The Skyscraper Story In an entirely new architectural concept, William Jenney created a structure with metal frames during the late 1880s — and the phenomenon of high-rise buildings was born! The invention of the elevator helped this new model take off. The first high-rise tower was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1885. The greatest concentration of early skyscrapers was found in Chicago and New York City. Skyscrapers were originally designed for commercial use, but with population explosions in urban areas, the concept was soon applied to residential housing as well.
The World’s 10 Tallest Skyscrapers
A skyscraper is classified as a high-rise building with at least 40 floors and a height of at least 492 feet or taller. Some also consider buildings with a minimum height of 262 feet skyscrapers, providing that they stand out above surrounding structures and impact the skyline.
1. Burj Khalifa Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2716.5 feet, 828 meters 2. Shanghai Tower Shanghai, China, 2070 feet, 632 meters 3. Makkah Clock Tower Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 1972 feet, 601 meters 4. Ping An Finance Centre Shenzhen, China, 1970 feet, 599 meters 5. Lotte World Tower Seoul, South Korea, 1820 feet, 555 meters 6. One World Trade Center New York City, United States, 1790 feet, 541.3 meters 7. CTF Finance Center Guangzhou, China, 1740 feet, 530 meters 8. China Zun Beijing, China, 1730 feet, 527.7 meters 9. Taipei 101 Taipei, Taiwan, 1670 feet, 508 meters 10. Shanghai World Financial Center Shanghai, China, 1610 feet, 492 meters
Claim to Fame First skyscraper:
First building to reach the half-kilometer mark in height:
Home Insurance Building, Chicago
Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
World’s tallest building for the longest period:
Global city with the most skyscrapers:
Empire State Building, New York City
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Building with the most floors (163 floors):
European city with the most skyscrapers:
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Moscow, Russia
Buildings with the deepest foundations:
U.S. city with the most skyscrapers:
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
New York City
190 / THE MONSEY VIEW / September 11, 2019 www.themonseyview.com / 845.600.8484