Five cities where the “then” tallest building was leveled by choice – UPDATED

Identified below are five American cities where the tallest skyscraper was demolished (imploded) by choice versus being destroyed by and act of war, storms, earthquake, terrorism, or other tragic event. Though there is a caveat to that summary. A corporate bankruptcy led to the loss of one of these towers and two hurricanes damaged another one beyond repair and restoration. Both of those are tragic events, as well — they just happened to take longer to have an permanent impact on the building’s viability versus a sudden event.

These other three buildings were eventually lost due to time and deterioration after being vacant for an extended period. And as time passed, the cost-effectiveness of rehabilitating them became prohibitive.

With three of the cases, new developments have replaced or will soon replace the lost skyscraper with new uses on the properties. In Lake Charles, the city has purchased the property and will be developing and lakefront amphitheater on the site. An adjacent hotel is also planned. The Flint site is now a park and green space.

Fortunately for four of these cities, the loss of a signature skyscraper has had a silver lining, as new developments are already revitalizing three of the sites, and exciting plans have been developed for the other. Once completed, it is hoped all four redevelopments will find long-term success and lead to further investments in the surrounding vicinity.

Peace!

*Added Flint, MI on 4/26/25

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Bethlehem, PA – Martin Tower (1972-2019) = 332 feet/21 stories

• Vacated entirely by 2007 after Bethlehem Steel bankruptcy several years earlier. A recent master plan for the site is provided below.

——-

Evansville, IN – Old National Bank Tower/a.k.a. 420 Main (1970-2021) = 248 feet/18 stories

• Vacant after ONB moved its headquarters to the riverfront in 2004. A new mixed-use development (424 Main) is under development on the site (see second image below).

——-

Added on 4/26/25:

Flint, MI – Genesee Towers (1968-2013) = 250 feet/19 stories – only one building despite the name being plural

• Poor maintenance and loss of its occupants. Currently a park and green space.

Frankfort, KY – Capital Plaza Office Tower (1972-2018) = 338 feet/28 stories

• Vacated due to poor structural condition in 2016. Portions of the site were redeveloped with the Mayo-Underwood Building and parking garage (see second image below).

——-

Lake Charles, LA – Capital One/Hertz Tower (1982-2024) = 314 feet (not including antenna)/22 stories

• Badly damaged by Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020. A lakefront amphitheater and hotel will be developed on the site.

SOURCES:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Tower
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_Main#
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_Plaza_Office_Tower_(Frankfort%2C_Kentucky)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_One_Tower_(Louisiana)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_voluntarily_demolished_buildings
• https://martinabros.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/2020-August-MAPEI-Feature.pdf
• https://107jamz.com/big-changes-coming-to-downtown-lake-charles-new-development-to-former-capital-one-tower-site/
• https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=581760070906906&set=pcb.581760137573566
• https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2025/02/martin-tower-sites-1st-new-buildings-since-19-implosion-set-to-open-this-summer.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesee_Towers
• https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/06/first_look_at_downtown_flints.html

#buildings #cities #demolition #history #implosions #landUse #mixedUses #planning #redevelopment #revitalization #skylines #skyscrapers

Tuesday #TimeLapse - Cloud Cover - Watching a the storm #clouds twist and turn their way through the #SkyScrapers of #KualaLumpur, #Malaysia.

https://youtu.be/bPhAELCOtUc?si=DFTcQ-siWv82trRn

#Toronto #UrbanForest #Skyscrapers

Can you believe the Petronas Twin Towers outshined the Sears Tower just by being built to meet the definition of a taller skyscraper? They didn't even need anyone's approval to do it! https://youtube.com/shorts/smygOm4S9W4?si=05gTmNmypqUslbTX #PetronasTwinTowers #SearsTower #Skyscrapers #Architecture #TallestBuildings #Malaysia #Chicago #Engineering #Innovation #Design #Achievement

Sao Paulo City
Watercolour

Sao Paulo City, Brazil, downtown drawn from the 43rd floor of the Mirante do Vale building , skyscrapers , Banespa, Martinelli,( Centre, red), City Hall, (Edifício Matarazzo), right, Viaduto de Cha, behind is Edificio Planalto.
[ Prints : https://james-mccormack.pixels.com/featured/sao-paulo-city-james-mccormack.html ]

#skyscraper #mastodaoine #city #saopaulo #brazil #brasil #FediGiftShop #MastoArt #downtown #BuyIntoArt #skyscrapers #martinelli #cityhall #mirantedovale #jamesmccormackartist #watercolour #watercolor

“The lights must never go out,
The music must always play…”
W.H.Auden - 1939

A rainy night scene based on a 1937 black and white photo of NYC.

