Abandoned Proposals
| Name | Pinnacle height | Year of first proposal | Structure type | Main use | Country | Town | Year of Projected Completion | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Tower | 2,092 m (6,864 ft) | 1979 | Skyscraper | undetermined | U.S. | Houston | undetermined | The Houston Tower was an envisioned skyscraper that would have been nearly 1.3 miles (2.1 km) tall (6864 ft/2092 m) and taken up nine city blocks in Houston. |
| Aeropolis 2001 | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) | 1989 | Arcology | Residential, Commercial, Retail, and Leisure real-estate | Japan | Tokyo | 2001 (never begun) | The Aeropolis 2001 was a proposed project for construction of a massive 500-story high-rise building over Tokyo Bay in Japan. It was proposed to be a 2,000 m (6,562 ft) high building. |
| The Illinois | 1,609 m (5,279 ft) | 1956 | Skyscraper | Commercial, Residential, and Leisure real-estate | U.S. | Chicago | Never seriously considered due to inadequate materials strength at the time of proposal | The Illinois, envisioned by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, was to be a mile high (1609 m / 5280 ft) skyscraper in Chicago. |
| Nakheel Tower | 1,400 m (4,600 ft) | 2003 | Skyscraper | Residential, Retail, and Leisure real-estate | United Arab Emirates | Dubai | 2019 (cancelled 2009) | Nakheel Tower (previously Al Burj) was a proposed skyscraper, planned for Dubai, UAE. It was expected to be approximately 1,400 m (4,600 ft) tall but the project was cancelled in November 2009 as a result of the 2009 financial crisis in Dubai. |
| PAGCOR Tower | 665 m (2,182 ft) | 2008 | Observation tower | Leisure and Observation facilities | Philippines | Manila | Cancelled in 2010 | Originally part of the plans for the PAGCOR Entertainment City, the project was scrapped due to various reasons including air traffic regulations (due to close proximity to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport |
| Warsaw Radio Mast | 646 m (2,119 ft) | Original in 1968, Replacement in 1992 | Guyed mast | VHF-UHF transmission | Poland | Warsaw | 1997 (cancelled 1995) | Until late 1995, there were plans to rebuild the collapsed 646 m (2,119 ft) Warsaw Radio Mast to its previous height on the same site, using the basements of the old mast. Although some refurbishment of the basements started, work was canceled after violent protests by local residents, who feared harmful radiation effects from the high-power transmitter served by the antenna. A new transmission facility with two smaller masts measuring 330 and 289 m was built as a replacement in 1998-99 at Solec Kujawski. |
| Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle | 610 m (2,000 ft) | 1988 | Skyscraper | Commercial, and Residential real-estate | U.S. | Chicago | 1994 (cancelled 1992) | The Miglin-Beitler Skyneedle in Chicago was to be 610 m (2,001 ft) tall in 1988. |
| Eaton's / John Maryon Tower | 503 m (1,650 ft) | 1971 | Skyscraper | Commercial, and Leisure real-estate | Canada | Toronto | 1976 (cancelled 1972) | Eaton's / John Maryon Tower was a planned 503 m (1,650 ft) (686m to spire) tall building in Toronto in 1971. |
| Grant USA Tower | 533.4 m (1,750 ft) | 1970 | Skyscraper | Commercial, Retail, and Leisure real-estate | U.S. | Newark, New Jersey | 1986 (cancelled 1986) | The Grant USA Tower was planned by developer Harry Grant, who started New York Apple Tours. The building was to be completed in 1986 in Newark, New Jersey and to be the tallest hotel, tallest building and tallest structure. Harry Grant went bankrupt and the building never broke ground. |
| Palace of Soviets | 415 m (1,362 ft) | 1932 | Skyscraper | Bureaucratic administrative center and conference hall | U.S.S.R. | Moscow | 1947 (cancelled 1942) | The Palace of Soviets in Moscow, planned in 1932, was to be 415 m (including a 100 m Lenin statue), and would have been the tallest building in the world at the time if completed. Construction was halted during World War II, during which the uncompleted structure was partially dismantled; its foundations were later to serve as the world's largest open-air swimming pool before being razed in 1995. |
| The Monument to the Third International | 400 m (1,300 ft) | 1919 | Grand Monument | Conference Hall, Bureaucratic administrative center, Information administrative center | U.S.S.R. | Moscow | None given | During the Russian October Revolution of 1917, Vladimir Tatlin designed a structure named The Monument to the Third International, which was to serve as the international headquarters of the Komintern. Better known as the Tatlin Tower, the structure was to rise to a height of 400 m (1,312 ft), which would have made it by far the tallest building in the world at that time, but time & resource shortages as well as the social upheavals that resulted from the Russian Civil War, economic mismanagement, and political repressions halted the project. |
| Watkin's Tower | 358 m (1,175 ft) | 1890 | Iron latticed observation tower | Leisure and Retail real-estate | U.K. | Wembley | 1894 (construction halted 1896) | Watkin's Tower in Wembley, London was planned in 1891 to surpass the Eiffel Tower by 50 m (164 ft), but construction stopped before that height was reached due to unstable land and insufficient funds. The tower remnants were dismantled in the 1900s, and the site was redeveloped as Wembley Stadium. |
