# Old Skyscrapers



## mc10001 (May 6, 2005)

Post a few photos of some pre-1940 skyscrapers


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## mc10001 (May 6, 2005)

Heres the Manchester Unity Building in Melbourne


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Empire State Building (quite obvious isn't it?)*



















*Flatiron Building*


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## mikep (Apr 7, 2005)

A few oldies in Toronto

Victoria Tower









Richmond-Adelaide Centre III









302 Bay St.









National Building 









357 Bay St.









Sterling Tower









67 Yonge St.









69 Yonge St.









Victory Building









Commerce Court North









Princess Margaret Hospital









Optima Business Centre









Whitney Block









Bank Of Nova Scotia Building









Lumsden Building









Royal York Hotel


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Here's some from Shanghai


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

A few more from Shanghai's *The Bund* :




























There actually aren't that many tall buildings along the water's edge.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Shanghai's art-deco skyscrapers aren't that tall compared to NY or Chicago but they're some of the tallest in Asia!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Chrysler .. how could I forget about you?*


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

How about the Woolworth Building


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*... or 20 Exchange Place*


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## Ya Mar (Nov 15, 2005)

Foshay Tower, Minneapolis. 





































Can you see it in this one?


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## waccamatt (Mar 7, 2004)

The Barringer Building (1903) in downtown Columbia:










The Palmetto Building (1912) in Columbia:










On the right, the old American Sentinal Life, now Number One Main Street (1911) building:


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

How about some old scrapers that don't exist anymore like Singer Building in NY?


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## mikep (Apr 7, 2005)

More from Canada

Marine Building Vancouver









National Bank Building Winnipeg









Pigott Building Hamilton









Édifice Price Quebec City









Édifice de la Sunlife Montreal









Tour De La Banque Royale Montreal









Aldred Building Montreal









Bell Telephone Building Montreal


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

So that's *Sunlife*! I was wondering what that building was outside my hotel room.


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## Moren-o (Dec 9, 2005)

*KBC-tower or Boerentoren (Antwerp, Belgium)*
*1932, 97 m / the first skyscraper in Europe*





































And of course, perhaps my favourite classic tower of all: the smith tower in Seattle:


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## Michael (Sep 12, 2002)

The first skyscraper in Europe is built in Rotterdam The Netherlands. It was the white house almost 50 m high and completed in 1898.


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## Brett (Oct 26, 2004)

Mikep beat me to it, but heres some more of the pigott building in hamilton


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## Hecago (Dec 1, 2005)

Hold on just a second.....


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## Hecago (Dec 1, 2005)

Chicago has a few.  

The Chicago Board of Trade. 1930





































Civic Opera Building 1929



















Chicago Temple Building 1924



















Pamolive Building 1929










One North Lasalle 1930











Mather Tower 1928










Carbide & Carbon Building 1929










Tribune Tower 1925



















Wrigley Building 1922










333 North Michigan 1928



















Merchandise Mart 1931










Skyline Century of Progress 1930



















London Guarantee Building 1923










Marquette Building 1895










Reliance Building 1895



















Bankers Building 1927










Pittsfield Building 1927










Lasalle-Wacker Building 1930










Willoughby Tower 1929










Metropolitan Tower



















One North Dearborn 1905

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=116854

North American Building 1912

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=116970

6 North Michigan 1899










The Powhatan 1929










Victor Lawson YMCA 1931










The Coyote 1928










10 West Elm










Marquette Building 1895










Reliance Building 1895



















1540 North Lakeshore Drive 1925










The Rookery 1888



















309 W. Washington 1922


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## Jules (Jun 27, 2004)

Some I haven't even seen before. Great pics, Hecago!


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Buffalo City Hall (1931)*


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Buffalo's city hall looks colossal!


