europe / originals

list of tall office buildings in 1940



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 Torre Piacentini Genoa 100 1940
3 Edificio Telefónica Madrid 89 1929
4 Boerentoren Antwerp 88 1931
5 Torre Littoria Turin 85 1934
6 Ullsteinhaus Berlin 83 1927
7 Baťův mrakodrap Zlín 78 1938
8 Országos Társadalombiztosító Intézet Budapest 73 1931
9 Siemensturm Berlin 71 1918
10 Prudential House Warsaw 69 1933
11 Bau 36 Jena 66 1935
12 Hansahochhaus Cologne 65 1925
13 Derzhprom Kharkiv 63 1928
14 Edificio La Unión and Fénix Español Madrid 62 1931
15 Senate House London 62 1937
16 Södra Kungstornet Stockholm 61 1924
17 Tagblatt-Turm Stuttgart 61 1928
18 Shell Mex House London 61 1932
19 GEB-toren Rotterdam 61 1940
20 Behrensbau Berlin 60 1917
21 Borsigturm Berlin 60 1924
21 Norra Kungstornet Stockholm 60 1924
23 Palacio de la Prensa Madrid 60 1929
24 Torre Snia Viscosa Milan 60 1937
25 De Inktpot Utrecht 58 1921
26 Opelturm Rüsselsheim 58 1929
27 Wernerwerk-Hochhaus Berlin 57 1930
28 Torrione INA Brescia 57 1932
29 Wilhelm-Marx-Haus Düsseldorf 56 1924
30 Europahaus Leipzig 56 1929
30 Otterhall Gothenburg 56 1929
32 Deutschnationalen Handlungsgehilfen-Verband Hamburg 55 1931
33 Bel-Air-Turm Lausanne 55 1932
34 55 Broadway London 54 1929
35 Banco Vitalicio Madrid 54 1935
36 Palatul Telefoanelor Bucharest 53 1934
37 Palazzo Montecatini Milan 53 1938
38 Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna Warsaw 52 1910
39 Sunlight House Manchester 52 1932
40 68 King William Street London 51 1922
41 Ballinhaus Hamburg 51 1924
42 Anzeiger-Hochhaus Hanover 51 1928
43 Europahaus Berlin 51 1931
44 India Buildings Liverpool 50 1932
45 Philips Lichttoren Eindhoven 48 1921
46 Ernemann-Turm Dresden 48 1923
47 Kathreiner-Haus Berlin 48 1930
48 Torre Palazzo Municipale La Spezia 48 1933
49 Palazzo Gaslini Genoa 48 1938
50 Sjömansinstitutet Stockholm 47 1914
51 Bau 15 Jena 47 1915
52 Palác Všeobecného penzijního ústavu Prague 47 1934
53 Folketeateret Oslo 47 1935
54 Palazzo INA Genoa 47 1938
55 Tower Building Liverpool 46 1908
56 Städtisches Hochhaus Munich 46 1929
57 Edificio Metrópolis Madrid 45 1911
58 Postscheckamt Breslau 45 1929
59 Faber-Hochhaus Magdeburg 45 1932
60 Palazzo del Gas Bologna 45 1935
61 Apollo House Amsterdam 45 1939
62 Správní budova Spolchemie Usti nad Labem 44 1930
62 Zentrale der Konsumgenossenschaft Vorwärts-Befreiung Wuppertal 44 1930
64 Adelaide House London 43 1925
65 Kraftwerk Klingenberg Berlin 43 1926
66 Krochhochhaus Leipzig 43 1929
67 Exchange Flags Liverpool 43 1939
68 City Chambers Edinburgh 42 1760
69 Witte Huis Rotterdam 42 1898
70 Stummhaus Düsseldorf 42 1925
71 Westfalenhaus Dortmund 42 1928
72 Edificio del Banco Pastor en La Coruña La Coruña 41 1925
73 Städtische Sparkasse Breslau 41 1931
74 Narva-Turm Berlin 40 1909
75 Cammann-Hochhaus Chemnitz 40 1925
76 Knorr-Bremse Gebäude Berlin 40 1927
77 Haus Grenzwacht Aachen 40 1929
78 Komunalnej Kasy Oszczędności Chorzów 40 1937
79 Erasmushuis Rotterdam 40 1939
- 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
- Dzirnavu 57 Riga 32 1940
- Industriehaus Düsseldorf 30 1923
- Karl-Bröger-Haus Nuremberg 27 1930
- Oriel Chambers Liverpool 21 1864