed.
1998	38 (prior 18 + new 20)	KVLY-TV mast, Blanchard, North Dakota, United States.	1963	628.8	2,063	Template:Coord	See also 1963–1974 and 1991-1998. 75-foot analog antenna was removed from the top of the structure in 2018 in digital repack constructionTemplate:Citation needed
2018	Template:Age	KRDK-TV mast, Galesburg, North Dakota, United States	1997	628.0	2,060	Template:Coord	See also 1998.

Freestanding structures

Template:See also Freestanding structures must not be supported by guy wires (like guyed masts or partially guyed towers), or built underground or on the seabed and supported by the sea (such as the Petronius Platform). They include towers, chimneys, and skyscrapers (listed based on their pinnacle height). Until 1954, freestanding structures held the record for tallest structures overall, as seen in the Overall table above. Here are the records for freestanding structures after that point:

Record from	Record held (years)	Name and location	Constructed	Height (metres)	Height (feet)	Coordinates	Notes
1931	36	Empire State Building in New York City, United States	1930–1931	381	1,250	Template:Coord	First building with 100+ stories. The addition of a pinnacle and antennas later increased its overall height to Template:Convert. This was subsequently lowered to Template:Convert.
1967	8	Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Soviet Union	1963–1967	540	1,762	Template:Coord	Remains the tallest in Europe. Fire in 2000 led to extensive renovation.
1975	32	CN Tower in Toronto, Canada	1973–1976	553.33	1,815.39	Template:Coord	The tallest in the Western Hemisphere.
2007	Template:Age	Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2004–2009	829.8	2,722	Template:Coord	Holder of world's tallest freestanding structure. Topped out at Template:Convert in 2009.

File:Worlds tallest buildings, 1884.jpg

Diagram of the principal high buildings of the Old World, 1884

Notable mentions include the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, built in the third century BC and estimated between Template:Convert. It was the world's tallest non-pyramidal structure for many centuries. Another notable mention includes the Jetavanaramaya stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which was built in the third century, and was similarly tall at Template:Convert. These were both the world's tallest or second-tallest non-pyramidal structure for over a thousand years.

The tallest secular building between the collapse of the Pharos and the erection of the Washington Monument may have been the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy, which is Template:Convert tall, and was constructed in the first half of the fourteenth century; and the Template:Convert Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna, Italy, built between 1109 and 1119.

Freestanding towers

File:TaroTokyo20110213-TokyoTower-01.jpg

Tokyo Tower held the record of being the tallest tower in the world from 1958 to 1967. In addition, it held the record of being the tallest structure in Japan from 1958 to 2011, when the Tokyo Skytree (the current tallest tower in the world) surpassed it.

Towers include observation towers, monuments and other structures not generally considered to be "habitable buildings", they are meant for "regular access by humans, but not for living in or office work", meaning it excludes from this list of continuously habitable buildings and skyscrapers. Radio and TV masts with guy-wires for support are also excluded, since they aren't freestanding.

Bridge towers or pylons, chimneys, transmission towers, and most large statues allow human access for maintenance, but not as part of their normal operation, and are therefore not considered to be towers.

File:Toronto's CN Tower.jpg

The CN Tower in Toronto was the world's tallest freestanding structure from 1975 to 2007.

The following is a list of structures that have historically held the title as the tallest towers in the world.

Record from	Tower	Location	Pinnacle height
280 BC	Pharos Lighthouse	Alexandria, Egypt	122 m
1180	Malmesbury Abbey Tower	Malmesbury, UK	131.3 m
1240	From 1240-1930 towers held the record for tallest structure overall, as seen in the Overall table above.
1889	Eiffel Tower	Paris, France	312.3 m
1956	KCTV Broadcast Tower	Kansas City, Missouri, United States	317.6 m
1957	Eiffel Tower (with addition)	Paris, France	320.75 m
1958	Tokyo Tower	Tokyo, Japan	332.6 m
1967	Ostankino Tower	Moscow, Russia	540.1 m
1975	CN Tower	Toronto, Canada	553.33 m
2010	Canton Tower	Guangzhou, China	600 m
2011	Tokyo Skytree	Tokyo, Japan	634 m

Buildings

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an organization that certifies buildings as the "World's Tallest", recognizes a building only if at least 50% of its height is made up of floor plates containing habitable floor area.<ref name="ctbuh criteria">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Structures that do not meet this criterion, such as the CN Tower, are defined as "towers".

