America's Favorite Architecture

My compliments to the AIA for starting this long-overdue discussion. The profession, in my humble opinion, is quite out of touch with the public.

What about the John Hancock Building in Chicago, more beloved and far more graceful than its blocky cohort: The Sears Tower.

Kudos to AIA for creating this list. The results make it clear that architects and designers need to become better communicators and advocates for excellence in design over sentimentality.

This is a great list, but it leaves out two buildings that create wonderful exterior spaces: The University of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson, and the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center by Leo Daly.

Detroit's Guardian building or Fisher Building. Even though the Michigan Central Depot is abandoned, its still an impressive structure and far more worthy than some of the train stations included in the list.

The Guardian building in Detroit, perhaps my favorite skyscraper ever built.

There are many worthy buildings designed by Albert Kahn such as the Fisher building or the Belle isle conservatory.

Michigan Central Depot, though abandoned, is a far more impressive structure than many of the train stations that made the list.

A. Smith of AIA, what an outstanding job! Your presentation and commentary is sure to spark many roundtable discussions. You're leading the way. Congratulations!

I nominate the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the Space Needle in Seattle, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Ummmm...where is the Wainwright Building (Louis Sullivan, St. Louis); The Rookery (Burnham & Root, Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago); or anything by Louis Kahn such as the Salk Institute (La Jolla).

Enjoyed the list of America's most beautiful buildings.

However, when it came to the college buildings included,
there is a glaring omission..
the Wren Building at William & Mary.

To include the Yale Hockey Arena (yikes!!) over the Wren is remarkable.

Not only is the Wren Building, attributed to architect Christopher Wren
(who else?), the oldest university building in the USA (1694, a stunning architectural achievement by itself, but its magnificent vistas...both front and back...are perhaps unrivalled among America's colleges.

Perhaps it was skipped because Wren was British,
but no respectable list can omit this timeless classic.

sincerely,

Pete Kalison
Williamsburg, VA

Merriam-Webster defines architecture as ?the art or science of building; specifically: the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones?

I was shocked to see that one of my favorite pieces of American architecture was not listed:

Central Park (1857); New York, NY; Frederick Law Olmsted, Calvert Vaux

I believe architecture goes beyond buildings. It took 13 years to complete the 843-acre park. That?s longer than it took to build the Empire State Building (1) and The White House (2) combined. But it doesn?t compare to the 83 years it took to complete the Washington National Cathedral (3).

Another structure that was overlooked was the Palace of Fine Arts (1915); San Francisco, CA; Bernard Maybeck.

Overall I was impressed by AIA and applaud their work on this project.

Merriam-Webster defines architecture as "the art or science of building; specifically: the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones."

I was shocked to see that one of my favorite pieces of American architecture was not listed:

Central Park (1857); New York, NY; Frederick Law Olmsted, Calvert Vaux

I believe architecture goes beyond buildings. It took 13 years to complete the 843-acre park. That?s longer than it took to build the Empire State Building (1) and The White House (2) combined. But it doesn?t compare to the 83 years it took to complete the Washington National Cathedral (3).

Another structure that was overlooked was the Palace of Fine Arts (1915); San Francisco, CA; Bernard Maybeck.

Overall I was impressed by AIA and applaud their work on this project.

I remember years ago - when schools were ranked as the "best" drinking school in the nation - the University of Virginia was never ranked - because it was considered a "professional drinking school". I guess that goes for Architecture as well. In 1976, on the occasion of the nation's bicentennial - a similar survey was conducted by Architecture Magazine - then the organ of the AIA - except it only involved Architects. At that time, Mr. Jefferson's University of Virginia - was judged to be the finest example of Architecture in America. I can only assume that its' "number" must have been "retired" at the time to give opportunities to less deserving buildings and structures . . . since it isn't on this motley (look it up) list.

Bernard Maybeck's First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley

Mies's Farnsworth House, Plano, Il

Adler and Sullivan's Wainwright Building, St. Louis

Furness's Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philly

Louis Kahn's Salk Center

An interesting list, but as I look at what is NOT listed....need I say more

Hey Stephanie,

The Rookery is #128 - no question a national treasure.

The only building by Kahn to make the list is Phillips Exeter Academy (#80). Only one building by Kahn made the list!? A lot of us are scratching our heads.

Pete,

The Wren building at William and Mary is a great nomination. But I'm pretty happy that Eero Saarinen's Yale ice hockey arena made the list.

Robert,

The Furness Library is on the list at number 54. Its official name is Fisher Fine Arts Library.

- Corn Palace Mitchell SD
- Space Needle - Seattle WA
- Univ. Washington Stadium

No St. Louis Arch? Really?

The Museum of the North in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City are worthy of consideration. And I am in hearty agreement with two choices that have been previously mentioned: the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary, and the Rotunda and Lawn at the University of Virginia.

The list was obviously put together but a bunch of architects who spend most of their lives on the East coast. Haven't seen anything more biased to bad New York design and the whole rehash greek architecture DC thing.


Like to see the stats of where these 1800 people get their coffee in the morning.

I am appalled that the Seagram building did not make this list. Clearly the average American has little appreciation for true architecture. I mean, Frank Gehry? Are you joking? It's not architecture, it's sculpture with doors.

I hate to break it to you but there are a heck of a lot of cities not represented on there. Enough with the NYC worship. Yes, all of us in flyover nation know of your greatness.

-Charles Lang Freer Mansion by Wilson Eyre
-Detroit Institute of Arts by Paul Cret
-Detroit Public Library–Main by Cass Gilbert
-Michigan Central Station by warren and Wetmore
-Highland Park Library (MI) M. Burrowes with Edward Tilton and Alfred Githens
-Guardian Building by Wirt C. Rowland
-Grand Hotel (Mackinaw) Mason and Rice
-Fisher Building by Albert Kahn
-GM Building (Kahn)
-Ford Rouge (Kahn)
-Mich Con Gas Building by Minoru Yamasaki
-Cranbrook by Eliel Sarrinen

Cooper Union Foundation Building

Well, how about the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, TN. It's the third largest free standing pyramid in the world. Very nice looking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PyramidArena.jpg
http://www.pyramidarena.com/overview.html

Also, the BellSouth Tower in Nashville (aka The Batman Building) is a pretty interesting structure. Very distinctive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bellsouthbuilding.jpg

As an afterthought, I think the FedEx Forum in Memphis is also a very classy looking building, inside and out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FedExForum.jpg
http://www.fedexforum.com/homepage.aspx

OK, I'm eastern but only from familiarity.

Try:

The Richardson designed house in North Easton MA.

The Chrysler Building.

You've gotta be kidding me. The Nat'l Cathedral & St. Patrick's, plus the Capitol, in the top 20? Has the whole nation gone middlebrow?

Quick thoughts on some missing notables...

The Mormon Temple in Salt lake City, Utah is at least better than the Apple Store, sheesh.

