europe / originals

list of tall buildings in 1937



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 Torre Littoria Turin 85 office 1934
6 Ullsteinhaus Berlin 83 office 1927
7 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 office 1931
8 Siemensturm Berlin 71 office 1918
9 Hotel Torni Helsinki 70 hotel 1931
10 Nebotičnik Ljubljana 70 residential / office 1933
11 Hôpital Beaujon Clichy 70 hospital 1935
12 Prudential House Warsaw 69 office 1933
13 Círculo de Bellas Artes Madrid 67 cultural 1926
14 Bau 36 Jena 66 office 1935
15 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 office 1925
16 Ginzburg House   Kyiv 63 residential 1912
17 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 office 1928
18 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 office 1931
18 Edificio Los Sótanos Valencia 62 residential 1931
20 Senate House London 62 office 1937
21 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 office 1924
22 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 office 1928
23 Shell Mex House London 61 office 1932
24 Gratte Ciel Est Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
24 Gratte Ciel Ouest Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
26 Résidence de la Cambre Brussels 61 residential 1937
27 Behrensbau Berlin 60 office 1917
28 Borsigturm Berlin 60 office 1924
28 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 office 1924
30 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 office 1929
31 Kharkiv National University Kharkiv 60 education 1932
32 Torre Duchi D'Aosta Sestriere 60 hotel 1933
33 Torre Snia Viscosa Milan 60 office 1937
34 Sankt Erikspalatset Stockholm 58 residential / office 1910
35 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 office 1921
36 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 office 1929
37 Sportpalatset Stockholm 58 residential / sports 1930
38 Rathaus Augsburg 57 city hall 1624
39 Midland Grand Hotel London 57 hotel 1873
40 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 office 1930
41 Torrione INA Brescia 57 office 1932
42 Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh 56 hotel 1902
43 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 office 1924
44 Europahaus Leipzig 56 office 1929
44 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 office 1929
46 Edificio Carrión Madrid 56 residential / hotel 1933
47 Tour Albert Brussels 56 residential 1937
47 Tour Léopold Brussels 56 residential 1937
49 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 office 1931
49 GEB-toren Rotterdam 55 office 1931
51 Bel-Air-Turm Lausanne 55 office 1932
52 Les Pavillons français Brussels 55 residential 1934
53 55 Broadway London 54 office 1929
54 Banco Vitalicio Madrid 54 office 1935
55 Drapacz Chmur Katowice 53 residential 1934
55 Palatul Telefoanelor Bucharest 53 office 1934
57 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 office 1910
58 Sunlight House Manchester 52 office 1932
59 Hochhaus Herrengasse Vienna 52 residential 1933
59 Torre Balilla Massa 52 hotel 1933
61 68 King William Street London 51 office 1922
62 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 office 1924
63 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 office 1928
64 Europahaus Berlin 51 office 1931
65 Hôtel Principi di Piemonte Turin 51 hotel 1936
66 India Buildings Liverpool 50 office 1932
67 Palazzo and Torre Rasini Milan 50 residential / office 1935
68 Palazzo Lancia Bologna 50 residential 1937
69 Mathematische Turm Kremsmünster 49 observatory / museum 1758
70 Queen Anne's Mansions   London 49 residential 1890
71 Colonia Fara Chiavari 49 hotel 1936
72 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 office 1921
73 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 office 1923
74 Hotel Century Antwerp 48 hotel / retail 1930
74 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 office 1930
76 Torre Palazzo Municipale La Spezia 48 office 1933
77 Strand Hotel Stockholm 47 hotel 1912
78 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 office 1914
79 Bau 15 Jena 47 office 1915
80 Siemens Schaltwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 47 factory 1928
81 Le Saillant de l'Yser Brussels 47 residential 1930
82 12-verdiepingenhuis Amsterdam 47 residential 1932
83 Palác Všeobecného penzijního ústavu Prague 47 office 1934
84 Folketeateret Oslo 47 office 1935
85 Casa Alta Trieste 47 residential 1937
85 Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig 47 education 1937
87 Tower Building Liverpool 46 office 1908
88 Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion Istanbul 46 residential 1911
89 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 office 1929
90 Albergo a Torre Sestriere 46 hotel 1932
91 Fairy-Tale House   Saint Petersburg 45 residential 1909
92 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 office 1911
93 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 office 1929
94 Residenza Bertola Turin 45 residential 1930
95 House on the Embankment Moscow 45 residential 1931
96 Faber-Hochhaus Magdeburg 45 office 1932
97 Obchodný a obytný dom Manderla Bratislava 45 residential 1935
97 Palazzo del Gas Bologna 45 office 1935
99 The Langham London 44 hotel 1865
100 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 office 1930
100 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 office 1930
102 Casa della Fontana Milan 44 residential 1936
103 Grattacieli Gemelli 1 Milan 43 residential 1923
103 Grattacieli Gemelli 2 Milan 43 residential 1923
105 Adelaide House London 43 office 1925
106 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 office 1926
107 Grattacielo di via Vittorio Veneto La Spezia 43 residential 1927
108 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 office 1929
109 Ungerpleinflat Rotterdam 43 residential 1934
110 Palazza Moderno Bologna 43 residential 1935
111 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 office 1760
112 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 office 1898
113 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 office 1925
114 Wasserturm des Dortmunder Südbahnhofs Dortmund 42 water tower / residential 1927
115 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 office 1928
116 Flatbuilding Willemspark The Hague 42 residential 1931
117 Palazzi Federici Rome 42 residential 1937
118 Nirnsee House Moscow 41 residential 1915
119 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 office 1925
120 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 office 1931
121 Rascacielos de Collblanc L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 41 residential 1932
122 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 office 1909
123 Beyer-Bau Dresden 40 observatorium 1913
124 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 office 1925
124 Mosselprom House Moscow 40 residential 1925
126 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 office 1927
127 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 office 1929
127 Otto-Moericke-Turm Konstanz 40 hotel 1929
129 Bamberger-Haus Bremen 40 retail 1931
129 Van Nelle Rotterdam 40 factory 1931
131 Columbushaus   Berlin 40 office / retail 1932
132 Komunalnej Kasy Oszczędności Chorzów 40 office 1937
- Deutschlandhaus Essen 39 office 1929
- Budynek Feniksa Kraków 39 residential / office 1933
- Palazzo Aedes Trieste 38 office 1928
- Haus Rheinpark 1 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Haus Rheinpark 2 Düsseldorf 38 residential 1929
- Candida Amsterdam 38 office 1932
- 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
- Shell-Haus Berlin 37 office 1932
- 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
- Palazzo dei Sindacati dell'Industria Milan 35 office 1933
- Résidence Ernestine Brussels 35 residential 1936
- 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
- Tour Chicago Paris 30 storage 1912
- Industriehaus Düsseldorf 30 office 1923
- Flatgebouw Parklaan Rotterdam 30 residential 1933
- 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
- Bergpolderflat Rotterdam 27 residential 1934
- 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