As with other highly populated cities, New York City is home to many buildings for both residential and commercial use. Over time, the city has updated its building codes and developers have built taller and taller building structures to accommodate the demand from its growing population. As of 2025, there are over 7,000 completed high-rise buildings that are at least 115 feet tall. Of those, 102 buildings are over 650 feet. Developers are building even more in the coming years. Today, we’ll go over the history of the construction of skyscrapers. We’ll also provide facts on the tallest building in New York City.
History of tall buildings in the city
The New York City skyline is iconic. Over the past century, architects have built a mixture of old and new iconic buildings in the skyline. Starting in the early 1870s, the usage of steel beams and the invention of elevators allowed “taller” pre-skyscrapers to be built. Builders constructed buildings such as the Western Union Telegraph building during this time. The building which stood at 230 feet tall, was considered one of the city’s, if not, country’s tallest structures.
The city went through two periods of high-rise construction booms prior to each of the World Wars. Advances in building materials and technology allowed builders to construct even taller buildings between the 1890s and 1910s. Examples of these buildings include the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. Developers built the tower in 1909 at 700 feet tall. Another example is the Woolworth Building which was built in 1913 at 792 feet tall. Then between the mid-1920s to the early 1930s, even taller buildings were built by developers. They built the Chrysler Building in 1930, reaching 1,046 feet tall. Developers then built the Empire State Building in 1931 at 1250 feet tall.
Following World War II, the city experienced further construction booms throughout the decades in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 2000s. The further advancement in modern technology and updates to building codes have allowed for ever taller skyscrapers for both commercial and residential use to be built.
The tallest building in New York
One World Trade Center
Workers constructed the One World Trade Center in 2014 on the site of the original World Trade Center, which terrorists destroyed in the attacks on September 11, 2001. The building is also referred to sometimes as the Freedom Tower. It is currently the tallest building in New York. David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the building and named it after the original north tower in the original World Trade Center.
How tall is the tallest building in New York?
At a total of 1,776 feet tall, the One World Trade Center is the tallest building in New York, United States, and the Western Hemisphere. It is currently the seventh tallest building in the world. It is surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, Merdeka 118 in Malaysia, Shanghai Tower in China, The Clock Towers in Mecca, Ping An International Finance Centre in China, and Lotte World Tower in South Korea. Fun fact: the designers chose the building’s height to match the year the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.
Other tallest buildings in New York City
One World Trade Center is but one of the tallest buildings in New York City. By order of height, here are the tallest buildings in New York City.
Central Park Tower (1,550 feet)
Located just south of its namesake, Central Park Tower is currently the tallest mix-use residential building in the world. Construction of the building began in 2014 and completed in 2020. The basement and the first five floors of the tower is home to Nordstrom’s flagship store in the city. The rest of the towers consist of 179 condominiums and a variety of amenity spaces for residents.
The building has faced numerous problems and controversies. During the construction of the tower, incidents which resulted in the injury of a pedestrian and death of a security guard on separate occasions occurred. Following the opening of the Tower, residents have complained about flooding issues, frequent elevator issues, and creaking walls which have raised safety concerns.
111 West 57th Street (1,428 feet)
Next on our list is the Steinway Tower, located at 111 West 57th Street.The tower’s construction completed in 2022 and consists of two parts. The 84-story tower and the 16-story Steinway Building is a New York City designated landmark which housed the original Steinway & Sons store. One of the building defining features is its slenderness. It is the world’s thinnest skyscraper with a width-to-height ratio of about 1:24. Due to this, residents in the building top floors have experienced some swaying sensations, especially during high winds.
One Vanderbilt (1,401 feet)
Enter One Vanderbilt, Midtown Manhattan’s newer and tallest office buildings located right by Grand Central. Construction of this building finished in 2020 and a number of corporate tenants such as TD Bank have moved into the space since then. Office spaces take up most of the building. The top of One Vanderbilt above the 73rd floor is home to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. SUMMIT is an observation deck with an infinity room, bar, interactive art exhibit by Kenzo Digital, and a terrace with green space.
432 Park Avenue (1,397 feet)
The fifth tallest building in New York City on our list is 432 Park Avenue. Experts currently rank it as the sixth tallest building in the United States and the third tallest residential building in the world. Construction of the building completed in 2015, so this is a slightly older building compared to the others on our list. Similar to Central Park Tower, its residents have complained of issues with leakages, creaking walls, and faulty elevators. The condo board has filed a lawsuit against the developers of the building, CIM Group and Macklowe Properties.
270 Park Avenue (1,388 feet)
The site of this new skyscraper was home to JP Morgan Chase’s original headquarters, the 52-story Union Carbide Building. 270 Park Avenue, which is still undergoing construction, will serve as the new headquarters once completed later in 2025.
30 Hudson Yards (1,270 feet)
Home to the Edge, a new popular tourist attraction, 30 Hudson Yards is a part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project. Construction completed the skyscraper in 2019, and developers are using it primarily as office and retail space. Notable tenants include Home Box Office, Inc. (a subsidiary of WarnerMedia), The Related Companies, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The base of the tower is home to The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards. Stores such as Sephora, Dior, Uniqlo, to name a few are tenants in this space.
Empire State Building (1,250 feet)
No list of the tallest buildings in New York City is complete without a mention of the Empire State Building. It was the world’s tallest building from 1931 to 1970. People around the world still widely recognize the building’s Art Deco facade today.Many movies, such as King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle, have featured it as a cultural icon. Today, the Empire State building is ranked as the eighth tallest building in New York.