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## Montreal (Dec 14, 2005)

For more pics of the old Canadian scrapers
Pigott Building, Hamilton
Aldred Building, Montréal 
Bell Telephone Building, Montréal 
Édifice de la Sunlife, Montréal  
Tour de la Banque Royale, Montréal
Le Château Frontenac, Québec City  
Édifice Price, Québec City  
Bank of Nova Scotia Building, Toronto 
Commerce Court North, Toronto 
Royal York Hotel, Toronto 
National Bank Building, Winnipeg 
Hotel Vancouver, Vacnouver 
Marine Building, Vancouver


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ellicott Square Building, Buffalo* (1896) right at 10 floors according to Emporis :


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## LuckyLuke (Mar 29, 2005)

*Wilhelm-Marx-Haus in Düsseldorf!*
Built in 1924, Wilhelm Marx House was the first skyscraper to be built in Germany.


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## empersouf (Mar 19, 2004)

This was the first scraper in europe:
The white house(witte huis), 47m completed in 1898.









A pic from 1912:


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## empersouf (Mar 19, 2004)

But these towers from yemen are probably the real first scrapers in the world:




























If we go way back in time, Alexandria had a scraper to:
The alexandria light house:










Some more ancient hi rise, this isnt tha tallest of its kind btw:


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## xXMrPinkXx (Aug 11, 2005)

Some historic German Skysrapers:

Chilehaus, Hamburg (1924)


















Tagblatt-Turm, Stuttgart (1928)



















Shell-Haus, Berlin (1932)









Anzeiger-Hochhaus, Hanover (1928)


















Hansa-Hochhaus, Cologne (1925)









Ernst-Abbe-Hochhaus, Jena (1936)


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## GoSatta (May 26, 2005)

*kungsgatan, Stockholm, Sweden*

Kungstornen built in 1924 and 1925 are the first skyscapers in Europe. 

situated on opposite side of kungsgatan in stockholm they where supposed to be the begining of a "manhattan" of Stockholm but where the only tall builiding built.


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## Hecago (Dec 1, 2005)

A couple more Chicago buildings.

Old Colony Building 1894




























The Auditorium Building 1890



















Sheridan Plaza 1920










Aquitania Apartments 1923

http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=130840

Uptown National Bank


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## Jules (Jun 27, 2004)

The Auditorium Building is a thing of beauty! :drool:

Always loved Buffalo City Hall, such a stern, powerful structure.


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

The Potter Bldg is said to be NYC's first skyscraper, but it doesn't get mentioned very often.


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## hudkina (Oct 28, 2003)

Other than New York and Chicago, Detroit is the place to go for Classic Skyscraper Architecture.

This is the skyline in the early 1930's:









Here's a closer shot:









The Book Tower:









Broderick Tower:









Cadillac Tower:









Guardian Building:









Penobscot Building:









Here are a just a few of the buildings as they are now:

Book Tower









Buhl Building









Cadillac Tower









David Stott Building









Dime Building









First National Building









Fisher Building









Guardian Building









Penobscot Building









Penobscot Annex









SBC Building









Waterboard Building


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## Hecago (Dec 1, 2005)

More Chicago.

Monadnock Building 1893




























Santa Fe Building 1904



















The Patricians 1928



















40 East Delaware 1926










Mentor Building 1906



















Ward Memorial Building 1926


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## Jules (Jun 27, 2004)

Great pics of Detroit, hudkina. Cadillac Tower seems ahead of its time, great structure, and man do I love the Dime Building. I'm jealous.


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## Bent (Sep 25, 2005)

São Paulo:
Sampaio Moreira, 1924:


















Rolim, 1928:









Martinelli, 1929:


















Banco de São Paulo, 1938:


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

Another 19th century skyscraper in NYC is the Park Row Bldg, which is more recognized than the Potter Bldg.


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## Van der Rohe (Dec 24, 2002)

first skyscrapers in Warsaw:

*Cedergren/PAST building, 52m, built in 1908*

picture taken in 1932:









nowadays:









*
Prudential building, 66m, built in 1931-33*

picture taken in 1935:









nowadays:


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## bziherl (Nov 2, 2003)

"Neboticnik" ("Skyscraper") in Ljubljana/Slovenia, 1933:


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## Petr (May 8, 2004)

Van der Rohe said:


> picture taken in 1935:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


1944


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## elkram (Apr 1, 2006)

My favourite one in town here, the Edifice Sunlife Building:










Cheers,
Chris


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## gertt510 (Apr 3, 2006)

*Buenos Aires:*

Kavanagh Building - 120m - 1935:





Palacio Barolo - 100m - 1923:



















Torre Bencich - 80m - 1929:



Others:


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## AHHHHH (May 22, 2006)

Baltimore
Bank of America, 509 ft, 37 floors, built 1924


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## DecoJim (Dec 6, 2005)

Detroit...

