Tallest Buildings in NYC: New York's 15 Loftiest Skyscrapers

New York City, with its bravado and competitive thirst, is home to many of the tallest buildings in the country. While there are certainly practical reasons for why our buildings keep growing — a more populous city demands higher-density housing and office space, for example — maybe we also just like seeing big things get bigger? Either way, here’s a look at the tallest buildings in NYC, covering both commercial and residential skyscrapers over 1,000 feet. Don’t look down!

1. One World Trade Center: 1,776 feet

New York City’s tallest building is a testament to the marvels of engineering, and to something more existential: the spirit of American resilience. One World Trade is one of several buildings at the 16-acre Ground Zero complex, which includes the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum. From ground to roof, this glassy office tower runs 1,368 feet, with a 408-foot spire bringing its total height to a symbolic 1,776 feet. As the tallest building in the United States, and the sixth-tallest in the world, this giant at the former site of the twin towers represents so much to so many, even if the architectural consensus is that it’s not all that pretty.

2. Central Park Tower: 1,550 feet (Due in 2020)

Located at 217 W. 57^th St., the Central Park Tower, also known as the Nordstrom Tower, will boast $4.4 billion worth of condo residences spread over 130 floors when it opens, becoming the country’s tallest residential tower. Construction began in 2014 but experienced delays when, in May 2018, a sheet of glass weighing 3,000 pounds tipped over onto a security guard, killing him. Following the tragedy, city officials put a hold on the project. When completed in 2020, the Central Park Tower will also be home to the first Nordstrom department store in New York City.

3. 111 W 57^th St: 1,428 feet (Due in 2019)

This 82-story building from the JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group will hold the distinction of being the thinnest skyscraper in the world, with a width-to-height ratio of 1:23. Also of note is that construction of the building was abetted by the use of NYC’s tallest freestanding crane. Various delays have plagued the construction of this skinny tower, but it’s expected to be completed this year.

4. One Vanderbilt: 1,401 feet (Due in 2020)

Located at the corner of East 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue, this skyscraper adjacent to Grand Central broke ground in October 2016 and will feature 57 floors and 1.6 million square feet of space when complete. TD Bank has signed on as the anchor tenant for One Vanderbilt, which is designed by architect Kohn Pedersen Fox. The building’s proximity to Grand Central comes with a bonus: the cost of construction includes improvements that will provide extra capacity for passengers entering NYC. Look for new underground connections, new mezzanines and exits, new stairways, and a commuter waiting area.

5. 432 Park Ave: 1,397 feet

Built on the former site of the storied Drake Hotel, 432 Park Avenue is a 96-story tower featuring 125 units. This thin, Lego-like tower — visible from all over New York City — was designed by notable architect Rafael Viñoly, who found inspiration for the project in a trash can from 1905. Beloved by well-heeled buyers but disliked by some critics, 432 Park is arguably a reflection of Viñoly’s claim that “There are only two markets, ultraluxury and subsidized housing.”

6. 30 Hudson Yards: 1,268 feet (Due in 2019)

When completed, 30 Hudson Yards will be the tallest building in the Hudson Yards project — the complex of commerce and residence on 11th Avenue between 30th and 33rd streets. It’ll also be the second-tallest office building in NYC, with 73 floors, 2.5 million square feet of commercial space, and a glass observation deck at 1,000 feet specially designed to dazzle (or terrify) you.

7. Empire State Building: 1,250 feet

The crown jewel of New York’s Art Deco masterpieces, the Empire State Building holds many distinctions — it’s one of the most iconic, instantly recognizable, and universally beloved human-made structures in existence. Built in 1931 and designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, this beauty boasts 102 floors, countless film cameos, and the uncanny ability to invoke lush, black-and-white images of workers taking lunch on girders in the open air, soaring above bread lines and unemployment — a stubborn city grimed in the Great Depression, its nose to the grindstone, eyes on the stars.

