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One World Trade Center is the tallest completed building in New York City, rising 1,776 feet (541.3 meters) to its architectural top. The current top 10 also includes five residential or mixed-use supertalls in Midtown, the newly completed JPMorganChase Tower at 270 Park Avenue, the Empire State Building, and two other World Trade Center towers.
This ranking uses the Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU), formerly CTBUH, and its completed-building data. “Completed” means a tower has structurally and architecturally topped out, has full cladding, and is open for business or at least partially occupiable. Heights are measured to the architectural top—including qualifying spires but excluding antennae, signs, flagpoles, and functional technical equipment.
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The 10 tallest completed buildings in New York City
| Rank | Building | Architectural height | Completed | Floors | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One World Trade Center | 541.3 m / 1,776 ft | 2014 | 94 | Office |
| 2 | Central Park Tower | 472.4 m / 1,550 ft | 2020 | 98 | Residential and retail |
| 3 | 111 West 57th Street, or Steinway Tower | 435.3 m / 1,428 ft | 2021 | 84 | Residential |
| 4 | One Vanderbilt Avenue | 427 m / 1,401 ft | 2020 | 62 | Office |
| 5 | 432 Park Avenue | 425.7 m / 1,397 ft | 2015 | 85 | Residential |
| 6 | JPMorganChase Tower, 270 Park Avenue | 423 m / 1,388 ft | 2025 | 60 | Office |
| 7 | 30 Hudson Yards | 387.1 m / 1,270 ft | 2019 | 73 | Office |
| 8 | Empire State Building | 381 m / 1,250 ft | 1931 | 102 | Office |
| 9 | Bank of America Tower, or One Bryant Park | 365.8 m / 1,200 ft | 2009 | 55 | Office |
| 10 | 3 World Trade Center | 328.9 m / 1,079 ft | 2018 | 69 | Office |
Heights, floor counts, completion years, uses, and structural classifications follow CVU’s completed-building New York City dataset. Floor counts are CVU-counted above-ground floors.
1. One World Trade Center: 541.3 meters / 1,776 feet
One World Trade Center is New York City’s tallest completed building and the only building in the city above 500 meters. Completed in 2014, the 94-floor office tower reaches 1,776 feet to its architectural top—a deliberate reference to the year of American independence.
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That figure should not be confused with the height of the roof, the highest occupied floor, or the tower’s total pinnacle height. One World Trade Center’s architectural height includes its qualifying spire, while antenna-related measurements can vary depending on the measurement category used.
Beyond the record, the tower is the civic and symbolic anchor of the rebuilt World Trade Center. Its design brings together a high-rise office structure, transportation connections, the surrounding memorial, public space, safety systems, and an observatory. Structurally, CVU classifies it as a concrete-steel composite building.
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Central Park Tower is New York’s second-tallest completed building, standing 1,550 feet with 98 above-ground floors. Completed in 2020, it combines residential and retail uses and has an all-concrete structural classification.
Often associated with the former Nordstrom Tower name, Central Park Tower is part of the luxury residential development concentrated along Midtown’s so-called Billionaires’ Row. Its position immediately south of Central Park is central to its value proposition: height provides expansive views, while the narrow Midtown site allows a large amount of residential space to rise vertically.
The building’s highest occupied floor is approximately 431.8 meters—substantially below its 472.4-meter architectural top. This is one reason rankings must state which height category they use. Central Park Tower is frequently described as the world’s tallest residential building by architectural height, but it is not New York City’s tallest building overall; One World Trade Center is taller.
3. 111 West 57th Street: 435.3 meters / 1,428 feet
Also known as Steinway Tower, 111 West 57th Street reaches 1,428 feet and was completed in 2021. It has 84 floors, is primarily residential, and is classified by CVU as steel over concrete.
The tower is notable for its exceptionally slender proportions and for incorporating the historic Steinway Building into the development. Its form is a clear example of New York’s superslim residential typology: a constrained Midtown site, premium views, and extreme height are combined in a very narrow structure.
For construction professionals, the important point is that slenderness creates a wind and movement problem as much as a height problem. The tower’s structural and facade systems had to address lateral forces, occupant comfort, and the relationship between the new high-rise and the retained historic building. Published sources may round the height to 435 or 436 meters, but the CVU ranking figure is 435.3 meters.
4. One Vanderbilt Avenue: 427 meters / 1,401 feet
One Vanderbilt rises 1,401 feet beside Grand Central Terminal. Completed in 2020, the 62-floor office tower is classified as a concrete-steel composite structure and ranks fourth in New York City.