A little known favorite Frank Lloyd Wright building is "Great Workroom", of the Johnson Wax Headquarters building.

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose has a better story than a half dozen of your 150.

Space Needle, 'nuff said

Though a native New Yorker, my heart skipped a beat viewing the Frost Bank Tower at night while flying into Austin, Texas. Opposite the Capitol and Tower, it glowed beautifully in the night sky!

As far as your list is concerned, I would have switched the Rose Museum and TWA Airport Terminal positions. The Rose Museum is a dud, while the TWA Airport Terminal is magestic - it soars like an eagle! On the other hand, the Rose Museum with it's encased sphere looks like a caged bird!

the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL is the Crown Jewel in chicago architecture. It is housed in the only in-place surviving building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the former Fine Arts Building.

No California missions? Santa Barabara & Carmel are worthy of inclusion. In the same style, the Quadrangle and University Church at Stanford.
Also the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC.

I was suprised that Detroit was completely ignored. Such a mistake to not mention any of the fine architectural structures located in that city. For example:
Michigan Central Station
Wayne County Building
Guardian Builing
Fisher Building

2/8/07 This was a great deal of fun & a wonderful way to increase public awareness of Architecture. Other than Mr. Jefferson's Lawn at the University of Virginia, I shall not add to the list of what I thought was missing. There will always be omissions in a popularity pole & not everyone will be pleased.

This is a telling indication of what structures & buildings the general public responds to more so than what we professionals might think is good. Perhaps there is something for us to learn here. Again, great effort!

Many great buildings on the list.

However, the Nebraska Capitol Building in Lincoln is quite magnificent, but was not included. I suspect it was because many people do not get to Nebraska to see it.

Additionally, the Johnson's Wax Headquarters Building in Racine, Wisconsin -- one of Frank Lloyd Wright's gems -- was not on the list.

Cool list. But the link for (61-80) Points back to (41-60).

Bruce,

Nebraska State Capitol is #67.

How about Duke Chapel in Durham, NC? Also, there is not one building in Cleveland that was worthy to make the list of 150? Wow! Severance Hall? Terminal Tower? Wow! Safeco Field and Paul Brown Stadium make it? Interesting.

-FC

Uhhh, where are half the pictures?? I know you guys are smart and stuff, but without a pic how can anyone really believe you? If you couldn't find a picture, maybe you should have chosen another building...

I was disappointed that none of the wonderful architecture of Columbus, Indiana, was mentioned. A small Midwest town that is home to a treasry of mid to late 20th century architecture: churches, schools, businesses and government buildings designed by some of the biggest names of the time.

Hello...?

Ok so Wright is well represented but... where is the Guggenehim Museum in NY?

LDS temple and tabernacle in Salt Lake
Missions in California, especially the Santa Barbara Mission
Denver airport?

Jarbo,

Guggenheim is #74.

Dan,

Denver Airport is #57

Interesting how emotional the rankings are. And bizarre.
The missing masterpiece above all others is the Adler & Sullivan skyscraper in Buffalo, the Guaranty or Prudential Building. No other office building can touch it, certainly not the Wainwright.
I have a dozen others that nobody has mentioned yet ...

St. Louis Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis, MO ( largest Mosaic church in the world )
was not mentioned, a lot better looking than St. Patrick's..

See for yourself..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Basilica_of_St._Louis

Wright's Johnson Wax buildings in Racine, WI are missing. I'm also disappointed that the list leaves out many Chicago structures. It appears to be rather NY centric. What about Mies van der Rohe's contributions?

The Marin Civic Center in Marin County, CA, as designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Marin_Civic_Center.html

I agree with Matt in that the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City should have been included. I live in Salt Lake City and there some beautiful architecture here. I was happy to see the Salt Lake City public library listed (no picture, though... just picture the Roman Coliseum if they rebuilt it in the 21st century...) All in all, a great list! I like all the NYC buildings. I know there are a lot of them, but it's a great city with some excellent architecture.

First, items 61-80. it shows 41-60 twice, skips straight to 81.

Second, at least half a dozen buildings in Detroit - it's got a fantastic collection of 1920's architecture, yet is noticeably absent from the list. The Guardian and Fisher buildings at the very least, I'd throw in Michigan Central Depot and the Penobscot too, and even the RenCen over some of the ones on this list - it's far more recognizable then many of them.

http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/US/OH/NewarkLongaberger.html

Three of the greatest buildings in the country stand in a row in Fort Worth, Texas and none of them made the list. I am speaking of the Amon Carter Museum (Philip Johnson), the Kimbell Art Museum (Louis Kahn), and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Tadao Ando). It is a shame that these buildings were overlooked.

what's missing? the correct page for 61-80. I'd really like to see what 61-80 are, so please fix this! thank you.

We're not sure why some folks can't get the 61-80 link to work. We're working on it.

E. J. Thomas Hall for the Performing Arts in Akron, Ohio

Why didn't the Space Needle make this list?

http://www.earthstation9.com/Pictures/Space_Needle.jpg

What about the Marin County Civic Center by FLW? I'm no expert, but it's gotta be cooler than all those baseball stadiums. How many baseball stadiums are on the list? 140? Give me a backhoe and some bricks, and I could build and design a baseball stadium. Dirt holes. Camden Yards and ATT Park are exact replicas, so they should have been counted as one.

Oh, I see that Kristie L agrees about the Marin County Civic Center. And, I have never seen the Mormon Temple, but I can pretty much guarantee y'all that it's more architecturally stunning and important than Fenway.

Three of the country's greatest building are located in a row here in Fort Worth, Texas. I am referring to the Amon Carter Museum (Philip Johnson), the Kimbell Art Museum (Louis Kahn), and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (Tadao Ando). It is a shame that all three are left out of this list.

Thanks to Mr. Pete Kalison of Williamsburg for his Feb 7 note. The Wren Building at William & Mary belongs high on the list, and didn't make it at all.

John Gilbert
Madison, CT

Thanks to Mr. Pete Kalison of Williamsburg for his Feb 7 note. The Wren Building at William & Mary belongs high on the list, and didn't make it at all.

John Gilbert
Madison, CT

Hey, Joey. Because a building was designed by FLW doesn't necessarily bestow success upon it. He was a genius, but he created some true dogs.
Your description of baseball stadiums as "dirt holes" is troubling.
Fenway and Wrigley are great works of architecture because they have endured as vessels for one of our most sacred rituals; baseball. A game at a one of these sites, whether one is a fan of the game or not, will be forever remembered. As an archiect, would I hold these fields up to the Salk Institute? No, but great architecture can be created by the experience, not just the name.

This list is largely for tourists not for thinkers.
Where is the Lawn at UVA? Where is the Charnley House?

AM,

"A game at a one of these sites, whether one is a fan of the game or not, will be forever remembered."

