# Spin-Off Topic: How Many of the Tallest Buildings in the US do you know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969 "2011-03-16T22:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/1 "2011-03-16T22:08:28Z")
That other topic got me think about the Aon Center in Chicago. Despite being the fifth tallest building in the US, the third tallest in Chicago, and looking quite a bit like a WTC tower, I had never heard of it until I actually moved here (and I had no idea it was taller than the John Hancock Center until a couple days ago). So here are the 12 tallest buildings in the US (why 12? Because they’re all over 1,000 ft). Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) Trump International Hotel and Tower Empire State Building Bank of America Tower Aon Center John Hancock Center Chrysler Building New York Times Tower Bank of America Plaza U.S. Bank Tower AT&T Corporate Center JP Morgan Chase Tower How many of them do you recognize? By recognize I mean you know what city they are in and have at least a general idea of what it looks like. And the Aon Center doesn’t count unless you knew about it before the OP. I only know six, and that’s mainly from living in Chicago (and I’m still missing one). Edit: That was not meant to be a multiple choice poll. Play nice. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/2 "2011-03-16T22:14:01Z")
I know the Aon Center as the Standard Oil Building, does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/3 "2011-03-16T22:24:05Z")
I used to live in Chicago, but have only a passing familiarity with those in New York. ---
**Author:** ![Sakuma\_Drops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sakuma\_Drops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sakuma_Drops)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/4 "2011-03-16T22:28:54Z")
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to keep track of all the Bank of America towers/plazas/whatevers. Same with the Trump International, actually, because there are a few Trump-owned towers in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/5 "2011-03-16T22:34:09Z")
1. I would have said more, but I guess several of those buildings have several locations with the same name. I thought the Trump building was referring to [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_International_Hotel_and_Tower_%28New_York_City%29)one. All the ones named after banks are interchangeable in my mind. I don’t even have any idea what cities these > [@](#): > > Bank of America Plaza > U.S. Bank Tower > AT&T Corporate Center > JP Morgan Chase Tower are in. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/6 "2011-03-16T22:39:17Z")
The tallest building in Seattle has changed names several times. Everyone calls it the Columbia Tower, it’s first name. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/7 "2011-03-17T00:56:53Z")
I thought about adding city names to the buildings, and then I decided against it. There’s plenty of “World Trade Centers,” but I bet most people didn’t think they were talking about the one in Kentucky on the news on 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/8 "2011-03-17T18:36:45Z")
I only really know the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and the Willis Tower (see, I even know that’s the building’s current name :D). I’m not familiar with any of the rest. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spin-off-topic-how-many-of-the-tallest-buildings-in-the-us-do-you-know/574969/9 "2011-03-17T18:55:43Z")
I know four, assuming the Trump Tower is the one in Columbus Circle and the NY Times building is the one next to the Port Authority. If not, then I guess I only know two.