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Its significance extends beyond the height chart. One Vanderbilt was part of transit-oriented redevelopment around Grand Central, connecting a major private tower project with improvements and new activity around one of the city’s most important transportation hubs. The tower officially topped out at its full 1,401-foot height in 2019 before opening in 2020.
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5. 432 Park Avenue: 425.7 meters / 1,397 feet
Completed in 2015, 432 Park Avenue is a 1,397-foot residential tower with 85 CVU-counted above-ground floors. Its structural classification is all-concrete.
The building’s unusually regular appearance comes from its square windows and exposed-looking concrete grid. With a height-to-width ratio of approximately 1:15, it is an archetypal superslim skyscraper rather than a broad commercial tower.
Its structural concept divides the tower into stacked sections separated by open mechanical levels. These interruptions help change how wind acts on the building over its height. The example illustrates a basic principle of very tall construction: adding floors is only part of the challenge. Engineers must also control wind pressure, vibration, sway, structural weight, and the experience of people occupying the building.
6. JPMorganChase Tower at 270 Park Avenue: 423 meters / 1,388 feet
JPMorganChase Tower at 270 Park Avenue is the newest entry in this ranking. CVU lists the 60-floor office headquarters at 423 meters, or 1,388 feet, with a 2025 completion date. Its structural classification is concrete-steel composite.
The tower’s completion moved it into sixth place, between 432 Park Avenue and 30 Hudson Yards. Foster + Partners designed the building, which is described as an all-electric headquarters. CVU reported that JPMorganChase officially opened the new headquarters on October 20, 2025.
This is the building most likely to be missing from older “tallest buildings in New York” articles. A list published before its completion may place 30 Hudson Yards or another tower higher, but a current completed-building ranking must account for 270 Park Avenue.
7. 30 Hudson Yards: 387.1 meters / 1,270 feet
30 Hudson Yards is the tallest tower in the Hudson Yards development. Completed in 2019, it rises 1,270 feet, contains 73 floors, and is an all-steel office building. CVU identifies its address as 500 West 33rd Street and records an occupied height of 342.1 meters.
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- Height: 13.75in / 35cm, Depth: 2in / 5cm, Width: 10.25in / 26cm
- By Reuel Golden
- Hardcover
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The tower’s massing uses setbacks and ledges that help relate it to the other buildings in the Hudson Yards district. That district is a useful contrast with the World Trade Center: both are large-scale planned urban developments, but each creates a different relationship between towers, public space, transportation, and commercial activity.
30 Hudson Yards is also home to The Edge, a publicly accessible outdoor observation deck projecting from the tower. For visitors, it provides a striking way to experience the building’s height and the surrounding west-side skyline, even though the tower’s primary function is office space.
8. Empire State Building: 381 meters / 1,250 feet
The Empire State Building remains the eighth-tallest completed building in New York City at 1,250 feet. Opened in 1931, it has 102 floors and an all-steel structure.
Its place in the current top 10 is a reminder of the scale of New York’s recent vertical growth. The Empire State Building has not become shorter; newer towers have simply risen above it. Much of the current skyline expansion occurred in and around Midtown, where the older landmark remains surrounded by a newer generation of residential and office supertalls.
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The building is historically important because it represents the pre-supertall era and served for decades as New York’s height benchmark. It also continues to function as an office building, architectural landmark, observation attraction, and global symbol of the city. It should not, however, be described as New York’s current tallest or second-tallest building.
9. Bank of America Tower / One Bryant Park: 365.8 meters / 1,200 feet
Bank of America Tower, also known as One Bryant Park, is a 1,200-foot office building completed in 2009. It has 55 floors and a concrete-steel composite structure, placing it ninth in the completed-building ranking.
Its position is especially important because it corrects a common list-making error. Some New York City skyline pages display a mixed-status ranking that includes 2 World Trade Center. Because 2 World Trade Center is not completed, it is not eligible for a completed-building list. Bank of America Tower is completed and occupiable, so it takes the ninth position under the stated methodology.
CVU also identifies Bank of America Tower as a LEED Platinum building, providing an example of how more recent office towers incorporated sustainability goals alongside height, density, and commercial requirements.
10. 3 World Trade Center: 328.9 meters / 1,079 feet
3 World Trade Center completes the list at 1,079 feet. The office tower was completed in 2018, has 69 floors, and is classified as concrete-steel composite.
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Its inclusion gives the rebuilt World Trade Center two representatives in the top 10: One World Trade Center at number one and 3 World Trade Center at number ten. The building is part of the larger reconstruction and redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.
3 World Trade Center should not be confused with 2 World Trade Center. The latter remains an incomplete or proposed project and therefore does not qualify for this completed-building ranking.
