europe / originals

list of tall buildings in 1938



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 Baťův mrakodrap Zlín 78 office 1938
8 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 office 1931
9 Siemensturm Berlin 71 office 1918
10 Hotel Torni Helsinki 70 hotel 1931
11 Nebotičnik Ljubljana 70 residential / office 1933
12 Hôpital Beaujon Clichy 70 hospital 1935
13 Prudential House Warsaw 69 office 1933
14 Círculo de Bellas Artes Madrid 67 cultural 1926
15 Bau 36 Jena 66 office 1935
16 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 office 1925
17 Ginzburg House   Kyiv 63 residential 1912
18 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 office 1928
19 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 office 1931
19 Edificio Los Sótanos Valencia 62 residential 1931
21 Senate House London 62 office 1937
22 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 office 1924
23 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 office 1928
24 Shell Mex House London 61 office 1932
25 Gratte Ciel Est Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
25 Gratte Ciel Ouest Villeurbanne 61 residential 1934
27 Résidence de la Cambre Brussels 61 residential 1937
28 Behrensbau Berlin 60 office 1917
29 Borsigturm Berlin 60 office 1924
29 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 office 1924
31 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 office 1929
32 Kharkiv National University Kharkiv 60 education 1932
33 Torre Duchi D'Aosta Sestriere 60 hotel 1933
34 Torre Snia Viscosa Milan 60 office 1937
35 Sankt Erikspalatset Stockholm 58 residential / office 1910
36 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 office 1921
37 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 office 1929
38 Sportpalatset Stockholm 58 residential / sports 1930
39 Rathaus Augsburg 57 city hall 1624
40 Midland Grand Hotel London 57 hotel 1873
41 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 office 1930
42 Torrione INA Brescia 57 office 1932
43 Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh 56 hotel 1902
44 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 office 1924
45 Europahaus Leipzig 56 office 1929
45 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 office 1929
47 Edificio Carrión Madrid 56 residential / hotel 1933
48 Tour Albert Brussels 56 residential 1937
48 Tour Léopold Brussels 56 residential 1937
50 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 office 1931
50 GEB-toren Rotterdam 55 office 1931
52 Bel-Air-Turm Lausanne 55 office 1932
53 Les Pavillons français Brussels 55 residential 1934
54 55 Broadway London 54 office 1929
55 Banco Vitalicio Madrid 54 office 1935
56 Drapacz Chmur Katowice 53 residential 1934
56 Palatul Telefoanelor Bucharest 53 office 1934
58 Palazzo Montecatini Milan 53 office 1938
59 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 office 1910
60 Sunlight House Manchester 52 office 1932
61 Hochhaus Herrengasse Vienna 52 residential 1933
61 Torre Balilla Massa 52 hotel 1933
63 68 King William Street London 51 office 1922
64 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 office 1924
65 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 office 1928
66 Europahaus Berlin 51 office 1931
67 Hôtel Principi di Piemonte Turin 51 hotel 1936
68 India Buildings Liverpool 50 office 1932
69 Palazzo and Torre Rasini Milan 50 residential / office 1935
70 Palazzo Lancia Bologna 50 residential 1937
71 Mathematische Turm Kremsmünster 49 observatory / museum 1758
72 Queen Anne's Mansions   London 49 residential 1890
73 Colonia Fara Chiavari 49 hotel 1936
74 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 office 1921
75 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 office 1923
76 Hotel Century Antwerp 48 hotel / retail 1930
76 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 office 1930
78 Torre Palazzo Municipale La Spezia 48 office 1933
79 Palazzo Gaslini Genoa 48 office 1938
80 Strand Hotel Stockholm 47 hotel 1912
81 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 office 1914
82 Bau 15 Jena 47 office 1915
83 Siemens Schaltwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 47 factory 1928
84 Le Saillant de l'Yser Brussels 47 residential 1930
85 12-verdiepingenhuis Amsterdam 47 residential 1932
86 Palác Všeobecného penzijního ústavu Prague 47 office 1934
87 Folketeateret Oslo 47 office 1935
88 Casa Alta Trieste 47 residential 1937
88 Haus der Wissenschaft Braunschweig 47 education 1937
90 Palazzo INA Genoa 47 office 1938
91 Tower Building Liverpool 46 office 1908
92 Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion Istanbul 46 residential 1911
93 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 office 1929
94 Albergo a Torre Sestriere 46 hotel 1932
95 Fairy-Tale House   Saint Petersburg 45 residential 1909
96 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 office 1911
97 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 office 1929
98 Residenza Bertola Turin 45 residential 1930
99 House on the Embankment Moscow 45 residential 1931
100 Faber-Hochhaus Magdeburg 45 office 1932
101 Obchodný a obytný dom Manderla Bratislava 45 residential 1935
101 Palazzo del Gas Bologna 45 office 1935
103 The Langham London 44 hotel 1865
104 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 office 1930
104 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 office 1930
106 Casa della Fontana Milan 44 residential 1936
107 Grattacieli Gemelli 1 Milan 43 residential 1923
107 Grattacieli Gemelli 2 Milan 43 residential 1923
109 Adelaide House London 43 office 1925
110 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 office 1926
111 Grattacielo di via Vittorio Veneto La Spezia 43 residential 1927
112 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 office 1929
113 Ungerpleinflat Rotterdam 43 residential 1934
114 Palazza Moderno Bologna 43 residential 1935
115 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 office 1760
116 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 office 1898
117 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 office 1925
118 Wasserturm des Dortmunder Südbahnhofs Dortmund 42 water tower / residential 1927
119 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 office 1928
120 Flatbuilding Willemspark The Hague 42 residential 1931
121 Palazzi Federici Rome 42 residential 1937
122 Nirnsee House Moscow 41 residential 1915
123 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 office 1925
124 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 office 1931
125 Rascacielos de Collblanc L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 41 residential 1932
126 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 office 1909
127 Beyer-Bau Dresden 40 observatorium 1913
128 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 office 1925
128 Mosselprom House Moscow 40 residential 1925
130 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 office 1927
131 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 office 1929
131 Otto-Moericke-Turm Konstanz 40 hotel 1929
133 Bamberger-Haus Bremen 40 retail 1931
133 Van Nelle Rotterdam 40 factory 1931
135 Columbushaus   Berlin 40 office / retail 1932
136 Komunalnej Kasy Oszczędności Chorzów 40 office 1937
- Deutschlandhaus Essen 39 office 1929
- Budynek Feniksa Kraków 39 residential / office 1933
- Postitalo Helsinki 39 office 1938
- 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
- Palazzo Terzano Genoa 38 office 1938
- 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