A few more buildings to add to those that Hudkina posted:

United Way (former Chamber of Commerce) Building, 12 stories, 1895:








This building has been "modernized" and has lost much ornament.

Penobscot Block, 13 stories, 1905 (not to be confused with Penobscot Annex in 1913 and Penobscot Building in 1928):








Named after a river and/or indian tribe in Maine.

Cadillac Building (former GM headquarters), 15 stories, 1921 (at time of completion the 2nd largest building in the world after NY Equitable Bldg as measured by floor space):









Maccebees Building, 15 stories, 1927:








The Lone Ranger radio program was first broadcast by station WXYZ from this building in 1933.

Industrial Building Apartments (right side of picture), 22 stories, 1928:








The last of Louis Kamper's skyscrapers. The Book Tower on the left was also one of his designs.


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## Skyman (Jan 4, 2006)

They are all pretty old but I like all of 'em


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## ruuder (Jun 3, 2006)

*First skyscraper in Europe*

the first European skyscraper was built in the center of Antwerp and not in Rotterdam. In the run-up to the 1930 Antwerp World Exhibition, the first European skyscraper was built in the center of Antwerp.
At the time construction was completed, the originally 87.5 meters high tower was the highest in Europe. It was also one of the first buildings in Europe which made use of a load-carrying structural frame, also originating from Chicago. After the restoration in 1970 the tower reached a height of 97 meters.

The tower is nicknamed Boerentoren or 'Farmer's tower' as the bank's most important shareholder at the time was a farmers cooperation. The official name of the tower is now the KBC tower as the current main tenant is the KBC, the largest bank of Flanders.

Pictures

http://www.nietvervelen.nl/antwerpen/ANVBoerentoren-01-06-02.jpg

http://fotofil.no/pictures.asp?PictureID=14641

for more information check:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/antwerp/boerentoren.htm


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## CULWULLA (Sep 11, 2002)

TalB said:


> The Potter Bldg is said to be NYC's first skyscraper, but it doesn't get mentioned very often.


potter bldg was built in 1886. it was first of many to reach over 10floors. but 10 years earlier in 1875 the 70m Western union bldg was tallest bldg along with 79m tribune bldg of 1876. even before them the first highrise with lifts was the 1867 Equable life assurance.

western union-1875/10storeys/230ft/70m










original tribune bldg 1876/10storeys/79m
(floors were later added which ruined whole look)


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## kjetilab (Mar 20, 2005)

First high-rise building in Norway: Folketeaterbygningen in Oslo. Buildt 1935. 12 stories and 46 metres tall.


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## CULWULLA (Sep 11, 2002)

Australia's had a 150ft/46m height limit up until 1956, so we were robbed of having magnificent tall gothic or art deco scrapers like USA ect.
Australia's first skyscraper of 12storeys was melbournes APA Bldg of 1889. At 46m/150ft /spire-53m/175ft, it was 3rd tallest office bldg in the world!
sadly it was neglected and finally demolished in 1980.









Sydney's first skyscraper (12storeys) was CULWULLA CHAMBERS of 1912. The public were unhappy with how the upper floors couldnt be reached by fire ladders so for next 50 years a 150ft/45m height limit was imposed for Sydney and 40m/132ft for other cap cities in oz.










the only way to surpass the 150ft height was to add decorative structures above. the tallest for 2 decades was AWA Tower in sydney which when built in 1939 rose to 370ft/112m with radio mast.


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## markcode (Sep 12, 2005)

what a beautiful old towers...


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## Spookvlieger (Jul 10, 2009)

Michael said:


> The first skyscraper in Europe is built in Rotterdam The Netherlands. It was the white house almost 50 m high and completed in 1898.


