http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/ Photographs and information about the world's great skyscrapers and other architectural landmarks. en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 01:01:01 EDT Thu, 15 May 2008 01:23:01 EDT Copyright 1997-2008 Artefaqs Corporation http://glasssteelandstone.com/Images/MainElements/v5/CornerIcon-001.jpg http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/ 90 227 Photographs and information about the world's great skyscrapers and other architectural landmarks. http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1278.php At first glance, this building appears unfinished. Or perhaps it was winged by a passing meteor. But this is architecture. Award-winning architecture. Skybridge was one of the first developments to usher in a new era of modern residential living in the area just west of the Chicago River. Though most people will notice the beckoning trellis that extends the roof line over the northe http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1139.php A shot across the bow of the forces of West Loop darkness. The Hyatt Center rises from amid an overgrown forest of skyscrapers to spread light through a part of Chicago that previously seemed in perpetual shadow. The building takes the form of a smooth oval with indentations at its two most acute points. Those indentations seem to be the silvery skin of this tower peeling back to reve http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/143.php Chicago's Trump International Hotel and Tower marked the end of a long drought in the city's super tower scene. The 1960's saw the Hancock Center rise into the sky. In the 1970's it was the Sears Tower and the Aon Center. Then... nothing. Several proposals, including ones for what would have been the world's tallest buildings; but nothing that would come to fruition. http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1061.php One of the great Art Deco piles of Chicago, the LaSalle-Wacker Building is based on a classic design, but doesn't take itself too seriously. This is one of the few buildings of its era that still embraces and celebrates its heritage. Instead of pretending to be something modern, it illuminates its light wells at night in colored flood light. Its crowning spire can't compete with those http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1006.php An iconic presence in a city of architectural icons, the John Hancock Center rises boldly from the mid-American prairie to cast a cultural shadow much larger than the one it gets from the sun. It is a staple of movies, television newscasts, t-shirts, corporate logos and children's drawings. The John Hancock Center is photographed, idealized, and simplified into its various componen http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1055.php 311 South Wacker Drive is a worthy accompaniment to the Sears Tower next door. In its stature it mimics the Sears, and from certain angles, its flanking wings appear to be setbacks in the same manner as its neighbor. 311 South Wacker stands out, in part, because of its location. Aside from Sears, there are few nearby towers tall enough to compete with it. Another tower planned for this plot of http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1120.php 300 South Wacker is another one of those brown buildings that came along in the middle of the 20th century and mocked the Chicago River. But at least this one has some architectural merit. The building’s form appears as a tall shaft of concrete upon which wings of black glass offices have been hung. The result allows most of the building’s mechanical functions to be centralized and maximizes va http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1300.php 50 East Chestnut is one of the more luxurious skyscrapers to rise in Chicago's Gold Coast in years. Though it is 39 stories in height, it has just 34 floors of residential space; and only one tenant for each floor. Some floor plans have a larger square footage than many people's homes, and include libraries, media rooms, and living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens that are separate f http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/439.php When completed, this will be one of the most important buildings of the early 21st century. It is significant in stature, in design, in its politics, its symbolism, and for the reason it was built. The Freedom Tower is the replacement for what was once New York's World Trade Center. In September, 2001 terrorists destroyed several of the Center's buildings, including the massiv http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/442.php The World Trade Center is a collection of buildings in lower Manhattan. Towers number one and two (the "Twin Towers") were considered the tallest in the world by some people. It depends on how you define "tallest." Including the antenna, tower number one was 521 meters tall. However, including the antenna may also bring building-less antennae and towers into the running, which really mucks things http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1235.php http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/4128.php This little temple at the center of the Shinobazu pond in Ueno is often overlooked. The real stars of the show are the lotus flowers in the water and the dozens of bird species that call this marshy urban oasis home. The current temple was erected in 1958, but the area's temple history goes back to 1625 when a temple complex was erected in Ueno as an eastern outpost of the Enryakuji http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/4164.php A massive, imposing entrance to the Imperial Palace complex. It's not tall, but its squat stature and wide foundation impart a feeling of authority, and scrutiny. The dark stone base, topped with a lighter-colored wooden structure is easy to anthropomorphize into a beast glaring at visitors through a visor. But this gate doesn't even lead one into the Imperial court. It only takes yo http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/542.php Architecturally simple, but culturally significant to the people of Houston. The Williams Tower rises 64 stories over the Galleria Area and has become an icon of the city. Had it been cast in stone, rather than glass it would be easily mistaken for any of the skyscrapers that went up before the Great Depression. Now it is a memorial to those buildings that went before it, and still in-line with th http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/523.php An example of what happens when you crossbreed skyscrapers with old homes. The gables were inspired by the canal houses of The Netherlands, and give the building an instantly-recognizable appearance. The first section is 21-stories tall, while the whole building reaches a height of 56-stories. The building also sets itself apart from the other buildings in the skyline which are blue, black, and wh http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1424.php http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/2003.php This building became the symbol of all that was right and all that was wrong with Enron. It was in the middle of building this gleaming tower when the company collapsed into bankruptcy, lawsuits, and federal investigations. The building still stands, and is still a wonderful piece of architecture. But many wonder why it isn't as tall as the original Enron tower. While it will be similar in f http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/2153.php Deceptively simple in appearance, One Shell Plaza has a number of surprises upon closer examination. Outwardly, it looks like any other boring concrete block. But it is the only one in downtown Houston to sport a mast like so many skyscrapers in other cities. Its base has just a slight flare to it, spreading out like a Japanese fuji. The neighboring Two Shell Plaza appears to pay homage to this fl http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/2734.php The Federal Building-United States Post Office in Phoenix, Arizona is significant on a local level in two areas: architecture and politics/government. A good example of federal architecture adapted to a regional tradition, in this case the Spanish Colonial Revival, the building was erected during the years 1932 to 1936. Part of an extensive federal building program initiated in the late 1920s, it http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1131.php http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1427.php http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/1064.php It’s not very often that we gush uncontrollably about a building, but 35 East Wacker is one of the best buildings in the city of Chicago. Originally known as the Jewelers Building, it was created for the city’s diamond merchants and had an unusual security procedure – to reduce the chances that its tenants would be mugged walking between their cars and their offices, the building featured a centr http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/375.php The grandest tower in a city known for its great architecture, and as the home of the skyscraper. This is either the tallest, second-tallest, or third-tallest building in the world, depending on your definition. Nevertheless, the Sears Tower is the tallest building in the United States, though there are constantly discussions on building a taller building nearby. The tower is 1,454 feet tall, and http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/837.php http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/2663.php