Tall Buildings in Numbers World’s Tallest Demolished Buildings

Although the world has more than 1,300 buildings of 200 Distribution of the 100 Tallest Demolished Buildings meters or higher, no tall building of more than 187 meters 2000s has ever been demolished, with the exception of the World South America 1930s 2% 1% 3% 1940s Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. However, JP Morgan 1% Australasia 1950s currently plans to demolish the former Union 8% 4% Carbide Building (1960) in New York to make way for a taller 1990s headquarters building. At 215.5 meters, this would become Europe 6% 1970s the tallest building in history to have been peacefully 15% 1980s 24% North 6% demolished. This report examines the 100 tallest buildings in America 1920s 53% 6% history to have been dismantled by their owners, and some Asia 1960s 1890s 16% of the reasons for doing so. 23% 8% 1910s 1900s 8% 10%

By Region By Completion Date

Tallest 10 Demolished Buildings

Completed: 1908 Demolished: 1968 Structural Material: Steel Completed: 1976 Reason: Make way for One Demolished: 2018 Completed: 1925 Completed: 1974 Liberty Plaza (226 m, 54 floors) Structural Material: Concrete Demolished: 1965 Demolished: 2011 Completed: 1974 200 m Reason: Make way for a Structural Material: Steel Structural Material: Steel Demolished: 2013 29-story office building Reason: Make way for Reason: Irreparably (265 m, damaged in the Sept. 11, Structural Material: Concrete 61 floors) 2001 attacks Reason: Make way for V on Shenton (237 m, 54 floors)

150 m

100 m

50 m

Singer Building CPF Building Deutsche Bank UIC Building Singapore New York City Singapore 187 m 171 m 160 m 158 m 152 m

The UAP Tower in Lyon, The Greater Hudson The average life France (73 meters) was Store, Detroit (125 span of the 100 “quietly” demolished in meters) was the tallest tallest demolished four months, using the building ever to be buildings is Despe TopDownWay imploded via controlled 42 years. self-contained system. 42 demolition (explosives). Timeline of the 100 Tallest Demolished Buildings JPMorgan Chase Tower (formerly Union Carbide Building), 220 m New York City (1960, 216 m, 52 floors) is the tallest building ever slated for demolition. 190 m After cracks were discovered in its concrete and it sank 360 mm, the 180 m under-construction Ocean Tower The Singer Building (2008–2009) in South Padre Island, (1908–1968) in New York Edificio Windsor, Madrid Texas, was dynamited after repairs City is the tallest building (1979–2005) was heavily were deemed too expensive. ever demolished. 170 m damaged in a 2005 fire and was deemed unsafe. The Henninger Turm, Frankfurt (1961–2013) was the world’s tallest grain silo, but had an observation deck on top. It was demolished to 160 m The Harmon Hotel, Las Vegas (2009–2015), make way for a 140-meter residential tower. was demolished before it ever opened. t Construction flaws had rendered it unsafe 150 m to occupy. Only 26 of its planned 49 stories Farmers Bank Building, were ever finished. Protests erupted when it was announced Pittsburgh (1902-1997) is the 140 m that the 1,000-room Savoy Plaza Hotel longest-lived building on the (1930–1964) in New York City would be 100 Tallest list. It was replaced demolished to make way for the General by Pilatt Place, a shopping mall. 130 m Motors Building (1968, 215 m).

120 m Individual Building Heigh The Capital Plaza Office Tower (1972–2018) in Frankfort, Kentucky, is the 110 m most recent addition to the top 100.

The Franklin National Bank 100 m Building, Philadelphia, The 25-story McCormick Inn (1916–1926) is the shortest-lived (1973–1993), Chicago, was building in the 100 Tallest list (that 90 m built on stilts above the was completed in the first place). Central Railroad. It was replaced by an expansion of 80 m the convention facilities that it served. 0 m 0510 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 Building Lifespan (# of years) See the full list of demolished buildings at ctbuh.org/demolished

Completed: 1972 Demolished: 1999 Completed: 1983 Structural Material: Steel Demolished: 2014 Completed: 1982 Reason: Damaged by fire in Structural Material: Concrete Completed: 1908 Completed: 1993 Demolished: 2013 1991; replaced by Reason: Make way for the new Demolished: 1968 Demolished: 2009 Structural Material: Steel Ritz-Carlton Residences Menara Tun Razak Tower 1 Structural Material: Steel Structural Material: Concrete Reason: Make way for Tokyo (158 m, 46 floors) (42 floors) Reason: Make way for One Reason: Make way for CCB Garden Terrace Kioicho-Kioi Liberty Plaza (226 m, 54 floors) Tower (31 floors) Tower (180 m, 36 floors) and Kioi Residence (90 m, 21 floors)

One Meridian Plaza Menara Tun Razak City Investing Building The Ritz-Carlton Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka Philadelphia Kuala Lumpur New York City Hong Kong Tokyo 150 m 150 m 148 m 142 m 141 m

The Kajima Corporation demolished The Red Road Flats, Glasgow, (80-89 its own headquarters buildings meters) were to be imploded as part in Tokyo (65 and 75 meters tall, of the entertainment at the 2014 respectively) using its “Cut and Take Commonwealth Games, but the plan Down Method”, making the building was stopped after public outcry. appear to “shrink” over nine months.