The United States is home to some of the world’s tallest structures, monuments and statues. A towering man-made structure can help to boost the status of a city or company. Modern developments in technology and building materials have enabled builders and architects to continue to create taller, more impressive structures which are also fully functional. However, iconic U.S. landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building have remained amongst the tallest in the nation for many years.
Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is a 1,451-foot skyscraper in Chicago. The building has been the tallest structure in the U.S., excluding radio and T.V. towers and antennas, since it was completed in 1974. A popular tourist attraction at the Willis Tower is the all-glass observation deck.
The second tallest structure in the United States is currently the Trump International Hotel and Tower, which was completed in 2009. The 1,389-foot building is named after the real estate developer Donald Trump and is located in Chicago.
At 1,250-feet-tall, New York City’s Empire State Building is the third tallest structure in the United States. When the skyscraper was completed in 1931, it was the tallest building in the world. It retained this title for more than 40 years.
The Gateway Arch, located on the bank of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, is the tallest monument in the United States at 630 feet. The man-made monument was completed in 1965, and opened to the public in 1967.
Ranked second on the list of the tallest U.S. monuments is The San Jacinto Monument in Texas. The column, topped with a lone star, is 570 feet tall. It was erected between 1936 and 1939 to commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto.
Washington, D.C.’s Washington Monument is currently the third tallest in the U.S. The 555-foot obelisk was finally completed in 1884 to commemorate George Washington, the first U.S. president. The monument was the world’s tallest structure until it was succeeded by the Eiffel Tower in 1889.
The Statue of Liberty, located on Liberty Island in New York Harbour, is the tallest statue in the U.S. The French artist Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the 151-foot statue in 1886 as a gift to the United States. The steel, copper and gold leaf statue now stands on a 154-foot pedestal and is an iconic symbol of the U.S.
The second tallest statue in the U.S. is Our Lady of the Rockies at 88 feet tall. The statue depicts the Virgin Mary and has overlooked the city of Butte, Montana, since 1985. Bob O’Bill sculpted the statue after he promised the Virgin Mary he would build her likeness if his wife recovered from cancer.
The Golden Driller statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the third tallest statue in the U.S. The statue is 76 feet tall and is sculpted in the image of an oil worker with one hand on top of a real oil derrick.
