Favorite Building

[roadman65]

Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite buildings or overall structures? What ones intrigue you the most either by looks, design, or even one that looks pretty to your eyes.

Mine, as some who read my other post lately, is the US Capitol's dome.

[Zeffy]

Hmm...

It's hard to say, but I think the Willis Tower in Chicago is getting my vote. I can't really say why I love it so much, but I just do. Many of the buildings in Washington, DC also are up there because of their old-style architecture in a modern city.

If you showed me skylines of major cities, I would probably be able to pick at least one building in there that I like a lot. I just won't know the name. Names elude me a lot of the time.

[SSOWorld]

Hmm...

It's hard to say, but I think the WillisSears Tower in Chicago is getting my vote. I can't really say why I love it so much, but I just do. Many of the buildings in Washington, DC also are up there because of their old-style architecture in a modern city.

If you showed me skylines of major cities, I would probably be able to pick at least one building in there that I like a lot. I just won't know the name. Names elude me a lot of the time.

FTFY!

I can't pick just one building....

[Pete from Boston]

It's gone, or rather they are gone.  Every time I look at Lower Manhattan these days, I hear some voice say, "Trust me, you'll learn to love New Mommy before you know it."

But among the remaining, too many to decide.  Some are houses, some are skyscrapers, and most are in between.  I like roads, but I love buildings.

[dfwmapper]

Fountain Place in Dallas

[Brandon]

Hmm...

It's hard to say, but I think the Willis Tower Sears Tower in Chicago is getting my vote. I can't really say why I love it so much, but I just do. Many of the buildings in Washington, DC also are up there because of their old-style architecture in a modern city.

If you showed me skylines of major cities, I would probably be able to pick at least one building in there that I like a lot. I just won't know the name. Names elude me a lot of the time.

FIFY.  No one except the media uses the term "Willis Tower".  To the average Chicagoan, it's the "Sears Tower".

For me, there's a large list, and not all of them are tall.  Below are just a few.

- State of Illinois Center (aka James Thompson Center).  I like the atrium and the curvature.
- John Hancock Center.  The taper is nice, and I like the use of the structural X beams on the outside.
- Chrysler Building.  The spire and art deco decor is amazing.
- Smurfit Stone Building.  The cut to the roof facing the Lake is stunning.

[txstateends]

Fountain Place in Dallas

+1!!  Yes!  Love Fountain Place.  Wish it had been built as twins, like the original plans (the 80's mess sadly killed that plan, but oh well).  Another complex that can go on the list is The Crescent, just north of downtown in the Uptown area of Dallas.  Its newer neighbors have unfortunately been built as tall or taller, which covers The Crescent up from many viewing angles, but to me, it's still a classic.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

A few of my favorite buildings are:

- John Hancock Tower in Boston. It's such a beautiful building with the glass facade.
- Freedom Tower in NYC. I love it's modern look and especially how I was able to pick out it from the rest of the skyscrapers while flying into JFK.
- TransAmerica Pyramid in SF. It's a really cool design and you can easily identify it from the rest of the SF skyline.

[SteveG1988]

Brandon, if you love the Chrysler Building you will love the one that I love. One Liberty Place in Philadelphia PA. Shows what can happen when responsible skyscraper planning can take place, started a revolution in Philadelphia as prior to 1987 the tallest structure was the top of city hall, Billy Penn's hat.

It's the one with the spire and Chrysler Building inspired top

[Pete from Boston]

Hmmm... I sense a divide here.  Like most folks, I really do like the Chrysler Building, but One Liberty Place always struck me as a cheap knock-off.  In fairness, it's probably carry a little more weight with me if it wasn't so very derivative of so iconic a building ~100 miles away.

[ET21]

Freedom Complex (WTC) (NYC)
Sears Tower (Chicago)
Trump Tower (Chicago)
Aqua (Chicago)
700 Louisiana (Houston)
Library Tower (LA)
TransAmerica Building (San Fran)
CN Tower (Toronto)
Fernsehturm (Berlin)

Just to name a few 

[Pete from Boston]

Freedom Complex

Is this a thing?  The building isn't called Freedom Tower anymore.  Did they quietly rename the whole development instead?

[Roadrunner75]

Brandon, if you love the Chrysler Building you will love the one that I love. One Liberty Place in Philadelphia PA. Shows what can happen when responsible skyscraper planning can take place, started a revolution in Philadelphia as prior to 1987 the tallest structure was the top of city hall, Billy Penn's hat.

It's the one with the spire and Chrysler Building inspired top

I like One Liberty too, but I can't stand the Comcast Center tower.  I also can't stand that new skinny block residential tower in NYC - 432 Park Avenue.  It's an embarrassment to the NYC city skyline.  Give me some good ol' art deco.

[SSOWorld]

Freedom Complex

Is this a thing?  The building isn't called Freedom Tower anymore.  Did they quietly rename the whole development instead?

Some call 1WTC freedom tower but I have not heared Freedom Complex - ever.

find I'll list mine.
-Sears tower
-John Hancock Center
-ESB
-Transamerica Pyramid
-Chrysler Building

[briantroutman]

-Transamerica Pyramid

I have a client with offices up around the 40th floor on the northwest corner, and they have an unbelievable view that stretches from Golden Gate Park almost 180° around the North Bay. On a clear day, you can see the Farallones.

[BigRedDog]

I've always been a fan of PPG Place in Pittsburgh.

[KG909]

US Bank Tower (Library Tower) in LA

[Henry]

Top five:

Sears Tower
John Hancock Center
Chrysler Building (NYC)
Peachtree Center (Atlanta)
Library Tower (Los Angeles)

[Scott5114]

I'm quite partial to Oklahoma City's Devon Energy Center. It was the first new skyscraper we got in several years, and it seems to have been the catalyst for at least one other skyscraper nearby (OG&E is building a new skyscraper catty-corner to it). It was really cool seeing it under construction, and then the finished product. I haven't yet been to the top of it, but I want to go. You can see the tower from as far away as Newcastle, so I'm sure the view from the top is excellent. Overall, the building is a symbol of OKC's modern era and the progress we've made as a city in the last 20 years.

[ET21]

Freedom Complex

Is this a thing?  The building isn't called Freedom Tower anymore.  Did they quietly rename the whole development instead?

Some call 1WTC freedom tower but I have not heared Freedom Complex - ever.

I just called it that because you have a cluster of buildings that relate to each other, including the WTC memorial.

[SSOWorld]

Freedom Complex

Is this a thing?  The building isn't called Freedom Tower anymore.  Did they quietly rename the whole development instead?

Some call 1WTC freedom tower but I have not heared Freedom Complex - ever.

I just called it that because you have a cluster of buildings that relate to each other, including the WTC memorial.

indeed.  (For the record, I avoided the museum for two reasons: 1 - crowded, 2 - I don't believe - despite the seriousness of it - it belongs in a museum)

[oscar]

CN Tower in Toronto (borderline as a "building" since the only floors above ground level are observation and restaurant decks high up the tower, but the OP did include "overall structures")

For something more building-like and closer to home, the Twin Towers in Arlington's Rosslyn district, which used to be occupied by the Gannett newspaper company but now the most prominent tenants are local TV channels 7 and 8. Both look like vertical airfoils (funny, since they're uncomfortably close to one of the main flight paths into Reagan National airport). I also like that they're the most prominent high-rises right across the river from height-restricted D.C., defying some planners' wishes to restrict building heights in the close-in suburbs too.

[triplemultiplex]

Hee, hee, hee...

[silverback1065]

I've always liked the Flatiron building in NYC. 

[Pete from Boston]

I'm a big fan of this place in Wrentham, Mass.: