Explore the Skinny Skyscrapers of New York

Track the rise of "super slender" towers in New York with an online tool from the Skyscraper Museum.

1 minute read

June 9, 2016, 5:00 AM PDT

By Elana Eden


111 West 57th St

111 West 57th Street reaches 1,438 feet high. | Felix Lipov / Shutterstock

The recent trend of very tall, very skinny towers in New York has caused controversy over its effect on the city’s skyline and views. Now the Skyscraper Museum offers a closer look at the development style, with an interactive chart that compares the shapes and heights of 18 towers.

Carol Willis, head of the museum, told Dezeen that while skinny towers are popular in dense cities worldwide, developers in New York have found the most success in marketing exclusively to the ultra-wealthy:

The unprecedented per-square-foot sales price – from $4,000 to as much as $11,000 for these exclusive condos with their trophy views – makes them very profitable for developers, even though they are also enormously expensive to build.

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