The tallest building in each state

© 24/7 Wall St. tallest-building-image-2017

Mankind has always sought to rise above the clouds, but it was not until the late 19th century that the technology became available to make what we commonly call skyscrapers today possible.

In 1884, construction on the Home Insurance Building in Chicago was completed. It was 12 stories tall, which is practically diminutive by today’s standards of office buildings, but at the time signalled the start of a new era. An era made possible by the development of a safe elevator and the realization that using steel beams to form a building’s skeleton, rather than relying on walls to support the entire building weight, could allow architects to design much taller structures than previously thought possible.

The Home Insurance Building no longer stands in Chicago, but it has been replaced by buildings many times its height, including the 1,451-ft., 110-story Willis Tower, which until recently was known as the Sears Tower. While few match the height of Willis Tower, tall office and residential buildings sprang up all over the country throughout the last century and a half. Nearly every state in the country has at least one structure that would have been considered a modern marvel at the turn of the 20th century. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the tallest building in each state.

During the 20th century, new and bigger skyscrapers were built, mostly in the nation’s major metropolitan areas, where vertical development represented a solution to increasingly limited space in densely populated cities. Skyscrapers also provided an opportunity for planners and architects to give their city an identity, and iconic skylines slowly developed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, and, of course, New York.

In New York in particular, a number of now world-famous skyscrapers have risen over the decades. It was home to the tallest building in the world for most of the 20th century, with one tall structure surpassing the next. The Woolworth Building, the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and the original World Trade Center each held the world title at various points, before the Sears Tower was completed in 1974. Today, New York is home to about half of the country’s 20 tallest buildings. This includes the 1,396-ft. 432 Park Avenue tower, completed in 2015 and 2014’s 1,776-ft. One World Trade Center, now the third tallest and tallest buildings in the country, respectively.

The height of a state’s tallest building often reflects the size of its largest city. States with smaller cities often lack the commercial activity that would necessitate a skyscraper. The tallest building in Vermont, for example, is the Masonic Temple Building in Burlington, which is estimated to be just 134 feet tall. In New York City, there are hundreds of buildings that exceed the height of Vermont’s tallest.

To determine the tallest building in every state, 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list with data from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Proposed buildings or buildings under construction, whose height may surpass that of the current tallest building, were excluded from consideration. All building completion dates and heights are CTBUH estimates.

Click ahead to see the tallest building in each state.

1. Alabama

© Wikimedia Commons RSA Battle House Tower, Alabama
Tallest building: RSA Battle House Tower
City: Mobile
Building height: 745 ft.
Year built: 2007

2. Alaska

© Wikimedia Commons Conoco-Phillips Building, Alaska
Tallest building: Conoco-Phillips Building
City: Anchorage
Building height: 296 ft.
Year built: 1983

3. Arizona

© Wikimedia Commons Chase Tower, Phoenix, Arizona
Tallest building: Chase Tower
City: Phoenix
Building height: 486 ft.
Year built: 1972

4. Arkansas

© Wikimedia Commons Metropolitan Tower, Little Rock, Arkansas
Tallest building: Simmons Tower
City: Little Rock
Building height: 546 ft.
Year built: 1986

5. California

© Wikimedia Commons wilshire-grand-korean-air-building-los-angeles-california
Tallest building: Wilshire Grand Center (topped out)
City: Los Angeles
Building height: 1,100 ft.
Year built: 2017

6. Colorado

© Wikimedia Commons Republic Plaza, Denver, Colorado
Tallest building: Republic Plaza
City: Denver
Building height: 714 ft.
Year built: 1984

7. Connecticut

© Wikimedia Commons City Place I, Hartford, Connecticut
Tallest building: CityPlace I
City: Hartford
Building height: 535 ft.
Year built: 1980

8. Delaware

© Wikimedia Commons river-tower-at-christiana-landing
Tallest building: River Tower at Christina Landing
City: Wilmington
Building height: 340 ft.
Year built: 2007

