Singer Building

Broadway, United States

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

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The Singer Building was a 41-story Beaux-Arts and French Second Empire office skyscraper that rose 187 meters at the northwestern corner of Liberty Street and Broadway in Lower Manhattan. Designed by Ernest Flagg and commissioned by Singer Manufacturing Company leader Frederick Gilbert Bourne, the building was developed in phases from 1897 to 1908, combining an original 10-story structure with the adjoining Bourne Building and a soaring tower section. The facade featured brick, stone, and terracotta, crowned by a distinctive dome with lantern, while its steel-frame interior contained a marble-clad lobby, 16 elevators, and 410,000 square feet of office space. When completed, the Singer Tower became the world's tallest building from 1908 to 1909. Despite its iconic status, it was demolished between 1967 and 1969 to make way for One Liberty Plaza, making it the tallest building ever demolished by its owners at that time.