Well said. But, if we are to judge architecture by whether a visit becomes an indelible memory, then all the bachelor party brothels in Vegas should make the list. Ooops wait-a-minute, a brothel did make the list -- the Bellagio.

Crown Hall at IIT.

I didn't expect a slew of Detroit mentions, but I was shocked that not a single building was listed.

Some of my favorites:

Fisher Building
Detroit Institute of Arts
Michigan Central Depot
Renaissance Center

The Eads Bridge and the New Cathedral in St. Louis.

The public and even architects are influenced by their own personal experiences. The buildings we are familiar with and that mean something to us ( beyond architectural design )are most apt to be chosen as favorites.

There are many more great buildings not on this list that although less known to the public ( or even architects ) deserve recognition.

Perhaps a list of the 'secret 150 greatest works of architecture' could be a project for the AIA to educate all of us as to what we are missing.

Magnus,

"The 150 Best Works of Architecture You've Never Heard of" is a great idea. But how would you go about putting together such a list? And how would you disqualify some works as too well known?

Once again the AIA proves it has no understanding of what makes a building attractive. I use Seattle as an example. Safeco Field and the new Seattle Library Buildings are not most attractive buildings in Seattle. Other that their respective gift shops, you’ll be hard pressed to find a postcard showing Safeco Field and the new Seattle Library. Or better yet, when was the last time Grey Anatomy included shot of either Safeco Field or the new Seattle Library.

The list requires immediate revision to include the Space Needle and the Smith Tower; two truly beautiful, and not to mention revolutionary, structures.

Bernard Maybeck's Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco is a treasure and currently in the midst of a huge restoration effort. I was surprised it was overlooked.

Pull off the Sears Tower and put the Hancock building in its place. The george Washington Bridge should be on there. The international style was woefully underepresented. The UN was a nice start, but what about the Seagram, Lever or Daley buildings. I can think of countless religious structures infinitely more beautiful than the unfinished St. John the Divine.

Andy,

The buildings and environments that are being suggested on this blog are a good place to start finding hidden gems.

Maybe this dialog will create a list of 1000 'under recognized' architectural works. Selecting 'The 150 Best Works of Architecture You've Never Heard of' could be fun exercise for AIA members.

Magnus,

Wouldn't that be wonderful. We've got a long way to go to get 1000 unique mentions of American architectural works, so start sending in your lists people!

A very enjoyable list. I hope to see many of these someday. What's missing? A MAP that allows us to search the buildings by state...

Ingalls Rink is a great building, but the Yale Art Gallery and the Beinecke Rare Book Library are bar far better building.
But staying in New Haven, how about the Knights of Columbus building, or the failed (and now demolished) but inventive Veterans' Memorial Coliseum, with its parking garage located over the arena.
Also, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York City Hall, and the New York Municipal Building (which inspired no less than Stalin to build his monstrosities) deserve to be included.

Somehow this list seems to be a more of a list of "America's Most Recognized Architecture" rather than "America's Favorite Architecture"

How could the average American even know about a relatively obscure buildings like Battle Hall, unless he/she lived in or near the University of Texas,let alone describe it as "a favorite"?

All in all an interesting list, though I suspect the way the survey was disproportionately skewed to recognize hotels, sports facilities, and public monuments explains many bizarre anomalies (the Bellagio in the top 25??!!) Hard to fathom, however, is the absence of Univ. of Virginia, Salk Institute, or other icons like Dulles Airport, Lever House or Olmsted's parks; there are clearly some distinctions between America's "favorite" and America's "best" architecture ...

I enjoyed seeing how many of these 150 favorite structures have also been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers with various awards and designations such as the Opal Award and/or National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

I have to chuckle at the desperate attempts here by Michiganders to promote Detroit architecture. The point of the poll was to adduce "America's Favorite" examples of architecture. Why should anyone be surprised that the result turns up a "middle brow" result? But more to point, why should anyone be surprised that a list of "favorites" lacks any reference to Detroit, a desiccated city hobbled by decades of crime and deterioration and consequently shunned by both the business and leisure traveler?

Instead of whining about Detroit's failure to make "the list", you should devote your time to revitalizing your city...more likely, it isn't your city as your addresses are more likely to be Grosse Pointe, Bloomfield, or Ann Arbor...

Apropos of the laments that the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary did not make the list, it is saddening that so few of America's oldest and historical buildings made the list. Gratefully, several good examples, such as Fanueil Hall, are there, but it is disheartening that the list contains ballparks, unremarkable hotels, and even Disneyworld to the detriment of historic landmarks like many of the 18th century buildings on the East coast, early skyscrapers (luckily, the Flatiron made the list), and historic mansion or pioneering homes. These locales face an ever-challenging battle to survive both the ravages of time and contemporary development.

um.... Were architects even included in this awful survey? How could ANYONE leave off anything Louis Kahn has built in the US. No Salk Institute or Kimball Art Museum? Arguably the most significant architectural works in the US. Further proves the diminishing role architecture takes in American society/culture. Very very sad.

To leave off the Mormon Tabernacle and Temple in Salt Lake City makes your whole list moot and highly suspect.

Come on UB School of Architecture! No mention about any buildings from Buffalo, New York...

Buffalo City Hall - Dietel & Wade

Buffalo Central Terminal - Fellheimer & Wagner

Darwin Martin House - FLW

Kleinhans Music Hall - Saarinen

Buffalo State Hospital - H. h. Richardson

I don't see how any architect could see this list as anything other than a slap in the face. The AIA should be ashamed of itself. How about instead of polling people we start educating. Perceptions of what architecture is in this country is WAY off base. No Kimball Art Museum? or the Salk Institute? Not a single Mies building?
WOW.

I am surprised that PPG Place, Philip Johnson's glass-covered gothic towers in Pittsburgh, didn't make the list! this 1980 masterpiece is studied and admired by architecture students and laymen alike!

Ok OK this list is a joke, right? Maybe the AIA wanted to see how many architects they could piss off?

Ok, where is Independence/Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia on this list?

Perhaps it would interesting to name the most impressive building in each state. Such as the 801 Grand building in Iowa.

The Statue of Liberty!
I am amazed to not find it on the list. I think it should be #1. Not really a building, but neither is the Washington Monument. Novel architecture and visionary craftsmanship were required to design it and build it...and consider what it represents!

Cleveland's Terminal Tower, The Arcade Building, and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Anyone remember I.M. Pei?

East coast, west coast, little in between (except, rightly, Chicago, which nevertheless is under-represented -- no Museum of Science and Industry, no Robie House?

Only one entry for Denver, so I add the following:

The Colorado State Capitol (1895) is spectacular with its classical design, gold leaf dome, and commanding view of the Rockies

The Greek Revival Denver City and County Building (1931), facing the capitol across Civic Center

And 3 churches:
Trinity Methodist (1888), for its Richardsonian architecture and beautiful Tiffany windows

the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John in the Wilderness (1911), English Gothic, amazing "double-deck" stained glass

the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (1912)

and, finally, speaking of churches, what about Grace Cathedral in San Francisco?

Hey there,

"Remember the ALAMO"

Well it looks like you all
forgot!!!! But not this Texas gal. Boo to your list.

On the Great South Bay on Long Island is an Architectural Master Piece. LaSalle Military Academy's(which is now closed). The 110 room Mansion Built by the owner of the singer sewing machine company has the worlds largest clock tower built for a private home. Also the mansion use to have the worlds largest privately owned pipe organ which was also the worlds second largest pipe organ until it was trashed. The ballroom later converted into a church was the largest in the USA when the Mansion was finished the ballroom is now the second largest built for a private home in the USA. Also the Castle in the thousand Islands was also built by the same man. And is another Architectural Master Piece.

I really like Sage Hall at Cornell University, the best example of Ruskinian architecture in the United States.

The Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a fantastic art deco building and should be on any top 150 list.

Old Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago

The lack of the Salt Lake Temple and the Milwaukee City Hall building in your list and the inclusion of a number of comparatively mundane buildings in New York show that most of those who are supposedly in the know have never been West of the Hudson River.

In addition to the worthy buildings already mentioned, I'd nominate the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, Illinois; the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport; and the Tarrant County Courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas.

I'm disappointed that there were not more Pittsburgh buildings on the list. Some buildings of note:

Alcoa Coporation Headquarters (the newer building)
Gulf Tower
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
Koppers Building
Rodef Shalom Synagogue
Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Terminal
Emmanuel Episcoal Cursh (H.H. Richardson)
Union Station (D.H. Burnham)
Buhl Planetarium

I also think that there were some other train stations more worthy of listing than several which made it to the list -

Pennsylvania RR Station - Harrisburg, PA
Lackawanna Terminal - Hoboken
Cleveland Union Terminal
Duluth Union Depot
Southern Pacific Station - San Antonio
Texas & Pacific Station - Fort Worth (a true art deco jewel)
St. Louis Union Station

WOW John, such strong words about Detroit architecture and the people who believe this City was overlooked. I don't think this forum is the proper location for personal attacks. Detroit has one of the nation's largest surviving collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings and was once called the "Paris of the West". Detroit's Architectural heritage includes many famous architects including Albert Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Minoru Yamasaki, ELiel and Eero Saarinen, and Mies van der Rohe, Philip Johnson just to name a few. Might I recommend everyone purchase the book AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture by Eric Hill and John Gallagher. Then taking a trip to the City of Detroit. Thanks

For those asking about missing pictures, they are all on their way over the course of the next few days. We are only using professional, rights secured images.

I love these lists, though don't necessarily agree.

I agree with the previously stated obvious omissions:

B'Hai Temple Chicago
Rotunda/UVA
Johnson Wax
The Alamo
Space Needle
Marin County Civic Center
The Pyramid, Memphis

Clearly, the Statue of Liberty, though I imagine the idea was that it was designed by the French.

What about:

Hoover Dam..isn't one of the modern wonders of the world architecture?

Um..has anyone been to Disney? How about the Disney Castle if the whole Disneyland thing can't be included?

Mt Rushmore? If we're going statues and monuments, would this landmark count?

Finally, since stadiums are on the docket...

Lambeau Field, Green Bay

Notre Dame, South Bend

Soldier Field, Chicago

Rose Bowl?

UND Englestad Hockey Arena..the best sports facility in the world!

I'm astonished that Howe and Lescaze's iconoclastic Philadelphia Savings Fund Society Building (PSFS Building), which was named the AIA Building of the Century in 1969, wasn't mentioned. The first modernist skyscraper in the United States, completed in 1932, is definitely worthy of inclusion.
http://www.aviewoncities.com/philadelphia/psfsbuilding.htm
I'm also suprised that Robert Venturi's Vanna Venturi House in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia was not included. While not a fan by any means, its significance cannot be ignored.
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Vanna_Venturi_House.html

Our great movie theatres are woefully under represented. For starters, how about the Fabulous Foxes of Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta and (late lamented) San Francisco? Chicago Theatre in Chicago?

Since ballparks are included, I would have to add Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (sorry Brooklynites) and the Truman Sports Complex in KC (Arrowhead & Kauffman stadiums).

Thought of two other puzzling omissions:

Merchandise Mart of Chicago...the building is one of the largest if not THE largest commercial building in the world..it has its own zip code! Also interesting history of ownership with Marshall Field and Joe Kennedy.

The other LARGE Omission...
what about the Pentagon?

Where's Marina City?

The Calatrava Sundial glass pedestrian bridge over over the Sacramento River in Redding, Ca is well worth the top 150 consideration. The project's very purpose blends architure, nature and the humand experience. It is three minutes off Interstate 5 and free for all to enjoy.

What about Mies' Crown Hall? He helped start a new style of architecture, of which IIT as a campus was his living drawing board.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens should be on this list: www.vizcayamuseum.org

How about the San Xavier del Bac Mission, south of Tucson, AZ? It was built between 1783-1797 by the Tohono O'odham.
This also brings to mind Mesa Verde and the White House of Canyon de Chelly.

Truly excellent to see so many so active in nominating their personal favorites (and nice to see so many suggesting the same that were left off the list of 150).

As I indicated in an email to the AIA, and as I'll resate here, the following should be included in the AIA listing of the "Top 150" to celebrate the AIA's 150th (which was not nearly inclusive enough, and far too coastal urban centric).

One wonders how a building as truly remarkable as the architectural gem that is Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio's University Circle doesn't make the list, while a number of sports stadiums make the cut. The Old Faithful Inn, but not the equally grand El Tovar at the Grand Canyon's south rim? How did the Smithsonian not make this list? Terminal Tower in Cleveland? There are just so many that could or should have been included on this list, much more so than any number of the ones that were listed, as far as being architecturally important or iconic structures or installations....Kennedy Space Station (Cape Canaveral), for instance, comes to mind. Hoover Dam? The Old North Church in Boston? The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee? Any number of universities and colleges have at least one building that could or should be mentioned - EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron, Ohio (the NY Times spilled much ink on this 1973 ode to poured concrete); any of the remaining 1920's atmospheric movie houses (such as the mostly-restored Loew's Theater, now known as the Akron Civic Theater, in Akron, Ohio); Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Fort Sumter, SC; Montezuma's Castle, Arizona (what could be more American that this magnificent structure group) and Mesa Verde near Pueblo, Colorado (the same may be said about this installation); Wexner Center, Columbus, Ohio; Stan Hywett (private family mansion, Akron, Ohio). This list could go on and on....

The list is impressive, and the task of compiling was immense. Great job to the committee. A few works that I would have liked to see on the list:

Cranbrook (Eliel Saarinen)
Salk Institute (Louis Kahn)
Kimbell Art Museum (Louis Kahn)
Contemporary Arts Center (Zaha Hadid)

I am not an architect but thank you AIA for this list that brought back memories of beautiful structures and caused me to think of others I would like to see sometime. Excellent architecture can add much to our lives, though we all have different views of what makes our favorites. I've also enjoyed reading about the many structures people here believe should have been on the list.

Professionals need to remember this is a list of favorites among the general population. Most of us know little of a structure's significance in the history of architecture or what constitutes professional quality. Nor have most of us been to Detroit.

Largely because of my location, my current favorite is a bridge built a few years ago over the Mississippi at Alton, Ilinois. Several times I've driven a good while out of my way to cross this bridge or park on one side or the other and simply look at it, the sun reflecting off it in different ways, clouds floating above it. It will never be on a list such as this as fewer people visit Alton than Detroit. In addition a few other similar bridges have been built elsewhere. But beautiful, functional and inspiring architecture can be anyplace.

Bill Cisne

I was quite surprised to see that Chicago's John Hancock Center and Museum of Science and Industry had missed the cut. Some other buildings worthy of consideration are, in my opinion:
-Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC
-San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts
-Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
-Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City
-Harvard Stadium and Weld Boathouse at Harvard
-Harkness Tower and Payne Whitney Gymnasium at Yale
-Kresge Auditorium at MIT
-Soldier Field in Chicago

There is absolutely no respect for Detroit here.

Where is:

The Guardian Building (Wirt Rowland)

The Fox Theatre (C. Howard Crane)

Detroit Institute of Arts (Paul Phillipe Cret)

Fisher Building (Albert Kahn)

Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores (Albert Kahn)

Ford Field (Rosetti and Hamilton-Anderson)

?

Detroit is the country's 11th largest city and often considered the home of the largest stock of pre World War II architecture behind New York City.

Dear AIA:

I'll tell you what's missing: Detroit's collection from 1910-1930. They are some of the best in America. Other periods have wonderful examples as well. The esteemed body must have forgotten its awarding of the Fisher as the most beautiful structure in US when it was built. To neglect the contributions of Detroit because of ignorance or lack of rigor is to do a great disservice to the realm of public awareness and discourse. Hopefully next time we'll get better representation.

I have to agree about the fact that I am amazed Detroit is totally left out, While the list is impressive and there are surely hundreds of other nation wide structures also left out, I find it unbelievable that structures such as the Guardian Building, Fisher Building, Fox Theatre, Detroit Insitute of Arts and numerous other Detroit gems are left out. Any visit to these structures are sure to amaze. Most visitors to the Motor City are in awe by these buildings, and they have all been carefully preserved and restored contrary to what someone on here posted previously.

The Guardian, Fisher, and Penobscot buildinga in Detroit

The Guardian, Fisher, and Penobscot buildings in Detroit

Great list, and not to keep the Detroit discussion going but I find it surprising there is no mention of any of its fabulous buildings or of the Lafayette Park neighborhood in Downtown Detroit. Its 26 buildings - the only buildings in Michigan designed by Mies van der Rohe and the largest collection of his buildings in the world - are excellent examples of the methods, materials, and ideas that this world-renowned master architect used in his later works

This is a great effort. Like any "Top Ten" list; there will exist many differing criticisms and opinions.

I was surprised that the Marin County Civic Center (http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Marin_Civic_Center.html) was not listed; or maybe I missed it.

Also, I did not see the Statue of Liberty. Possibly it did not qualify.

A pleasant offering: The Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes, California, designed by Lloyd Wright: (http://www.wayfarerschapel.org/)

What about Frank Lloyd Wright's La Miniatura (Millard House) in Pasadena. I didn't see it on the list. Also the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

Seattle Space Needle?

Impressive list. I understand that it was a difficult selction process, but I strongly believe that it should have included the Panama-California Exposition (World's Fair)complex at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Nonetheless, great job!

Some notable omissions:
1. Watts Towers, Los Angeles. One of the great folk-art sites in the world; certainly qualifies as "architecture."
2. Space Needle, Seattle. Exemplifies the pre-Viet Nam, pre-Watergate era of faith in technology and optimism about the future.
3. National Farmers Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota. Sullivan's jewel box; was good enough for USPS to put on a postage stamp some years ago.
4. Wrigley Building, Chicago. Terminates the view up Michigan Avenue; much better building than the Tribune Tower.

Fisher Building
Guardian Building
Fox Theatre
(All Detroit)

I have to admit I am surprised that Seattle's Space Needle isn't on the list. Or, perhaps, the Hoover Dam.

I'm also surprised that there wasn't anything from Detroit.

Of course, cities like New York and Chicago will have a lot more on the list, but Detroit doesn't even have one? I would expect something from Detroit to make it on there.

If you'd like to learn more about Detroit's architecture, check out Wikipedia or Emporis for a good start.

From there, you can search Flickr for some really nice photography of the buildings.

Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, MI (Detroit) Henry McGill architect http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/ShrineoftheLittleFlowerRPC.jpg

Guardian Building, Detroit Wirt C. Rowland architect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_Building

Wayne County Building Detroit, John Scott architect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County_Building

Fisher Building Detroit, Albert Kahn architect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_Building

this list shows that Frank Lloyd Wright is easily the king of America's architects. If you elminate massive public buildings from this list (of which he built none) his impact looms even larger. And he's even more popular in Europe and Japan. Somuch for his academic critics, who have all been forgotten. Just as Wright predicted, the public has come around to his way of thinking about buildings.

The Niagara Mohawk Power building in Syracuse, NY?

Independence Hall

The list is fun to read and discuss. I was also surprised to see no Detroit building, yet several baseball fields?
Especially unsual to miss was the Guardian building in Detroit.

I praise the idea of this list, and I'm very grateful the AIA took up the project. But I agree a more representative sampling could be possible.

Like many others, I am flummoxed by the absence of:

-The Mormon Temple in SLC and, perhaps more remarkably, the Mormon Tabernacle, also in SLC.

-The Space Needle (I live in Seattle and would agree that Safeco and the public library are hardly our proudest contributions to American architecture).

-And I'm glad someone mentioned the Hoover Dam (assuming it's eligible).

Converesely, I was suprised to see the Bellagio so high (if at all) on the list. It's pure Vegas simulacrum. A better Vegas hotel is the new Wynn. Perhaps some other year.

That said, I again praise the idea of the list. Thanks for doing this.

To me, the most beautiful piece of architecture I have ever seen is the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. I cannot believe it is not here. Just my opinion, of course.

The Baha'i Temple in Wilmette,IL would be on the top of my list.

clevelands terminal tower the 80year old work of art,second tallest in the world when completed,tallest outside n.y.c over 40 years.so beautiful at night its stunning.clevelands pride!