9. District of Columbia

© Wikimedia Commons Old Post Office Building, Washington DC
Tallest building: Old Post Office Building
City: Washington
Building height: 315 ft.
Year built: 1899

10. Florida

© Wikimedia Commons Four Seasons Hotel & Tower, Miami, Florida
Tallest building: Four Seasons Hotel & Tower
City: Miami
Building height: 789 ft.
Year built: 2003

11. Georgia

© Wikimedia Commons Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia
Tallest building: Bank of America Plaza
City: Atlanta
Building height: 1,023 ft.
Year built: 1992

12. Hawaii

© thecollectionhonolulu.com the-collection-building-honolulu-hawaii
Tallest building: The Collection
City: Honolulu
Building height: 450 ft.
Year built: 2016

13. Idaho

© Wikimedia Commons 8th & Main Tower, Boise, Idaho
Tallest building: 8th & Main Tower
City: Boise
Building height: 315 ft.
Year built: 2014

14. Illinois

© Thinkstock Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois
Tallest building: Willis Tower
City: Chicago
Building height: 1,451 ft.
Year built: 1974

15. Indiana

© Wikimedia Commons Chase Tower, Indianapolis, Indiana
Tallest building: Salesforce Tower
City: Indianapolis
Building height: 701 ft.
Year built: 1990

16. Iowa

© Wikimedia Commons 801 Grand, Des Moines, Iowa
Tallest building: 801 Grand
City: Des Moines
Building height: 630 ft.
Year built: 1991

17. Kansas

© https://www.flickr.com/photos/zkorb/ Epic Center, Wichita, Kansas
Tallest building: Epic Center
City: Wichita
Building height: 385 ft.
Year built: 1989

18. Kentucky

© Wikimedia Commons Aegon Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Tallest building: 400 West Market
City: Louisville
Building height: 549 ft.
Year built: 1993

19. Louisiana

© Wikimedia Commons One Shell Square, New Orleans, Louisiana
Tallest building: One Shell Square
City: New Orleans
Building height: 697 ft.
Year built: 1972

20. Maine

© Wikimedia Commons 477 Congress St, Portland, Maine
Tallest building: 477 Congress Street
City: Portland
Building height: 184 ft.
Year built: 1924

21. Maryland

© Wikimedia Commons Legg Mason Building, Baltimore, Maryland
Tallest building: Transamerica Tower
City: Baltimore
Building height: 529 ft.
Year built: 1973

22. Massachusetts

© Wikimedia Commons John Hancock Tower, Blue Hour
Tallest building: 200 Clarendon
City: Boston
Building height: 790 ft.
Year built: 1976

23. Michigan

© Wikimedia Commons Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Center I, Detroit, Michigan
Tallest building: Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Center I
City: Detroit
Building height: 727 ft.
Year built: 1977

24. Minnesota

© Wikimedia Commons IDS Tower, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tallest building: IDS Center
City: Minneapolis
Building height: 910 ft.
Year built: 1973

25. Mississippi

© Wikimedia Commons Beau River Casino Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi
Tallest building: Beau Rivage Casino Hotel
City: Biloxi
Building height: 346 ft.
Year built: 1999

26. Missouri

© Wikimedia Commons One Kansas City Place, Missouri
Tallest building: One Kansas City Place
City: Kansas City
Building height: 623 ft.
Year built: 1988

27. Montana

© Wikimedia Commons First Interstate Center, Billings, Montana
Tallest building: First Interstate Center
City: Billings
Building height: 272 ft.
Year built: 1985

28. Nebraska

© Wikimedia Commons The Tower at First National Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Tallest building: First National Bank Tower
City: Omaha
Building height: 634 ft.
Year built: 2002

29. Nevada

© Wikimedia Commons fontainebleau-las-vegas-nevada
Tallest building: Fontainebleau Resort Hotel (topped out)
City: Las Vegas
Building height: 735 ft.
Year built: N/A