Why rankings of New York’s tallest buildings disagree
Architectural height is not roof height
CVU’s standard height runs from the lowest significant open-air pedestrian entrance to the building’s architectural top. It can include a designed spire, but excludes antennae, signage, flagpoles, and functional technical equipment. A list based on roof height can therefore produce a different order.
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The highest occupied floor is a different measurement
A tower’s architectural top may be far above the highest floor where people regularly work or live. Crowns, spires, mechanical floors, and other unoccupied areas can contribute to the architectural height. One World Trade Center and Central Park Tower both illustrate why occupied height should not be substituted for architectural height without clearly labeling the change.
Completed towers should not be mixed with proposals
A proposed, stalled, or unfinished tower may be taller than an existing building, but it does not belong in a list of the tallest completed buildings. The completed-only CVU data places Bank of America Tower ninth and 3 World Trade Center tenth rather than inserting 2 World Trade Center.
Floor counts are not a reliable height ranking
Floor-to-floor heights vary by use, structure, mechanical requirements, and design. A 60-floor office tower can be taller than a 90-floor residential tower if its floor plates and vertical dimensions differ. That is why this ranking is based on architectural height, with floor counts provided as additional context.
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Residential towers now dominate the upper Midtown ranks
Central Park Tower, 111 West 57th Street, and 432 Park Avenue occupy three of the top five positions and are residential buildings. Their height reflects a development model built around premium views, limited land, and very high-value units. Their slender forms also create demanding structural, facade, wind, and vertical-transportation requirements.
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One World Trade Center, One Vanderbilt, 270 Park Avenue, 30 Hudson Yards, the Empire State Building, Bank of America Tower, and 3 World Trade Center are primarily office buildings. Their designs show how large office projects use height to consolidate floor area while tying into transit, public space, district planning, and corporate identity.
New construction has not erased historic landmarks
The Empire State Building still ranks eighth nearly a century after completion. Its continued presence demonstrates that a city’s vertical history is cumulative: older steel-framed landmarks remain active buildings while newer composite, concrete, and highly engineered superslim towers reshape the skyline around them.
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How to see the buildings
Several buildings on the list have public observation experiences. One World Observatory occupies levels 100–102 of One World Trade Center and offers timed admission with multiple ticket tiers. Its official ticket information has listed standard admission from $44 before processing fees, but prices and availability can change, so check the current official booking page before planning a visit.
Summit One Vanderbilt provides a visitor experience at One Vanderbilt, The Edge offers an outdoor viewpoint at 30 Hudson Yards, and the Empire State Building has its own observatory. These attractions are not interchangeable: each presents a different angle on the skyline, and a view from one tower naturally excludes that tower from the panorama.
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For a street-level construction and planning perspective, AIA New York walking tours—including its “Rise of the Skyscraper” tour—and programming from the Skyscraper Museum can add context about structural design, preservation, planning history, and the evolution of New York’s skyline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tallest building in New York City?
One World Trade Center is the tallest completed building in New York City, at 541.3 meters or 1,776 feet to its architectural top.
Is Central Park Tower taller than One World Trade Center?
No. Central Park Tower is 1,550 feet to its architectural top, while One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet. Central Park Tower is commonly described as the tallest residential building by architectural height, but One World Trade Center is taller overall.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhy is 2 World Trade Center missing from the list?
This is a completed-building ranking. 2 World Trade Center is not completed, so it is excluded. Bank of America Tower and 3 World Trade Center occupy the ninth and tenth positions in the completed-only data.
What is the newest building in New York’s top 10?
JPMorganChase Tower at 270 Park Avenue is the newest entry. CVU lists it as completed in 2025, at 423 meters or 1,388 feet.
Are these heights measured to the roof?
No. The ranking uses architectural height, measured to the building’s architectural top. That can include a qualifying spire but excludes antennae, signs, flagpoles, and functional technical equipment.
How many buildings in the top 10 are residential?
Three are primarily residential: Central Park Tower, 111 West 57th Street, and 432 Park Avenue. Central Park Tower also includes retail.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Bottom Line
New York City’s tallest completed building is still One World Trade Center at 1,776 feet, but the rest of the ranking reflects a rapidly changed skyline: Midtown’s superslim residential towers, new office districts at Hudson Yards and Grand Central, the 2025 addition of 270 Park Avenue, and the continuing presence of the Empire State Building. The key to a reliable list is to use one consistent standard—CVU’s completed-building architectural height—and to keep proposed towers, roof measurements, occupied floors, and antennae out of the comparison.
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