I was pleased to see the Seattle Central Library included at #108. However, I can't understand how Safeco Field made the cut when the Space Needle and the Frank Gehry designed Experience Music Project were not included. . .two much more significant, highly popular, and worthy structures to consider for such a compilation as this.

As an architect in the 21st century, the American public's selection of their 150 favorite buildings (most on the list were Roman-like structures from the 19th century or earlier)actually makes me a little sad.

I'm especially sad that Modern architecture is so little understood by a public whose education is almost devoid of a curriculum in the Arts in general, and devoid of appreciation for architecture in particular.

We in the design professions cannot assume that our clients instinctively understand design, nor that they automatically appreciate what we do (which, by the way, involves far more than a stereotypical "swim-suit competition" of exterior facades).

There are lessons for all of us here. We obviously have a lot of work to do in order to enlighten the public on the value of Modern American Architecture.

The real truth is that there are grand designs all over this country.I think 150 is a bit lazy in its goal.The reality is making a list of outstanding structures would be a job keeping it to under a thousand and I would love having people see the power and light building in Syracuse N.Y.It is in the art deco style and is stunning.

This is a great list, but I feel that the Alamo was overlooked. Not only does it represent an important style of architecture that was fundamental in the development of the Southwest and southern california, but it represents the history and some might say soul of an entire state. It might not be a huge building and it might not have a famous or known architect, but the carved details as well as the main gallery are a site not to be missed.

The methodology of this survey is so flawed as to make the results meaningless.

Perhaps the survey should be named, "Top architectural sites in New York and Washington." Then you might have some credibility.

Check out the Flickr group for the AIA150.

Michael,

If you were setting out to identify "America's Favorite Architecture," what kind of methodology would you use?

Andy

What's missing?

Balboa Park in San Diego:
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/pancal/sdexpo4.htm

An architectural fantasy confection...the California version of the Chicago White City.

Interesting to contrast it to the rejuvenated downtown San Diego with its proliferation of office, hotel, and residential towers.

Very surprised and disappointed that not one single extraordinary building in Newport, RI made it. What about the contributions of Richard Morris Hunt (The Breakers, Marble House, Chatea-sur-Mer www.newportmansions.org)? What about the Isaac Bell House, cited by Vincent Sculley as the finest example of Shingle Sytle architecture in America? Finally, the unique collection of Colonial buildings and religious structures (many "firsts" in America) found only in Newport absolutely deserve attention and recognition.

I, too, am not an architect, and I was happy to see Museum Terminal and Paul Brown Stadium make the list for Cincinnati. I was dismayed, however, to find the Rosenthal Center for Creative Arts, designed by Zaha Hadid, missing from the list: http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/aboutus/thebuilding.html
Thanks for compiling and stimulating an interesting dialogue!

No architecture list should me without these additional structures:
Wrigley Building (not field)
John Hancock Center
Merchandise Mart
Lyric Opera House
Marshall Fields Building on State Street
Marina Towers
Old Water Tower
Chicago City Hall
Conrad Hilton Hotel
Prudential

Hi:

Amazing that the Salk Institute is not no. 2 and the Lawn at Virginia is not no. 1. The list shows that if buildings are not very public then they are not on the public's radar. What happened to Bob Venturi's Vanna Venturi house? The Kimball Art Museum? The Farnsworth house? The Seagram Building? And SOOOOOO many others.

I am a junior architecture student and found your list very interesting. I agree and disagree with many of the choices, but among the many omitted is one of the oldest in the United States: Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado. This incredible feat was started in approximately 500AD and despite years of looting and abuse, it remains a remarkable achievement.

I find it odd that the Humana building in Louisville, Ky. is mentioned ,but not one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in Louisville - Churchill Downs. Certainly more lovely than baseball fields...

some great additions here. How about Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado? Surely the use of space and environment make it worthy.

Add me to the chorus.

The argument that Detroit is too obscure a city to be on this list is pretty weak. The quality of the Fisher and Guardian Buildings alone are worthy of national pride.

Many of the great 1920s skyscrapers are unknown outside of the region because since its construction a picture of The Renaissance Center has passed for a photo of the Detroit skyline itself. It's my hopeless fantasy that The Fisher will someday become the singular iconic building once more.

The specter of stifling gloom that attacks the spirits of the people of Detroit is powerfully defied by this magnificent beacon. I am a little more joyful whenever it is within my view, and should I move to the greater downtown area, will take the crappier apartment if necessary just to frame it with a window.

The Beinicke Rare Book Library at Yale belongs high on the list. While the exterior is beautiful, the interior is one of the most marvelous spaces on the planet!

I am surprised that the genius, Louis Sullivan, who died penniless, only chimed in at no's 145 for Carson Pirie Scott, and 147 for The Auditorium. Why not add the Guaranty and Wainwright buildings, Merchant's Bank in Grinnell, Iowa, National Farmer's Bank in Owotonna, MN. How could you forget the Reliance Building by Daniel T. Burnham - exposed structure.
. Second Bank of U.S.

I think only one other person mentioned the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are most beautiful. The three in the United States that I admire most are Salt Lake City, Utah (1893), Washington, DC (1974) and San Diego, CA (1993).
The Salt Lake building has a wonderful history. All built of granite stones without mortar - 16 feet wide at the base.
See the following web site for more information:
http://www.lds.org/temples/geographical/0,11380,1899-1,00.html

Consider:
*The Wexner Center by Peter Eisenmann
*Alcoa Building, Pittsburgh
*Stratford Hall, VA
*Hallidie Bldg, S.F., CA: 1st glass curtain wall here
*Thorncrown Chapel, Eureka Springs Arkansas, by E. Fay Jones
*College Life Insurance Co., Indianapolis, by Roche & Dinkeloo
*Kansas City Power and Light Building
*The Hermitage, Nashville
*Neutra's Lovell House
*Shingle Style bldgs (an original Am. style): Chanler Hse. of Bruce Price,Victor Newcombe Hse in Elberon, N.J. by McKim, Mead & White
*Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis by Jean Nouvel
*Eames Hse, Pac. Palisades, CA by Chas. Eames
*Dominus Winery, Yountville, CA by Herzog & de Meuron. I'd love to read about what folks think is going on here. It's something new and unlike anything before. This is an important structure.

*The Desert View Watchtower on the rim of the Grand Canyon by Mary Coulter: This is one spiritual encounter. There is something timeless and sacred despite its youth.

Add to the next list:
Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA by Julia Morgan

Lots of good comments.

I will say that a poll of this sort that does not include the University of Virginia in the top 10 or 25 is simply not credible, nor is a poll that includes St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. St. Patrick's is evocative, but mostly sited luckily after-the-fact, as it were (it was lucky that the current trappings of Midtown happen to cluster on Fifth Ave between 42d and 57th and that the constant moves of Manhattan's center fo gravity uptown didn't continue after the mid-1930s). Cram's St. Thomas Church is a far greater piece of Gothicist architecture in mid-town Manhattan.