30. New Hampshire

© Wikimedia Commons City Hall Plaza, Manchester, New Hampshire
Tallest building: City Hall Plaza
City: Manchester
Building height: 275 ft.
Year built: 1992

31. New Jersey

© Wikimedia Commons 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, New Jersey
Tallest building: 30 Hudson Street
City: Jersey City
Building height: 781 ft.
Year built: 2004

32. New Mexico

© Wikimedia Commons Albuquerque Plaza, New Mexico
Tallest building: Albuquerque Plaza
City: Albuquerque
Building height: 351 ft.
Year built: 1990

33. New York

© Thinkstock New York City, New York
Tallest building: One World Trade Center
City: New York
Building height: 1,776 ft.
Year built: 2014

34. North Carolina

Tallest building: Bank of America Corporate Center
City: Charlotte
Building height: 871 ft.
Year built: 1992

35. North Dakota

© Wikimedia Commons State Capitol, Bismarck, North Dakota
Tallest building: State Capitol
City: Bismarck
Building height: 242 ft.
Year built: 1934

36. Ohio

© Wikimedia Commons Key Tower, Cleveland, Ohio
Tallest building: Key Tower
City: Cleveland
Building height: 947 ft.
Year built: 1991

37. Oklahoma

© Wikimedia Commons Devon Energy Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tallest building: Devon Energy Center
City: Oklahoma City
Building height: 844 ft.
Year built: 2012

38. Oregon

© Wikimedia Commons Wells Fargo Center, Portland, Oregon
Tallest building: Wells Fargo Center
City: Portland
Building height: 546 ft.
Year built: 1973

39. Pennsylvania

© Wikimedia Commons Comcast Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tallest building: Comcast Center

City: Philadelphia
Building height: 974 ft.
Year built: 2008

40. Rhode Island

© Provided by 24/7 Wall St.
Tallest building: 111 Westminster Street
City: Providence
Building height: 428 ft.
Year built: 1927

41. South Carolina

© Wikimedia Commons Capitol Center, Columbia, South Carolina
Tallest building: Capitol Center
City: Columbia
Building height: 349 ft.
Year built: 1987

42. South Dakota

© Wikimedia Commons Qwest Tower, Rapid City, South Dakota
Tallest building: CenturyLink Tower
City: Sioux Falls
Building height: 174 ft.
Year built: 1962

43. Tennessee

© Wikimedia Commons AT&T Building, Nashville, Tennessee
Tallest building: AT&T Building
City: Nashville
Building height: 617 ft.
Year built: 1994

44. Texas

© Wikimedia Commons JP Morgan Chase Tower, Houston, Texas
Tallest building: JPMorgan Chase Tower
City: Houston
Building height: 1,002 ft.
Year built: 198

45. Utah

© Wikimedia Commons Wells Fargo Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Tallest building: Wells Fargo Center
City: Salt Lake City
Building height: 422 ft.
Year built: 1998

46. Vermont

© Wikimedia Commons Masonic Temple Building, Burlington, Vermont
Tallest building: Masonic Temple Building
City: Burlington
Building height: 134 ft.
Year built: 1898

47. Virginia

© Wikimedia Commons The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center & Residences
Tallest building: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center
City: Virginia Beach
Building height: 508 ft.
Year built: 2007

48. Washington

© Wikimedia Commons Columbia Center, Seattle, Washington
Tallest building: Columbia Center
City: Seattle
Building height: 967 ft.
Year built: 1985

49. West Virginia

© Thinkstock Charleston, West Virginia
Tallest building: West Virginia State Capitol
City: Charleston
Building height: 292 ft.
Year built: 1932

50. Wisconsin

© Wikimedia Commons US Bank Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tallest building: U.S. Bank Center
City: Milwaukee
Building height: 601 ft.
Year built: 1973

51. Wyoming

© https://wyvirtualoffice.com/wyoming-secretary-of-state/ Wyoming Financial Center, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Tallest building: Wyoming Financial Center
City: Cheyenne
Building height: 148 ft.
Year built: 1990