Rising high: the evolving skyline of New York City in pictures | Cities
Rising high: the evolving skyline of New York City – in pictures
Manhattan’s skyline is the most famous in the world. Its horizon has been interrupted by verticals from the first 10-storey office buildings in the late 1800s, and will only continue to rise higher
Main image: A look into the future: a render of Manhattan. Photograph: CityRealtyFri 19 Oct 2018 02.30 EDT Last modified on Wed 23 Sep 2020 10.27 EDT
1876
A view of Manhattan showing Brooklyn Bridge under construction. Courtesy of the New York Public Library, and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1902
By the turn of the century the lower Manhattan skyline had filled in and grown much taller. The majority of high-rise construction began after 1890, when the New York World Building reached 309ft. A spate of new towers followed from 1893. By 1900 there were 252 structures 10 storeys or higher. The tallest of these was the Park Row Building at 391ft. Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1908
Completed in 1908, the Singer Building (centre) became the tallest in the skyline at 612ft. Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1921
After 1908 the record was topped by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower at 701ft in 1909, and then the 792ft Woolworth Building (left) in 1913. Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1931, view from Brooklyn
The Woolworth Building remained the tallest office building until the Chrysler and Empire State buildings were completed in 1929 and 1931. Courtesy of the Library of Congress and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1932, view from New Jersey
Between 1916 and the 1960s a group of the tallest towers (between 50 to 71 storeys) crowded around Wall Street, showing the wealth of land values in the area. Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter1999
Constructed in 1971 and 1973, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were the tallest skyscrapers in the world, at 1,368ft and 1,362ft. Courtesy of Richard Berenholtz and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter2002
The 9/11 terror attack leaves a haunting gap on the Manhattan skyline. Courtesy of Richard Berenholtz and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter2018
The One World Trade Center is the main building on the trade centre complex in Manhattan, and at 1,776ft is the tallest building in the US. Courtesy of Richard Berenholtz and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter2022
The city has seen a boom in tall buildings since the 2000s, and the structures will continue to get higher and thinner. Courtesy of the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter2022, Central Park
The rise of the ‘pencil-thin’ skyscrapers and luxury apartment buildings will crowd the Manhattan skyline in the future. Courtesy of Andrew C Nelson and the Skyscraper Museum Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
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Jenniffer Sheldon
Update: 2024-04-13