europe / originals

list of tall office 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 year
1 Royal Liver Building Liverpool 104 1911
2 Edificio Telefónica Madrid 89 1929
3 Boerentoren Antwerp 88 1931
4 Torre Littoria Turin 85 1934
5 Ullsteinhaus Berlin 83 1927
6 Baťův mrakodrap Zlín 78 1938
7 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 1931
8 Siemensturm Berlin 71 1918
9 Prudential House Warsaw 69 1933
10 Bau 36 Jena 66 1935
11 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 1925
12 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 1928
13 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 1931
14 Senate House London 62 1937
15 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 1924
16 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 1928
17 Shell Mex House London 61 1932
18 Behrensbau Berlin 60 1917
19 Borsigturm Berlin 60 1924
19 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 1924
21 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 1929
22 Torre Snia Viscosa Milan 60 1937
23 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 1921
24 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 1929
25 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 1930
26 Torrione INA Brescia 57 1932
27 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 1924
28 Europahaus Leipzig 56 1929
28 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 1929
30 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 1931
30 GEB-toren Rotterdam 55 1931
32 Bel-Air-Turm Lausanne 55 1932
33 55 Broadway London 54 1929
34 Banco Vitalicio Madrid 54 1935
35 Palatul Telefoanelor Bucharest 53 1934
36 Palazzo Montecatini Milan 53 1938
37 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 1910
38 Sunlight House Manchester 52 1932
39 68 King William Street London 51 1922
40 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 1924
41 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 1928
42 Europahaus Berlin 51 1931
43 India Buildings Liverpool 50 1932
44 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 1921
45 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 1923
46 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 1930
47 Torre Palazzo Municipale La Spezia 48 1933
48 Palazzo Gaslini Genoa 48 1938
49 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 1914
50 Bau 15 Jena 47 1915
51 Palác Všeobecného penzijního ústavu Prague 47 1934
52 Folketeateret Oslo 47 1935
53 Palazzo INA Genoa 47 1938
54 Tower Building Liverpool 46 1908
55 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 1929
56 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 1911
57 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 1929
58 Faber-Hochhaus Magdeburg 45 1932
59 Palazzo del Gas Bologna 45 1935
60 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 1930
60 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 1930
62 Adelaide House London 43 1925
63 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 1926
64 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 1929
65 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 1760
66 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 1898
67 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 1925
68 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 1928
69 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 1925
70 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 1931
71 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 1909
72 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 1925
73 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 1927
74 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 1929
75 Komunalnej Kasy Oszczędności Chorzów 40 1937
- Deutschlandhaus Essen 39 1929
- Postitalo Helsinki 39 1938
- Palazzo Aedes Trieste 38 1928
- Candida Amsterdam 38 1932
- Palazzo Terzano Genoa 38 1938
- Gebouw Astoria Amsterdam 37 1905
- Hochhaus am Albertplatz Dresden 37 1929
- Shell-Haus Berlin 37 1932
- Lietuvos geležinkeliai Vilnius 36 1903
- Handelshof Gera 36 1929
- De Utrecht Amsterdam 35 1906
- The Yellow Building Sofia 35 1914
- Mittnachtbau Stuttgart 35 1928
- Capitol-Hochhaus Hanover 35 1930
- Palazzo dei Sindacati dell'Industria Milan 35 1933
- Ämterhochhaus Würzburg 33 1930
- Gewerkschaftshaus Frankfurt am Main 33 1931
- Industriehaus Düsseldorf 30 1923
- Karl-Bröger-Haus Nuremberg 27 1930
- Oriel Chambers Liverpool 21 1864