8. Bank of America Tower: 1,200 feet

Also known as One Bryant Park, this building opened in 2010 and features 55 stories and 2.35 million square feet of interior space. It lords over Bryant Park itself, one of Midtown’s much-needed respites. Developed by the Durst Corporation, the Bank of America Tower holds a do-gooder distinction: It is an environmentally friendly structure that makes use of floor-to-ceiling insulated glazing, helping to contain heat and maximize natural light. It also utilizes automatic daylight dimming, plus a greywater system for capturing and recycling rainwater.

9. 45 Broad St: 1,200 feet (Due in 2021)

When completed, 45 Broad St. will be become downtown’s tallest residential tower. The skyscraper will feature 245 residences and a five-story retail base. Its notable bronze façade, hearkening back to Art Deco aesthetics, will stand in stark contrast to the glassier and more modern buildings it abuts.

10. 3 World Trade Center: 1,079 feet

Another member of the new World Trade family, 3 WTC opened in June 2018, introducing 80 stories and 2.5 million square feet of office space to the area. As if in reaction to what once stood nearby, the building’s website promises “life-safety systems [that] far exceed NYC building code.”

11. 9 DeKalb Ave: 1,066 feet (Due in 2020)

The first supertall building planned outside of Manhattan, this skyscraper will be the tallest structure in Brooklyn. Located in Downtown Brooklyn, this stone, bronze, and stainless-steel tower will include 550 condos and apartments encompassing 466,000 square feet.

12. 53W53: 1,050 feet

Designed by Pritzker-prize winning architect Jean Nouvel, 53 W. 53rd St., also known as the MoMA tower, is a gorgeous, glassy building located directly next to the Museum of Modern Art. It boasts 145 residences spread over 82 stories, and will eventually feature three floors of MoMA gallery space.

13. (Tie) Chrysler Building: 1,046 feet

Another Art Deco giant from the golden age of New York City architecture, the Chrysler Building, much like its taller, younger sibling the Empire State Building, is a steadfast champion of 1930s modernist ideals. Just as glitzy and regal as the Empire, the Chrysler is more famous for its masterful setbacks — those step-like recessions built into the sides of many supertall buildings. These ones are special, though, featuring hood ornaments, hubcaps and fenders — all nods to the building’s namesake. 

14. (Tie) The New York Times Building: 1,046 feet

Renzo Piano designed this tower for the New York Times Company and its development partner, Forest City Ratner Companies. Finished in 2007, it is a significant addition to the NYC skyline at just over 1,000 feet. The 52-story glass and steel structure is made of floor-to-ceiling glass windows and exposed steel columns with accents of red and marigold. Piano designed the building with a dramatic double-skin curtain wall with ceramic rods that act as a sun screen, and an inner wall of floor-to-ceiling water-white glass. The spread-out elevator shafts mean one can see more than 350 feet through the building.

15. The Spiral: 1,031 feet (Due in 2022)

This aptly named project from starchitect Bjarke Ingels will be located on West 34th Street between Hudson Boulevard and Tenth Avenue in Hudson Yards. Each of the 65 floors in this skyscraper will feature outdoor gardens that spiral around the building. The gardens are an innovative answer to the architectural setback required for skyscrapers above a certain height.

16. 35 Hudson Yards: 1,009 feet (Due in 2019)

This Hudson Yards mixed-use tower will stand at 11th Avenue and West 33rd Street. Part of the Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group’s tower grouping, this one will contain 137 condo units that start on the 31st floor, along with office space, stores, and an Equinox hotel and fitness club. The cool cylindrical shape was designed by David Childs and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and will rise 72 stories.

17. One57: 1,004 feet

Capping off our list is One57, located at 157 W. 57th St., a spotted, glassy tower designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc. Home to a new flagship Park Hyatt hotel, as well as some incredibly expensive condos, One57 is characterized by its oscillating use of dark and light glass and its curvy outlines. You can’t miss the blue building looming high above Central Park.

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