Prints: https://mark-tisdale.pixels.com/featured/vintage-1937-view-of-nyc-at-night-mark-tisdale.html

#NYC #NewYork #NewYorkCity #Skyscrapers #Art #DigitalArt #Vintage #ArtForSale #MastoArt #FediArt #CreativeToots #FediGiftShop #MarkOnArt

Tallest state office buildings in the USA

Listed below are the tallest state office buildings, not including the capitol buildings themselves, in the United States. While most are located in the capital city, a number of them are located in cities with larger populations within the same state. Peace!

NOTES: * Not originally a state office building. # Not located in the capital city.

_______

1. James A. Rhodes State Office Tower (1974): Columbus, OH = 629 feet/41 stories

2. Empire State Plaza/Erastus Corning Tower (1973): Albany, NY = 589 feet/44 stories

3. *State of Georgia Building (1966): Atlanta, GA = 566 feet/44 stories

4. Vern Riffe State Office Tower (1988): Columbus, OH = 503 feet/32 stories

5. *#William Donald Schaefer Building (1986): Baltimore, MD = 493 feet/37 stories (state occupies 29 stories)

6. *William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower (1970: Nashville, TN = 452 feet/31 stories

7. James Monroe State Office Building (1981): Richmond, VA = 449 feet/29 stories – may be demolished in the not-too-distant future

8. James K. Polk State Office Building (1981): Nashville, TN = 392 feet/24 stories

9. California EPA Building (2000): Sacramento, CA = 372 feet/25 stories

10. #State Office Building (1958): Philadelphia, PA = 351 feet/18 stories

11. Natural Resources Tower (2021): Sacramento, CA = 344 feet/22 stories

12. #Elihu M Harris State Office Building (1998): Oakland, CA = 328 feet/23 stories

13. Executive Office Building (1977): Tallahassee, FL = 322 feet/22 stories

14-17. Empire State Plaza/Four Agency Towers (1976): Albany, NY = 310 feet/23 stories

18. John W. McCormack State Office Building (1975): Boston, MA = 302 feet/22 stories

19. Andrew Jackson State Office Building (1969): Nashville, TN = 286 feet/17 stories

20. General Services Building (1999): Sacramento, CA = 279 feet/19 stories

21. #Ronald Reagan State Building (1990): Los Angeles, CA = 269 feet/18 stories

22. #State of Illinois/555 W. Monroe (2002): Chicago, IL = 260 feet/17 stories

23. Walter Sillers State Office Building (1972): Jackson, MS = 250 feet/20 stories

24. #Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building (1973): New York City, NY ~ 247 feet/19 stories

25. John Tyler State Office Building (1992): Richmond, VA = 229 feet/11 stories

26. Rachel Carson State Office Building (1990): Harrisburg, PA = 230 feet/17 stories

27. State Resources Building (1964): Sacramento, CA = 230 feet/16 stories

28-29. Department of Justice Building (1995): Sacramento, CA = 227 feet/18 stories and William P. Clements Jr. State Office Building (1986): Austin , TX = 227 feet/15 stories

30. #Maryland State Office Building (1957): Baltimore, MD = 224 feet/15 stories

31. George H.W. Bush State Office Building (2022): Austin, TX = 222 feet/14 stories

32. *#Cadillac Place (1922): Detroit, MI = 220 feet/15 stories

33. General Assembly Building (2023): Richmond, VA = 215 feet/14 stories

34. Indiana Government Center North (1960): Indianapolis, IN = 214 feet/14 stories

35. Barbara Jordan State Office Building (2022): Austin, TX = 211 feet/12 stories

36. Department of Labor Building (1962): Trenton, NJ = 203 feet/14 stories

37-38. James Madison State Office Building (1964): Richmond, VA and Thomas Jefferson State Office Building (1956): Richmond, VA = 200 feet/15 stories

39. Kentucky State Office Building: Frankfort, KY = 187 feet/13 stories

40. Docking State Office Building (1957): Topeka, KS = 182 feet/13 stories

41-42. Wisconsin State Office Building (1939): Madison, WI = 177 feet/11 stories – may be sold soon by the state and *William P. Hobby, Jr. State Office Building (1986): Austin, TX = 177 feet/13 stories

43. Woolfolk State Office Building (1949): Jackson, MS = 169 feet/16 stories

44. Jefferson State Office Building (1951): Jefferson City, MO ~ 167 feet/13 stories

45. George Washington State Office Building (1923): Richmond, VA ~ 165 feet/12 stories

46. State Department of Health: Oklahoma City, OK = 164 feet/12 stories

47. Louisiana State Office Building (1927): Baton Rouge, LA = 160 feet/12 stories

48. *George W. Romney Building (1926): Lansing, MI = 158 feet/13 stories

49. Landon State Office Building (1910): Topeka, KA = 140 feet/10 stories

50. *#Wainwright State Office Building (1891): St. Louis, MO – 135 feet/10 stories

