List of tallest buildings in New York City

Early skyscrapers

The history of skyscrapers in New York City began with the construction of the Equitable Life, Western Union, and Tribune buildings in the early 1870s. These relatively short early skyscrapers, sometimes referred to as "preskyscrapers" or "protoskyscrapers", featured steel frames and elevators—then-new innovations later adopted in the city's skyscrapers.^[16]: 62 Modern skyscraper construction began with the completion of the World Building in 1890; the structure rose to a pinnacle of 349 feet (106 m).^[17] Though not the city's first high-rise, it was the first building to surpass the 284-foot (87 m) spire of Trinity Church.^[18] The New York World Building, which stood as the tallest in the city until 1899,^[C] was demolished in 1955 to allow for the construction of an expanded entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.^[19] The Park Row Building, at 391 feet (119 m), was the city's tallest building from 1899 to 1908,^[20] and the world's tallest office building during the same time span.^[21] By 1900, fifteen skyscrapers in New York City exceeded 250 feet (76 m) in height.^[16]: 280

New York has played a prominent role in the development of the skyscraper. Since 1890, ten of those built in the city have held the title of world's tallest.^[22][D] New York City went through a very early high-rise construction boom from the 1890s through the 1910s.^[23] Notable skyscrapers completed during the first boom include the Singer Building, which was briefly the tallest building in the world at 612 feet (187 m) when completed in 1908;^[24] it was the first skyscraper in New York to exceed 492 feet (150 m) in height.^[25] It was surpassed in 1909 by the 700-foot (213 m) Met Life Tower,^[26] the earliest skyscraper to reach 492 feet (150 m) that still stands in New York City.^[25] The next structure to hold the record as the world's tallest building was completed in 1913: the 792-foot (241 m) Woolworth Building.^[27]

After a lull in skyscraper construction in the mid-1910s, a second boom occurred from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s.^[23] Skyscrapers reached greater heights in Lower Manhattan and especially in Midtown Manhattan. This period saw the completion of 40 Wall Street, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building, driven by increased commercial demand and economic development during the Roaring Twenties and by developers' desire to outdo one another in height.^[28] The Chrysler Building was completed in 1930, one year after the onset of the Great Depression; at a height of 1,049 feet (320 m), it became the world's first supertall skyscraper. The Empire State Building was completed one year later. In total, during the early 20th century, 44 skyscrapers over 492 feet (150 m) were built.^[29] Many of the buildings during the second boom were built in the Art Deco style.^[30]: 7

1930s–1950s

After the early 1930s, skyscraper construction came to a halt for over 20 years owing to economic pressures during the Depression and World War II. Many office skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan had large amounts of vacant space years after completion.^[31] A notable exception to the hiatus was the early modernist 75 Rockefeller Plaza, built as a northern extension to the Rockefeller Center in 1947.^[32] Gradually, skyscraper development resumed in the 1950s.^{[33]: 47, 50}

Many new skyscrapers eschewed the Art Deco of the early 20th century and were built adhering to the modernist International Style. This style emphasized function over form, often involving fewer or no setbacks, and glass curtain walls.^{[33]: 47, 50} The most prominent of these were the Seagram Building and the United Nations Secretariat Building, the latter of which hosts the offices of the United Nations Secretariat, as New York City was chosen as the headquarters for the newly formed United Nations after the war. Other noteworthy skyscrapers built during the era include the Socony-Mobil Building, 660 Fifth Avenue, 1065 Avenue of the Americas, and 2 Broadway.

1960s–1980s

The 1961 Zoning Resolution incentivized the building of more office skyscrapers in Manhattan.^[34] Notable buildings to go up in the 1960s include the octagonal MetLife Building^[35] and the General Motors Building.^[36] Some early skyscrapers, such as the Singer Building and the City Investing Building, were demolished to make way for new developments.

In 1966, construction began on the World Trade Center complex, including twin supertall skyscrapers measuring 1,368 feet (417 m) and 1,362 feet (415.1 m) in height. Known as the Twin Towers, they reshaped the Lower Manhattan skyline when they topped out in 1970, and over time, became an iconic symbol of New York City.^[37] Midtown Manhattan saw increasingly tall skyscrapers like the Citigroup Center and One Penn Plaza in the 1970s; during this decade, the city surpassed 100 skyscrapers above 492 feet (150 m) in height. Another construction surge in the late 1980s increasingly embraced more postmodernist designs, such as CitySpire and 1 Worldwide Plaza.

