The Tallest Buildings Outside Of New York And Chicago

America's tallest buildings are generally concentrated in only a few major cities, but several skyscrapers outside the usual Chicago and New York still rank among the nation's most impressive. Philadelphia's Comcast Technology Center and Los Angeles' U.S. Bank Tower are just a couple of these lofty towers that represent the diverse growth of major business districts across the country.

Built for offices, hotels, and other mixed-use developments, they mold a number of memorable skylines across California, Pennsylvania, and a growing amount of other states. Here, we will highlight six examples, examining the engineering and designs that make each stand out.

Comcast Technology Center - Philadelphia

Standing 1,121 ft (342 m) tall, the Comcast Technology Center is the tallest building in the United States not in New York City or Chicago, and the 15th overall in North America. Completed in 2018, this 60-story skyscraper became the centerpiece of Philadelphia's growing skyline and serves as the headquarters for Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal's Philadelphia operations.

The tower features a distinct glass façade that narrows and angles upward, creating a unique tapered appearance. On the other hand, its interior includes offices, television studios, restaurants, and the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, which occupies the upper floors and includes a three-story sky lobby with views across the city.

The building is part of the greater Comcast Center complex and was designed by British firm Foster + Partners with advanced energy systems that earned LEED Platinum certification. Its height and technology-focused design add up to create Pennsylvania's most soaring man-made structure, a must-see for architectural enthusiasts in the Mid-Atlantic.

Wilshire Grand Center - Los Angeles

Rising 1,100 ft (335 m) above downtown Los Angeles, the Wilshire Grand Center is the tallest building in both California and every state west of the Mississippi River. Completed in 2017, the 73-story tower replaced the former Wilshire Grand Hotel, which had stood on the site since 1952. It transformed the city's relatively flat skyline and became the first building in L.A. to surpass the height of the former U.S. Bank Tower.

Notably, the Wilshire Grand Center's height required special engineering due to the region's sometimes turbulent seismic conditions, including a reinforced concrete core and a large foundation system extending well over 80 feet (24.4 m) underground.

Visually, it is unmissable with its unusual sail-shaped crown, which features a glass-enclosed spire rather than a traditional flat rooftop. But on a more practical note, the building contains offices, retail spaces, restaurants, and the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel, which occupies many of the upper floors.

Salesforce Tower - San Francisco

Completed in 2018, this 61-floor skyscraper became the centerpiece of the Transbay neighborhood redevelopment project, serving as the headquarters for none other than Salesforce. At 1,070 ft (326 m) tall, Salesforce Tower is actually the tallest building in San Francisco and the rest of Northern California.

The tower has a distinctive tapered form created by its gradually narrowing glass exterior and rounded corners. Its upper floors then feature a 360-degree observation space known as the Ohana Floor, providing excellent views across the Bay Area. It also impresses with its more than 1.4 million ft² (130,000 m²) of office space, incorporating several energy-efficient systems that helped it earn LEED Platinum certification as well.

Built on former transit terminal land, Salesforce Tower, like many of the entries on this list, reshaped its city's skyline, surpassing the Transamerica Pyramid as San Francisco's tallest structure upon its finalization. For many long-time locals, it marked a major shift in the city's modern architecture since its near-complete destruction after the 1906 earthquake.

Waterline - Austin

Going up approximately 1,025 ft (312 m) above downtown Austin, Waterline has very lately become the highest building in Texas. Completed in 2026, the 74-story tower became a defining icon of the city's rapid development in recent years. In fact, it surpassed the much older JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston, opened in 1982, marking a major shift in the state's budding skyscraper landscape.

Waterline is a mixed-use skyscraper containing office space, luxury residences, retail areas, restaurants, and the 1 Hotel Austin, with a design that uses a combination of glass and curved architectural elements to create an eye-catching profile visible from far away. Moreover, its location near Lady Bird Lake and Waller Creek also conveniently places it at the edge of the city's historic/upscale Rainey Street district.

Bank of America Plaza - Atlanta

At 1,023 ft (312 m), Bank of America Plaza is easily the tallest building in Georgia and the highest skyscraper in the southeastern United States. Completed in 1992, the 55-story tower was designed in the postmodern style that many other major office buildings of the late 20th century similarly used.

Its most recognizable feature is the 90-ft (27 m) illuminated pyramid-esque spire at the top, which gives the Bank of America Plaza a momentous appearance across Atlanta's skyline, especially at night. The building's steel structure and pink granite exterior further helped set it apart from the city's earlier-built concrete towers.

Located more specifically in the neighborhood of Midtown, it primarily contains office space, originally developed to be a highly necessary facet of the area's growing importance as a business center. With that, for more than three decades, the Bank of America Plaza has remained the tallest building in ATL and one of the most recognizable structures of the Deep South in general.

U.S. Bank Tower - Los Angeles

The U.S. Bank Tower has been an integral part of Los Angeles since its completion in 1989. Reaching 1,018 ft (310 m) above downtown, this 73-story skyscraper actually held the title of tallest building west of Chicago for nearly thirty years.

The brainchild of architect Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, its iconic cylindrical shape and sloping glass façade truly helped it stand apart from the boxier office towers of the era. Moreover, its location near the Los Angeles Central Library led to its original name, Library Tower, before it was officially renamed first to "First Interstate Bank World Center," then to U.S. Bank Tower, which we use today.

The building was also renowned for its observation deck, which included a glass slide jutting out from the exterior of the tower, before closing permanently in late 2020. But beyond its height and former tourist appeal, the U.S. Bank Tower remains notable as an enduring symbol of Los Angeles' rise as a major center for finance, entertainment, and business.

Explore the United States' Lesser Known High-Rise Buildings

These skyscrapers show that America's tallest buildings are no longer limited to just a couple of destinations. Various towers located in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and elsewhere have become defining landmarks in their respective regions, reflecting the economic growth, modern engineering, and always-changing urban spaces that exemplify what makes the country so great. Which one would you most like to visit up close?