Up until the late 1990s, the definition of "tallest building" was not altogether clear. It was generally understood to be the height of the building to the top of its architectural elements including spires, but not including "temporary" structures (such as antennas or flagpoles), which could be added or changed relatively easily without requiring major changes to the building's design. Varying standards have been used by different organizations, so the accepted height of these structures or buildings depends on which standards are accepted. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has changed its definitions over time. Some of the controversy regarding the definitions and assessment of tall structures and buildings has included the following:

• the definition of a structure, a building and a tower
• whether a structure, building or tower under construction should be included in any assessment
• whether a structure, building or tower has to be officially opened before it is assessed
• whether structures built in and rising above water should have their below-water height included in any assessment.
• whether a structure, building or tower that is guyed is assessed in the same category as self-supporting structures.

Within an accepted definition of a building further controversy has included the following factors:

• whether only habitable height of the building is considered
• whether communication towers with observation galleries should be considered "habitable" in this sense
• whether rooftop antennas, viewing platforms or any other architecture that does not form a habitable floor should be included in the assessment
• whether a floor built at a high level of a telecommunications or viewing tower should change the tower's definition to that of a "building"

One historic case involved the building now famous for the Times Square Ball. Known as One Times Square (at 1475 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan), it was the headquarters for The New York Times, which gave Times Square its name. Completed in 1905, it reached a height of Template:Convert to its roof, or Template:Convert including its rooftop flagpole, which the Times hoped would give it a record high status but because a flagpole is not an integral architectural part of a building, One Times Square was not generally considered to be taller than the Template:Convert Park Row Building in Lower Manhattan, which was therefore still New York's tallest.<ref name="ctbuh defs history">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A bigger controversy was the rivalry between two New York City skyscrapers built in the Roaring Twenties—the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street. The latter was Template:Convert tall, had a shorter pinnacle, and had a much higher top occupied floor (the second category in the 1996 criteria for tallest building).<ref name="ctbuh defs history"/> In contrast, the Chrysler Building employed a very long Template:Convert spire secretly assembled inside the building to claim the title of world's tallest building with a total height of Template:Convert, despite having a lower top occupied floor and a shorter height when both buildings' spires are not counted in their heights.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although the architects of record for 40 Wall were H. Craig Severance and Yasuo Matsui, the firm of Shreve & Lamb (who also designed the Empire State Building) served as consulting architects. They wrote a newspaper article claiming that 40 Wall was actually the tallest, since it contained the world's highest usable floor. They pointed out that the observation deck of 40 Wall was nearly Template:Convert higher than the top floor of the Chrysler, whose surpassing spire was strictly ornamental and essentially inaccessible.<ref>Binders, George (August 2006). 101 of the World's Tallest Buildings. p. 102.</ref> Despite the protest, the Chrysler Building was generally accepted as the tallest building in the world for almost a year, until it was surpassed by the Empire State Building's Template:Convert in 1931.

That was in turn surpassed by the Template:Convert Twin Towers of New York's original World Trade Center in 1972, which were in turn surpassed by the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1974. Now called the Willis Tower since 2009, it was Template:Convert to its flat rooftop, or Template:Convert including its original antennas.<ref name="skyscraperpage.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> But in 1978 One World Trade Center (commonly known as the North Tower) attained a taller absolute height when it added its Template:Convert new broadcasting antenna, for a total height of Template:Convert. The WTC North Tower maintained this height record (including its antenna) from 1978 until 2000, when the owners of the Willis Tower extended its broadcasting antennae for a total height of Template:Convert.<ref name="skyscraperpage.com"/> Thus the status of the Willis Tower as the "totally" tallest was restored in the face of a new threat looming in the Far East—the "Siamese Twins".

File:Petronas Twin Towers 2010 April.jpg

The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world.

A major controversy erupted upon completion of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. These Twin Towers, at Template:Convert, had a higher architectural height (spires, not antennas), but a lower absolute pinnacle height and a lower top occupied floor than the Willis Tower in Chicago. Counting buildings as structures with floors throughout, and with antenna masts excluded, the Willis was still considered the tallest at that time. Excluding their spires, which are Template:Convert higher than the flat roof of Willis, the Petronas Towers are not taller than Willis. At their convention in Chicago, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) found the Willis Tower (without its antennas) to be the third-tallest building, and the Petronas Towers (with their spires) to be the world's two tallest buildings.<ref name="ctbuh defs history"/>

Responding to the ensuing controversy, the CTBUH then revised their criteria and defined four categories in which the world's tallest building can be measured, retaining the old criterion of height to architectural top, and adding three new categories:<ref name="ctbuh defs history"/>

1. Highest occupied floor
2. Height to top of roof (omitted from criteria from November 2009 onwards)<ref name="ctbuh defs change">Template:Cite news</ref>
3. Height to architectural top (including spires and pinnacles, but not antennas, masts or flagpoles). This measurement is the most widely used and is used to define the rankings of the 100 Tallest Buildings in the World.
4. Height to tip

The height-to-roof criterion was discontinued because relatively few modern tall buildings possess flat rooftops, making this criterion difficult to determine and measure.<ref name="ctbuh defs change"/> The CTBUH has further clarified their definitions of building height, including specific criteria concerning subbasements and ground level entrances (height measured from lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance rather than from a previously undefined "main entrance"), building completion (must be topped out both structurally and architecturally, fully clad, and able to be occupied), condition of the highest occupied floor (must be continuously used by people living or working and be conditioned, thus including observation decks, but not mechanical floors) and other aspects of tall buildings.<ref name="ctbuh defs change"/><ref name="ctbuh current defs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance.

