europe / originals

list of tall buildings in 1931



this collection includes buildings of least 40 meters tall that were completed before 1945. Buildings that are shorter than 40 meters but possess skyscraperesque features are included in this list, though they are not ranked

giraffes
during this period, a significant number of 'giraffe' buildings were constructed. A giraffe is defined as a low-rise building with a tower integrated into its design. To qualify for inclusion in this collection, the tower section must have habitable floors occupying more than fifty percent of its total height

color codes
  later reconstructed      later demolished

# name city height usage year
1 Royal Liver Building Liverpool 104 office 1911
2 Victoria Tower London 99 storage 1860
3 Edificio Telefónica Madrid 89 office 1929
4 Boerentoren Antwerp 88 office 1931
5 Ullsteinhaus Berlin 83 office 1927
6 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 office 1931
7 Siemensturm Berlin 71 office 1918
8 Hotel Torni Helsinki 70 hotel 1931
9 Círculo de Bellas Artes Madrid 67 cultural 1926
10 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 office 1925
11 Ginzburg House   Kyiv 63 residential 1912
12 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 office 1928
13 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 office 1931
13 Edificio Los Sótanos Valencia 62 residential 1931
15 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 office 1924
16 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 office 1928
17 Behrensbau Berlin 60 office 1917
18 Borsigturm Berlin 60 office 1924
18 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 office 1924
20 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 office 1929
21 Sankt Erikspalatset Stockholm 58 residential / office 1910
22 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 office 1921
23 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 office 1929
24 Sportpalatset Stockholm 58 residential / sports 1930
25 Rathaus Augsburg 57 city hall 1624
26 Midland Grand Hotel London 57 hotel 1873
27 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 office 1930
28 Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh 56 hotel 1902
29 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 office 1924
30 Europahaus Leipzig 56 office 1929
30 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 office 1929
32 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 office 1931
32 GEB-toren Rotterdam 55 office 1931
34 55 Broadway London 54 office 1929
35 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 office 1910
36 68 King William Street London 51 office 1922
37 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 office 1924
38 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 office 1928
39 Europahaus Berlin 51 office 1931
40 Mathematische Turm Kremsmünster 49 observatory / museum 1758
41 Queen Anne's Mansions   London 49 residential 1890
42 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 office 1921
43 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 office 1923
44 Hotel Century Antwerp 48 hotel / retail 1930
44 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 office 1930
46 Strand Hotel Stockholm 47 hotel 1912
47 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 office 1914
48 Bau 15 Jena 47 office 1915
49 Siemens Schaltwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 47 factory 1928
50 Le Saillant de l'Yser Brussels 47 residential 1930
51 Tower Building Liverpool 46 office 1908
52 Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion Istanbul 46 residential 1911
53 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 office 1929
54 Fairy-Tale House   Saint Petersburg 45 residential 1909
55 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 office 1911
56 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 office 1929
57 Residenza Bertola Turin 45 residential 1930
58 House on the Embankment Moscow 45 residential 1931
59 The Langham London 44 hotel 1865
60 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 office 1930
60 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 office 1930
62 Grattacieli Gemelli 1 Milan 43 residential 1923
62 Grattacieli Gemelli 2 Milan 43 residential 1923
64 Adelaide House London 43 office 1925
65 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 office 1926
66 Grattacielo di via Vittorio Veneto La Spezia 43 residential 1927
67 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 office 1929
68 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 office 1760
69 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 office 1898
70 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 office 1925
71 Wasserturm des Dortmunder Südbahnhofs Dortmund 42 water tower / residential 1927
72 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 office 1928
73 Flatbuilding Willemspark The Hague 42 residential 1931
74 Nirnsee House Moscow 41 residential 1915
75 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 office 1925
76 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 office 1931
77 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 office 1909
78 Beyer-Bau Dresden 40 observatorium 1913
79 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 office 1925
79 Mosselprom House Moscow 40 residential 1925
81 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 office 1927
82 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 office 1929
82 Otto-Moericke-Turm Konstanz 40 hotel 1929
84 Bamberger-Haus Bremen 40 retail 1931
84 Van Nelle Rotterdam 40 factory 1931
- Deutschlandhaus Essen 39 office 1929
- Palazzo Aedes Trieste 38 office 1928
- Haus Rheinpark 1 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Haus Rheinpark 2 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Gebouw Astoria Amsterdam 37 office 1905
- Hotel Savoy Łódź 37 hotel 1911
- Hochhaus am Albertplatz Dresden 37 office 1929
- Reichsversicherungsanstalt für Angestellte Berlin 37 cultural 1930
- Lietuvos geležinkeliai Vilnius 36 office 1903
- Market Street storehouse Dublin 36 storage 1904
- Handelshof Gera 36 office 1929
- Afremov House Moscow 35 residential 1905
- De Utrecht Amsterdam 35 office 1906
- The Yellow Building Sofia 35 office 1914
- Galeries Lafayette Lyon 35 retail 1925
- Mittnachtbau Stuttgart 35 office 1928
- Capitol-Hochhaus Hanover 35 office 1930
- Hotel Admiralspalast Zabrze 33 hotel 1927
- Ämterhochhaus Würzburg 33 office 1930
- Gewerkschaftshaus Frankfurt am Main 33 office 1931
- Palais du Congo Brussels 32 residential 1930
- Immeuble Cateland Lyon 31 residential 1911
- Hochhaus Glückauf Hanover 31 residential 1927
- Trinity Compound on Ilyinka Moscow 30 residential 1876
- Casa Lancia   Milan 30 office 1907
- Tour Chicago Paris 30 storage 1912
- Industriehaus Düsseldorf 30 office 1923
- Prinz-Georg-Straße 100 Düsseldorf 29 residential 1925
- Stadtbibliothek Hanover 29 library 1931
- Mathenesserplein Rotterdam 28 residential 1929
- Karl-Bröger-Haus Nuremberg 27 office 1930
- 48 Rue de Valois Paris 26 hotel / residential 1781
- Nirwanaflat The Hague 25 residential 1929
- Kant-Garagen Berlin 24 car park 1930
- Oriel Chambers Liverpool 21 office 1864
- Ditherington Flax Mill Shrewsbury 17 factory 1797