Transamerica Pyramid - San Francisco, CA

Transamerica Pyramid - San Francisco, CA

"Built on the location of the historic Montgomery Block, it has a structural height of 260 meters (853 ft) and contains 48 floors of retail and office space. Construction began in 1969 and finished in 1972. It is currently ranked as the 100th tallest building in the world. Transamerica moved their headquarters to the new building from across the street, where they used to be based in another pyramid-shaped building now occupied by the Church of Scientology of San Francisco.
Its unique shape is the result of the desire by Transamerica to have a building whose top would be looked up to by the executives on the highest floor of the 555 California Street, which is not only tall but also sits upon a substantially higher elevation. The land use and zoning restrictions for the parcel limited the number of square feet of office that could be built upon the lot, which sits at the northern boundary of the financial district. The pyramid is an innovative solution to this design challenge, and when viewed from the East Bay forms a prominent and unique skyline projection, forming an important element of San Francisco's "signature skyline".
Although it no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo. The building is evocative of San Francisco and has become one of the many symbols of the city. Designed by architect William Pereira, it faced considerable opposition during its planning and construction, and was sometimes referred to by detractors in derogatory slang.
In 1999, Transamerica was acquired by Dutch insurance company AEGON. When the non-insurance operations of Transamerica were later sold to GE Capital, AEGON retained the building as an investment.
The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two "wings" on opposite sides of the building. The wing to the east of the building contains an elevator shaft, while the wing to the west contains a stairwell and a smoke tower. The top 64.6 meters (212 ft) of the building is the spire. There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming a virtual observation deck. Four monitors in the lobby, whose direction and zoom can be controlled by visitors, display the cameras' views 24 hours a day. An observation deck on the 27th floor was closed after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and replaced by the virtual observation deck. The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. During the holiday season, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July, a bright, white light is lit on top of the pyramid.
The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi from 1972-1974 (surpassing the nearby 555 California Street), at which point it was surpassed by the Aon Center in Los Angeles, which was designed by Pereira's former business partner Charles Luckman.
The building is considered to have been the intended target of a foiled terrorist attack, involving the hijacking of airplanes as part of Oplan Bojinka, which was foiled in 1995."

Empire State Building - New York City, New York

Empire State Building - New York City, New York

The epitome of big buildings, billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World at its opening, the Empire State Building broke records in many categories, including height (1250 feet) and construction time (it took only one year and forty-five days to build).
Planned during the booming 1920's, it was constructed during the Depression. Largely vacant in its early years, it was said that the building relied on the stream of sightseers to the observation decks to pay its taxes.
On July 28, 1945, a ten-ton B-25 bomber, lost in the fog, slammed into the north wall of the 78th and 79th floors. The plane's wings were sheared off by the impact, while the fuselage and other parts tore through inner walls, some parts coming out the opposite side of the building. Despite massive holes in those two walls, as well as damage to two supporting steel beams, there was no important structural damage done to the building.
Stunning in both its height and simplicity, the building's sleek limestone and stainless steel design rises in a stunning series of setbacks ending with a bold seven-hundred foot tower, which was originally intended as a mooring dock for dirigibles. In 1950, the addition of a television antenna added another 225 feet to the building.
The Empire State Building's two-story high ground floor corridors are crossed at intervals by stainless steel and glass-enclosed bridges.
Since the World Trade Center disaster, the Empire State Building has regained it's title of tallest building in New York. Prior to the World Trade Center's construction, the Empire State Building was the highest point from which to broadcast radio and television signals. Once built, not only did the Trade Center towers block these signals, it also became the highest point from which to broadcast. Nearly all broadcasters moved their expensive equipment to the new twin towers.

Trinity Church - Boston, MA, USA

Trinity Church - Boston, MA, USA

Trinity Church is located in the Copley Square section of Boston and is an iconic structure there which contrasts nicely against the blue mirror glass of the Hancock Tower next to it. The congregation was originally established in 1733. When their church burned down in the Great Fire of 1872, they wanted to rebuild. Their Rector, Phillips Brooks, a well known preacher of the time, convinced the congregation to have his friend, H. H. Richardson design the new building. The building was located in the newly filled in Back Bay section of Boston. 4500 wooden pilings support the structure. The style was based on Roman and Spanish designs, and became known as "Richardsonian Romanesque". Richardson's reputation rose from this design, and he went on to design many more structures.
The church is a modified cross design and has many features, including stained glass windows and mosaics, some of which were designed and built by John LaFarge, who, from this project, improved methods in making stained glass windows.