A different superlative for skyscrapers is their number of floors. The original World Trade Center set that record at 110 in the early 1970s, and this was not surpassed until the Burj Khalifa opened in 2010.

Tall freestanding structures such as the CN Tower, the Ostankino Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower are excluded from these categories because they are not "habitable buildings", which are defined as frame structures made with floors and walls throughout.<ref name="ctbuh criteria"/>

Here are the world records by category since the CTBUH defined them in 1996:

Template:Color box World record at the time

Template:Color box Category omitted by CTBUH in 2009

Building	Highest occupied floor	Roof	Architectural top	Tip
1 World Trade Center (with its antenna added in 1979)	386 m (1,268 ft)	417 m (1,368 ft)	417 m (1,368 ft)	526.7 m (1,728 ft)
Willis Tower (with its antennas added in 1982)	413 m (1,354 ft)	442 m (1,450 ft)	442 m (1,451 ft)	520 m (1,707 ft)
Petronas Towers (completed 1998)	375 m (1,230 ft)	405 m (1,329 ft)	452 m (1,483 ft)	452 m (1,483 ft)
Willis Tower (with its antenna extension in 2000)	413 m (1,354 ft)	442 m (1,450 ft)	442 m (1,451 ft)	527.0 m (1,729 ft)
Taipei 101 (completed 2003)	438 m (1,437 ft)	449 m (1,474 ft)	508 m (1,667 ft)	509 m (1,671 ft)
Shanghai World Financial Center (completed 2008)	474 m (1,555 ft)	487 m (1,599 ft)	492 m (1,614 ft)	494 m (1,622 ft)
Burj Khalifa (completed 2010)	585 m (1,921 ft)	739 m (2,426 ft)	828 m (2,717 ft)	830 m (2,722 ft)

Observation decks

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Timeline of development of world's highest observation deck since opening of the Washington Monument in 1888.

Record from	Record held (years)	Name and location	Building constructed	Height above ground		Notes
				m	ft
1888	1	Washington Monument, Washington, D.C., United States	1884	152	500	Was the world's tallest structure when completed.
1889	42	Eiffel Tower, Paris, France	1889	275	902	Two lower observation decks at Template:Convert.
1931	42	Empire State Building, New York City, United States	1931	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1,211	On the 102nd floor – a second observation deck is located on the 86th floor at Template:Convert.
1973	1	2 World Trade Center, New York City, United States	1973	399.4	1,310	Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Indoor observation deck on the 107th floor of South Tower opened on April 4, 1973. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
1974	1	Willis Tower, Chicago, United States	1974	412.4	1,353	Measured from the Franklin Street entrance, 103rd floor observation deck opened on June 22, 1974
1975	1	2 World Trade Center, New York City, United States	1973	419.7	1,377	Measured from sea level, street level was 10 feet above sea level. Outdoor observation deck on rooftop of the South Tower opened on December 15, 1975. Destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
1976	28	CN Tower, Toronto, Canada	1976	446.5	1,464.9	Two further observation decks at Template:Convert.
2004	4	Taipei 101, Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan)	2004	449	1,474	Two other observation decks are at Template:Convert (91st-floor outdoor observation deck) and Template:Convert (89th-floor indoor observation deck).
2008	3	Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China	2008	474	1,555	Two further observation decks at Template:Convert.
2011	3	Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China	2011	488	1,601	The rooftop outdoor observation deck opened in December 2011. There are also several other indoor observation decks in the tower, the highest at Template:Convert.
2014	2	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2010	555	1,821	Opened on October 15, 2014, on the 148th floor.
2016	3	Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China	2015	562	1,841	Opened on July 1, 2016. there are also 2 more observation decks on the 118th and 119th floor, at 546 and 552 meters respectively.
2019	Template:Age	Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	2010	585	1,919	Opened on February 18, 2019, on the 154th floor. There are other observation decks on floors 153, 152, 148 (listed above), 125, and 124 (at Template:Convert).

Higher observation decks have existed on mountain tops or cliffs, rather than on tall structures. The Grand Canyon Skywalk, constructed in 2007, protrudes Template:Convert over the west rim of the Grand Canyon and is approximately Template:Convert above the Colorado River, making it the highest of these types of structures.Template:Citation needed

See also

• List of tallest buildings
• List of tallest structures
• History of the world's tallest buildings
• Tallest structures by category