| Phare du Monde | 701 m (2,300 ft) | 1934 | Concrete observation tower | Leisure and Retail real-estate | France | Paris | 1937 (construction never begun) | Phare du Monde, was a project for a 701 metre tall observation tower for the world exhibition in Paris, 1937. It was planned as a concrete tower similar to a modern TV tower, but also with a ramp for drive up access. |
| 7 South Dearborn | 610 m (2,000 ft) | 1999 | Skyscraper | Residential, Commercial, and Retail real-estate as well as communications facilities | U.S. | Chicago | 2004 (cancelled in 2000 due to lack of funding) | 7 South Dearborn in Chicago was planned in 1999 to be 610 m (2,001 ft). |
| Grollo Tower | 678 m (2,224 ft) | 1997 | Skyscraper | Residential, Commercial, and Leisure real-estate | Australia | Melbourne | 2004 (cancelled 2001) | Construction was cancelled on the Grollo Tower (named after the architect) in Melbourne's developing Dockland precinct in April 2001 after Melbourne's Docklands Authority ruled it out of the tender for development of the Batman Hill's precinct due to disagreements over who would pay for infrastructure improvements. The area is now occupied by a mixture of smaller commercial and residential buildings. The Grollo Tower would have been the world's tallest building at the time at 560 m (1837 ft) tall, down from the originally planned 678 m (2,224 ft) height. |
| Australian towers series | various; (Grollo) 678 m (2,224 ft), (Brisbane Central) 450 m (1,480 ft), (Minuzzo) 450 m (1,480 ft), (CBD-1) 445 m (1,460 ft), (Melbourne Plaza) 338 m (1,109 ft), (City Tower) 305 m (1,001 ft), (Westralia) 287 m (942 ft) | 1996 | Skyscrapers | Residential, Commercial, and Leisure real-estate | Australia | Melbourne, Brisbane Sydney, Perth | 2004 (cancelled 1997) | A series of super-tall sky-scrapers were planned for the major Australian cities of Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth from 1985-95 but were all cancelled. The plans included (in order of height) the Grollo Tower (mentioned above), Brisbane Central Tower (450m/1476 ft, Brisbane), Minuzzo Tower (450m/1476 ft, Brisbane), CBD-1 (445m/1459 ft, Sydney), Melbourne Plaza (338m/1109 ft, Melbourne), City Tower (305m/1000 ft, Sydney) and the Westralia Tower (287m/941 ft, Perth). The buildings would have been some of the tallest buildings in the world at the time, but were cancelled mainly due to their great heights which would have dwarfed all surrounding buildings. |
| Millennium Freedom Tower | 376.8 m (1,236 ft) | 1998 | Observation Tower | Leisure and Observation facilities | U.S. | Newport, Kentucky | 2000 (above ground construction never begun) | The Millennium Freedom Tower was a project to be located in Newport, Kentucky, United States was originally proposed in 1998 to be dedicated on Dec 31, 1999. The original height was a proposed 1,234 feet (376 m) and was later lowered to 1,103 ft (306 m). Pilings were driven in 1998, but construction never continued above ground. |
| World Science Tower | N/A | 1964 | Guyed mast | Leisure facilities | U.S. | Larkspur, Colorado | N/A | The World Science Tower was to be one of the world's tallest buildings, proposed in 1964. It was to be located near Larkspur, Colorado, U.S.A. Its design would have had an amusement park at the base. |
| Dragon Tower | 500 m (1,600 ft) | 1996 | Skyscraper | Residential, Commercial, Retail, and Leisure real-estate | Indonesia | Jakarta | 2002 (cancelled 1998) | The 500 m tall, 101 story, Dragon Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia was cancelled in 1998 due to the Asian financial crisis. |
| International Business Center | 580 m (1,900 ft) | 2007 | Skyscraper | Commercial real-estate | South Korea | Seoul | 2013 (cancelled 2008) | International Business Center was a proposed skyscraper to be constructed in Seoul, South Korea for a height of 580 m (1,900 ft),it was to have 130 floors planned to be completed in 2013. |
| Psary, Poland broadcast tower | 440 m (1,440 ft) | 2009 | Reinforced concrete and steal television tower | DVB-T signal transmission | Poland | Psary, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship | undetermined | At Bodzentyn, Poland a 440 metres tall tower is proposed for distributing DVB-T signals from the satellite station to TV broadcasting sites. It will be, if built, the tallest man-made structure in Europe outside Russia. |
| Chicago Spire | 610 m (2,000 ft) | 2005 | Skyscraper | Residential real-estate | U.S. | Chicago | 2010 (cancelled 2008) | The Chicago Spire designed by Santiago Calatrava was intended to be the tallest building in the western hemisphere as well as the tallest residential building in the world. Cancelled in 2008 due to financial problems. |
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Read more about this topic: Proposed Tall Buildings And Structures
Famous quotes containing the words abandoned and/or proposals:
“Continuous eloquence wearies.... Grandeur must be abandoned to be appreciated. Continuity in everything is unpleasant. Cold is agreeable, that we may get warm.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“One theme links together these new proposals for family policy—the idea that the family is exceedingly durable. Changes in structure and function and individual roles are not to be confused with the collapse of the family. Families remain more important in the lives of children than other institutions. Family ties are stronger and more vital than many of us imagine in the perennial atmosphere of crisis surrounding the subject.”
—Joseph Featherstone (20th century)