Is there an old photo or drawing around of his building?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

*Toronto*









Courtesy of tomms


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## minneapolis-uptown (Jun 22, 2009)

*pre-1940s Buildings in Minneapolis & St Paul:*

Foshay tower:









Qwest building:









Rand tower:









Med. Arts building:









Soo Line building:









1st Nat'l Bank building:









St Paul city hall:









Midtown exchange building:


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

CULWULLA said:


> Sydney's first skyscraper (12storeys) was CULWULLA CHAMBERS of 1912. The public were unhappy with how the upper floors couldnt be reached by fire ladders so for next 50 years a 150ft/45m height limit was imposed for Sydney and 40m/132ft for other cap cities in oz.
> 
> the only way to surpass the 150ft height was to add decorative structures above. the tallest for 2 decades was AWA Tower in sydney which when built in 1939 rose to 370ft/112m with radio mast.


That one reminds me of the old Atlantic Richfield Building in Los Angeles that was the city's tallest, including antenna, until the City Hall was built in 1934.


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

*Broad St Station Philadelphia*









http://www.flickr.com/photos/cprimm_manly427/

Broad Street Station (demolished) at Broad & Market Streets was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1881 to the 1950s. Directly west of City Hall, the office towers of Penn Center now occupy the site.

Originally designed by Wilson Brothers & Company in 1881, Broad Street Station was dramatically expanded by renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness, 1892-93. In 1894, the PRR relocated its headquarters from Fourth Street to the office building above the station, where they remained until moving to the Suburban Station Building in the 1930s. It was finally demolished in 1953, a year after all train service to it had ceased.
Broad Street Station dominated the center of the city. Trains would enter and exit the station two stories above street level on a viaduct known as the "Chinese Wall" and run west to cross the Schuylkill River. The Station provided service to virtually every destination served by the PRR. From Broad Street Station, passengers heading in any direction would first arrive at West Philadelphia Station at 32nd and Market Streets on the west side of the Schuylkill, which in 1933 was replaced by 30th Street Station. 

The lower levels of the structure were heavy and rusticated, recalling the work of H. H. Richardson from the previous decade, while the spandrels of the upper stories emphasized the building's verticality. The frame for the stone structure was largely made of iron and steel, and on the interior the structural techniques were often displayed by balustrades and columns that in places revealed the rivets that held them together. The formal style of the building was altogether not unlike that of Furness's building for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which he completed in 1876, or his University of Pennsylvania Library, designed in 1888.

As the station expanded after 1881, additional train sheds were added to cover additional tracks, twelve in all by 1891. They were eventually replaced by a single shed, which, upon its completion in 1892, had the largest single span of any station roof in the world (91 m), and ultimately covered 16 tracks. The train shed was destroyed by a fire on 11 June 1923. The fire began about 1:00 a.m. and burned for two days. Amazingly, work on clearing the debris began even while the fire was still smoldering. The steel skeleton that remained was fully removed; thereafter, the train platforms operated while covered by small, "umbrella" shelters. These replacements were destroyed by another fire that began at 9:38 a.m. on 12 September 1943, and were replaced by a similar structure that remained for the last ten years of the station's existence.

In the 1920s and '30s, the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed two new stations: 30th Street Station, which is now the main intercity hub for Philadelphia rail travel, and Suburban Station, an underground stub line that went from 30th Street Station to a tunnel that ended just northwest of City Hall, directly north of Broad Street Station. As a result, Broad Street Station's importance diminished dramatically. It ultimately suffered a fate similar to many of Furness's institutional buildings, as it was closed in 1952 and razed in 1953. The land which was once occupied by Broad Street Station and its access tracks is now the home to the commercial heart of the city, also known as Penn Center, including buildings such as the 54-story Mellon Bank Center. Today, all that remains of the building is a historic marker on 15th Street commemorating the site.


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## stefano1895 (Dec 26, 2009)

la nacional building in mexico city


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

The Nacional Building was the first-ever highrise building in Mexico City and the whole of Mexico.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Kungstornen, Stockholm - the first "skyscrapers" in Sweden, some say the first in Europe.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Oh my God, what a beauties in this thread! kay:

Another beauty: Nebotičnik (meaning litterally "the skyscraper") in Ljubljana (Slovania). 1933.









(pic: Mishevy)


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