51. State Transportation Building (1958): St. Paul MN = 131 feet/10 stories

52. Rachel Jackson State Office Building (1985): Nashville, TN = 116 feet/8 stories

53. Lucas State Office Building (1950): Des Moines, IA = 108 feet/6 stories

More information needed:

• Eisenhower State Office Building (1965): Topeka, KS = ?/14 stories
• Galvez State Office Building (2003): Baton Rouge, LA = ?/13 stories
• California Tower: Riverside, CA = /11 stories
• State of Arizona Executive Tower: Phoenix, AZ = ?/10 stories
• Bienville State Office Building (2006): Baton Rouge, LA = ?/9 stories
• Iberville State Office Building (2006): Baton Rouge, LA = ?/9 stories
• State Office Tower: Honolulu, HI

SOURCES:

• https://exploringmontgomery.com/lurleen-wallace-office-building/
• https://www.dms.myflorida.com/business_operations/real_estate_development_and_management/bureau_of_operations_and_maintenance/building_information/capitol_complex_information
• skyscraperpage.com
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Georgia_Building
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vern_Riffe_State_Office_Tower
• https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/555-west-monroe-street/40202
• https://www.in.gov/core/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_G._Stratton_Building
• https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=108723
• https://admin.ks.gov/offices/facilities-property-management/docking-state-office-building-reconstruction/building-history
• https://klrd.gov/publications/status-of-the-docking-state-office-building/
• https://www.skydb.net/city/730969187/topeka/
• https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/kentucky-state-office-building/32751
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_State_Office_Tower
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erastus_Corning_Tower#Observation_deck
• https://www.whlcarchitecture.com/projects/bienville-state-office-building
• https://www.skydb.net/building/9107145/bienville-office-building-baton-rouge/
• https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=30294
• https://web.archive.org/web/20150221074259/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/city/102363/baton-rouge-la-usa
• https://www.hollyandsmith.com/portfolioproject/w-c-c-claiborne-building
• https://downtownbatonrouge.org/about-ddd/building-inventory/iberville-building
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Donald_Schaefer_Building#:~:text=The%20William%20Donald%20Schaefer%20Building,employees%20in%2014%20state%20agencies.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCormack_Building
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott-Larsen_Building
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Romney_Building
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Place
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolfolk_State_Office_Building
• https://web.archive.org/web/20160324105050/http://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/city/101810/jackson-ms-usa
• https://oa.mo.gov/content/jefferson-state-office-building
• https://oa.mo.gov/content/wainwright-state-office-building-st-louis
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainwright_Building
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rachel_Carson_Building,_Market_Street,_Harrisburg,_PA.jpg
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rachel_Carson_Building,_Market_Street,_Harrisburg,_PA.jpg
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Sacramento
• https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?
• https://web.archive.org/web/20160312133218/http://www.emporis.com/buildings/123014/andrew-jackson-state-office-building-nashville-tn-usa
• https://web.archive.org/web/20180414010819/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/236470/rachel-jackson-building-nashville-tn-usa
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Nashville
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_P._Hobby,_Jr._State_Office_Building
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barbara_Jordan_State_Office_Building.png
• https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/william-p-clements-jr-state-office-bldg/10793
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_HW_Bush_State_Office_Building.png
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Building
• https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/01/27/downtown-richmond-new-state-office-building
• https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=84
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Office_Building_(Madison,_Wisconsin)
• https://www.skydb.net/building/433070740/docking-state-office-building-topeka/
• https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/ronald-reagan-state-building-south-tower/39277
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elihu_M._Harris_State_Office_Building

#Adam #agencies #architecture #buildings #capitals #cities #design #Elihu #geography #government #highrises #history #landUse #Maryland #Not #planning #Ronald #skylines #skyscrapers #State #states #tourism #towers #travel

That time of the year.

#photography #urbanphotography #spring #japan #sakura #cherryblossoms #sakuraseason #trees #cityscape #osaka #obp #kyobashi #flowers #skyscrapers

G.
City Pool.
Watercolour .
A rooftop pool in downtown Sao Paulo City, Brazil, on top of a twelve floor sports and social club, (SESC 24 maio) by architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, In the background is Banespa ( with flag, also known as Farol Santander), Martinelli,( just below Banespa, red).

[ Prints : https://james-mccormack.pixels.com/featured/city-pool-james-mccormack.html?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social ]

#skyscraper #city #swimmingpool #rooftoppool #pool #swimming #blue #water #saopaulo #brazil #brasil #downtown #skyscrapers #martinelli