Simply not credible. Does a disservice to the AIA.

What is clear from this survey is that the general public could care less about Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi and a host of other quasi-intellectual pretenders "practicing" architecture today. When you think that Peter Eisenman and Danny Libeskind both hired other architectural firms to design their homes, it leaves no doubt that they are both hypocrites on a grand scale. The public seems to see more clearly than the profession where this sort of nonsense is in play.

Like many I find the list to be interesting and agree that to include the Bellagio when the Wrenn Building, Independence Hall, the Seagrams Building and the Farnsworth House are not included to compromise the integrity of the list. I am also surprised at the favorable comments on the Morman Temple in Salt Lake City, which I had always dismissed as a naive attempt at gothic designed by someone with more faith than talent. I suppose I will have to take another look.

MIAs from Los Angeles, CA:
1. LAX Theme Restaurant
2. Griffith Park Observatory
3. The Bradbury Bldg.
4. The Pasadena Bridge
5. Various and sundry movie palaces (Million Dollar, Los Angeles, and others)
6. The all green tile, Art Deco Eastern Bldg. and the (now demolished) all black tile Atlantic Richfield Bldg.
7. Los Angeles City Hall
8. Just visit, and I'll show you more.
Maria

ADD: T.M.E. in Seattle
In Cincinnati:
Music Hall
Wise Temple
Vontz molecular center

I agree with everyone's comments about how Kahn was overlooked, but did I miss IM Pei's East Gallery? That's my favorite.

This list is a real reflection of the stuffy conservatism of American cultural taste, and the severe lack of public education on architecture, so for drawing attention to that, it's useful. Further, though, it starkly exposes the desperate shortage of outstanding and inspiring contemporary public architecture in this country. Lack of architectural education aside, all too clearly, this very sizeable public has very little of recent completion to call "favorite."

I'm truly amazed that the AIA panel included buildings like the White House and the Capitol on the ballot in the first place.

Ultimately this reads for the most part like a list of America's Favorite Historic Landmarks - something more befitting an issue of Frommer's Budget Travel, not what should be a serious list of notable American architecture by the AIA. Better luck next time.

I think this is a good list. However, there is nothing from New Orleans. If anything St. Louis Cathedral or The entire French Quarter should have made the top 150.

Interesting survey. Having read the methodology it would be interesting to see the full list of 247 buildings that the public could choose from. I'd also like to have a searchable and sortable list.

I'm not surprised that the public actually chose buildings that they recognize. Buildings that have civic (including sports) or religious importance.

Many of my favorite buildings are on the list. Many, even quite a few in the top 25 wouldn't make my list at all.

A lot of the comments above count as missing buildings that are actually on the list.At #14 the St. Louis Arch got several comments for being missing. It is a great engineering feat, not a personal favorite, but it is on the list.

It comes to mind that these are the "favorite" buildings, not the best examples of architecture.

My favorite building is absent, the Kimbell Art Museum. I do understand how it missed the list of "most popular". I was glad that Kahn was represented, but I found The Salk Institute for Biological Studies conspicuously absent as well.

LOVE your site. Keep up the good work, though I missed seeing the Chrysler
Building, something from Detroit (e.g., Fisher Building, GM Tech Center) and
a few old favorites from my part of the world like Griffith Observatory, the
Bradbury Building or Bullock's Wilshire. Maybe you could do a top 300?

Firstly, the list reads more like a list of "the most recognized architecture" rather than a ranking of quality. For example, The Bellagio Casino, is well recognized by millions of tourists and conventioneers for its fountain, but is the building any different from thousands of other large hotels? (I'm baffled by its inclusion to begin with, maybe I should visit before I judge.) Further, how does one
explain Monticello limping along at 27th on the list?

Secondly, how could some buildings, relatively obscure to those outside the design community or those who hadn't visited them, get enough votes to be on the list?

I've looked at the survey methodology for further insight. 2448 architects, all AIA members, each nominated up to 20 structures. From the member nominations, a list of the top 247 structures, each receiving six or more individual mentions from AIA members, was developed. (the
AIA could have stopped there and made it a list of "247 of America's Favorite Architecture") For the public survey, 1,804 U.S. adults were interviewed and shown photos of up to 78 randomly selected structures. Not being a pollster, I don't know how seeing only 78 out of 247 the structures squares with things. Then the list was winnowed down to 150.

After viewing 78 photos, I can only imagine the fatigue of those interviewed. It seems to me that under those conditions the mere recognition of a particular structure would take precedence over any measure of likability.

I have come to suspect that this is a just list of the 150 most recognizable structures that the average American can identify from a list of structures most favored by AIA architects.

GMR

It is a bizarre survey that manages to include Washington National Airport but not Washington Dulles.

If baseball parks are in the strike zone, will no one vote for the Ford Rouge plant?

And what's a list of American buildings without Martin Maurer's Big Duck?!

The beauty of the poll is that most people see and remember prominent buildings. These may or may not be examples of "great" architecture, but they stay in the mind's eye of the public. They did a pretty good job. Architects however, know and like lots of buildings (and parks) that many lay-people are not familiar with. Nothing got left out - 150 were selected.

Here are a few key omissions:

1. Assumption Basilica in Baltimore.
2. Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
3. The Christian Science Center in Boston.
4. Dulles Terminal outside D.C.
5. The Manhattan Bridge.

A wonderful list filled with buildings that speak to the soul and actually have an aesthetic quality that lasts beyond just one look. I was especially pleased that only one Gehry building appeared on the list. His work epitomizes the flashy, empty architecture that is increasingly and perplexingly praised.

I don't live in Grosse Pointe, Bloomfield or any other Detroit suburb, I live right in the city with all the gloom and crime and misery that someone tackily mentioned in a previous post. I agree that Detroit has its issues - MAJOR issues - but this list was not a list of the top 150 cities to live in, it was a list of the top 150 architectural structures. When I moved here 10 years ago I was in complete AWE the first day I went downtown and saw the Fisher Building, the Guardian Building, the Penobscot Building and the Ren Center. The structures in downtown Detroit are so awesome that although I've been here 10 years now, I still stop, stare and appreciate their beauty. I imagine how they looked on the day the doors first opened and I wonder if they lived up to their designers' original dream. They will never be old, miserable or washed up to me and they should have been on the list. As an aside, I also looked for Ayers Hall, from UT, Knoxville's campus to be on the list. I knew it wasn't going to be there, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

What about the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh- Pittsburgh, PA? Tallest Academic building in the Western hemisphere, and second tallest in the world! It's pretty unique as far as academic buildings go!