1990s–present

After the early 1990s, skyscraper development slowed down once more, with the most significant new skyscraper during this lull being 4 Times Square. The 2000s saw the resumption of office skyscraper development, alongside a growing number of residential skyscrapers. The Bank of America Tower and the New York Times Building became the first supertall skyscrapers to be built in the city since the original Twin Towers. The mid-2010s saw a massive surge in construction, with office and residential buildings reaching new heights. While New York City had only two supertall buildings in 2010, that figure has grown to 18 by 2025.

Supertall boom and Hudson Yards

A boom in the development of supertall residential skyscrapers began with One57, developed during the early 2010s,^{[46]: xvv [47]} and 432 Park Avenue, which surpassed the height of the Empire State Building to become the tallest building in Midtown Manhattan in 2015.^[48] This trend culminated with the completion of 111 West 57th Street and Central Park Tower in the early 2020s, both surpassing 1,400 feet (427 m) in height.^[46]: xvvi These buildings are primarily catered towards the luxury market; their prevalence near the southern side of Central Park has led the area around them to be named "Billionaire's Row".^[49]

Two significant commercial supertall skyscrapers, both exceeding 1,300 feet (396 m), have topped out in the 2020s: One Vanderbilt, forming a new peak in the skyline around Grand Central Terminal; and 270 Park Avenue, which serves as the new headquarters of JPMorgan Chase. The western skyline of Midtown Manhattan was also massively transformed by the Hudson Yards development. Built on the eastern side of West Side Yard, Phase I of the development began construction in 2012 and was completed in 2019. Within the development are three supertall skyscrapers: 35 Hudson Yards, 30 Hudson Yards, and The Spiral, alongside several other skyscrapers. Additionally, One Manhattan West, another supertall skyscraper located near Hudson Yards, was completed in 2019. Phase II of Hudson Yards is in planning and could include more supertall buildings and a casino.^[50]

Taller residential skyscrapers also arrived at the Upper East Side and Upper West Side areas of Manhattan.^[51] 520 Park Avenue became the tallest building on the Upper East Side in 2018,^[52] while 200 Amsterdam became the tallest on the Upper West Side in 2021;^[53] it was then supplanted by 50 West 66th Street, which was completed in 2025.^[54]

Beyond Manhattan

In the 21st century, skyscrapers became more common in boroughs outside Manhattan. After the completion of the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower in Brooklyn in 1929, the building remained the tallest building in the borough for 80 years. However, since the late 2000s, a growing number of residential high-rises have been built in Downtown Brooklyn, which has since formed a significant high-rise skyline of its own.^[55] As of 2025, Brooklyn is home to 17 skyscrapers taller than 492 feet (150 m). The tallest, the Brooklyn Tower, was completed in 2022 at 1,066 feet (325 m); it is the first and only supertall skyscraper in the city outside of Manhattan.^[56]

The neighborhood of Long Island City (LIC), in Queens, also developed a skyline during the 2010s.^[57] One Court Square, an office building built in 1990, was the only skyscraper in Queens for over a decade, until the addition of residential high-rises in the late 2000s; the borough now has 14 skyscrapers taller than 492 feet (150 m). The tallest, The Orchard, has been topped out and completed in 2025.^[58] Residential skyscrapers have also been built on the waterfront of East River in Brooklyn and Queens since the late 2010s, particularly in the Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Hunters Point neighborhoods. On a lesser scale, high-rises developments have become more common in the areas of Flushing,^[59] Gowanus,^[60] Jamaica,^[61] and South Bronx.^[62]

Although not located in New York City, the neighborhood of Exchange Place in Jersey City has seen a similar boom in tall buildings since the 2000s.^[63] More recently, in the 2020s, the area of Journal Square has also seen an influx in skyscrapers.^[64]

Tallest buildings by pinnacle height

This list ranks buildings in New York City by pinnacle height, including antenna masts. Standard architectural height measurement, which excludes non-architectural antennas in building height, is included for comparative purposes. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Tallest buildings in each borough

This lists the tallest building in each borough of New York City based on standard height measurement. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Under construction

This lists buildings currently under construction in New York City that are expected to reach a height of at least 650 feet (198 m). Buildings under construction that have already been topped out are included in the table above. The "year" column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash "–" indicates information about the building is unknown or not publicly available. For buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers, this table uses a floor count of 50 stories as the cutoff.

On hold

This lists buildings in New York City that were previously under construction and expected to reach a height of 650 feet (198 ft), but whose construction has since stopped.

Approved

This table lists buildings approved for construction in New York City that are expected to rise at least 650 feet (198 m) in height. For buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers, this table uses 50 stories as the cutoff.