Great list, here what I missed seeing:
Brooklyn Bridge
Olana (Frederick Church Home)
North Christian Church, Columbus, IN
Chrysler Building
Central Park
Jones Beach

Good afternoon,

Very interesting survey, thanks!! one ommision is however stunning in it NOT being included on the list, where is the FLW Johnson Wax Administration building c.1936 a building that "Experts" stated and swore could NOT be built a visonary and timeless design yesterday, today and tomorrow also missing is Mies Farnsworth house in Plano, Ill *** FLW Fallingwater at #29?? it should be among the top 10 in the world!! all the best, robert

Great list, some strange rankings, but thank you for the effort.

TransAmerica Tower is ranked way too low at #62. Should be in the top twenty.

I'm sure someone has mentioned it but Independence Hall has to be on the list. It's on our money and it is only the birthplace of freedom. It could be an outhouse and make it on the list for that reason alone.

the golden dome at Notre Dame

Full of Chicago civic pride, I'm delighted to see We're home to 16 of the buildings!

The one missing for me is the Chicago Cultural Center (our first public library). It is an absolute gem and I'm amazed at how many folks are unaware of it. Not enough of the public know it to be polled on it.

Viva la Chicago!

(p.s. Robie and Rookery are on the list.)

The Ronald Reagan Building? C'mon. How could it be on the list of favorite DC buildings and Sarinan's Dulles Airport not make it?

Also, the West Steps of the US Capitol designed by Olmstead.

The Skyway Bridge in Tampa.

The original plan for the city of Washington DC designed by Lafant.

The addition to the art museum in Chatanooga, Tn.

Just about anything and everything in Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA.

Bruce N. Shulman
Washington, DC

The Duke University Chapel. One of the most impressive buildings I've seen in all my travels. Inside and out...it's stunning.

Pueblo Bonito
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
Largely built between 950 and 1150 A.D., the external and internal walls remain standing today. May have been one of the largest residential structures in the world at the time.

How about the Theodor Geisel Library on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, (designed in the late 1960s by William Pereira)? I think it is a far superior choice to the litany of airport terminals on the list.

3 buildings that immediately come to mind that I did not see on the list are the Breakers and the Bradbury Building (both already mentioned above) and also Wright's Ennis-Brown House. I'm afraid that most people are unfamiliar with most of the buildings so they just voted for what they know. That would explain why buildings such as the White House and Capitol (and Bellagio and the Dolphin & Swan??? You've got to be kidding me!) ranked so high and some real architectural gems ranked so low, if they were lucky enough to even make the list. Maybe this list should be named "The Most Familiar Buildings to People Who Aren't Really Familiar with American Architecture." I wish I had known about your poll when it was happening so I could have participated. (My top 3 would have been: #1 Chrysler Bldg, #2 Fallingwater, #3 Stahl House, which barely made the list, although I was pleased to see it made the cut.) I do applaud your efforts in doing this, and agree with those who request that you, the professionals educate us, the fans. I do not profess to be an architectural expert, but I love architecture and learn what I can and I get the feeling I am more familiar with it that the majority of people who partcipated in your poll. A big fan of Art Deco and Contemporary architecture, I go out of my way to seek out and visit architectural gems everywhere I travel.

Hancock Tower - Chicago
Ba Hai Temple - Willmette, IL
Farsworth House - Plano, IL
Milwaukee City Hall
Pyramid - Memphis, TN
Central Park - NYC
Grant Par - Chicago
Chicago Theater - Chicago
French Lick Spa - French Lick, IN
Guardian Building - Detroit-Rock-City

And a whole lot more I don't have time to list right now...

-marty

Bellagio #22, that pretty much sums up how America defines architecture...

I'm not an architect. However, I've learned to appreciate it since my sister is an architect. As a journalist, I can say the list seems to take a scattershot approach to an unclear topic. Is it a list of the most beloved architecture or is it a list of the most recognized architecture? Also, are public works projects like the Hoover Dam eligible? I will not be joining the masses on this site that are complaining about there being no Detroit buildings included. I haven't been there, but from the photos I have seen, I don't think I'm missing much. Regardless, there are quite a few buildings that really should have been on this list.

They include:
1. The Hancock Tower in Chicago. Having lived in Chicago, I can say it is a crime for the AIA not to have put this on the list.
2. The Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, IL. I drove by it a few times and was in awe.
3. The entire block of mies van der Rohe buildings south of the Loop in Chicago near the post office.
4. The Marin Towers in Chicago. The famous 'Corn Cob' apartment buildings on the Chicago River.
5. There were no Frank Lloyd-Wright projects from his Oak Park development outside of Chicago. No Unitarian Church, none of the houses? That's a big miss.
6. The Beinecke Rare Book Library at Yale in New Haven, CT.
7. The Mission Style government facility in Santa Barbara, CA. I believe it was the court house or city hall.
8. Los Angeles, CA City Hall - There was another building somewhere in the midwest that you listed, but frankly it didn't hold a candle to this.
9. The Connecticut State Capitol Building in Hartford. It is an absolutely gorgeous piece of architecture and puts most government buildings to shame.
10. The Westin Peachtree Plaza - Another Portman Hotel. Perhaps the most noticeable part of Atlanta's skyline.
11. Independence Hall - Philadelphia. How did you not include this one?
12. The Breakers - Newport, R.I. Try building something like that today.
13. Culver City, Ca City Hall - I know, this is an obscure one. However, it is a beautiful complex. I don't know who designed it, but it wouldn't surprise me if their last name was Wright.
14. The Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, Ca. I don't remember seeing this one on the list. It is a beautiful work that has withstood the test of time.
15. The Liberty Buildings in Philadelphia, Pa. Modernized glass versions of the Chrysler Building.
16. Phillip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, CT. I'm not a big fan of his, but this is on every list of architecture I have ever seen.
17. Any of the classic Art Deco hotels in South Beach. Pick one, the Delano, the Clevelander, etc. Perhaps you did list one, and I don't remember seeing it.
18. Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles. Great setting, and building.

I see the lodges at Yosemite and Yellowstone were included in the listing, but not Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. This structure is the crown jewel of the WPA projects.

I see the lodges at Yosemite and Yellowstone were on the list, but not Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Oregon. This was the crown jewel of the WPA projects.

Did anyone overlook The Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh??

I completely back up those who wish that the Mesa Verde ruins were on the list.

As for the "21st Century" architect who lamented the lack of new buildings on the list and that clients and the public don't get it, I say if people aren't getting it, then there's nothing to be got, or we mere commoners get it, but hate it. Note the low showing of Int'l Style. It's soulless. Architects and critics have spent half a century trying to make us understand, and still the monoliths fill us with despair. It's no coincidence that 70's sci-fi films would film in these places to show the not-do-distant ape-ruled dystopias.

If a building makes you feel alive (the Quadracci Pavilion, the Seattle Public Library, the Taliesin living room, the mesa ruins), it's good. If it makes you yearn for the sweet release of death (IIT campus, strip malls, most of the Int'l, almost all Brutalist), it's bad.

I hope the 21st century architects use their creativity and skill to fill our lives with awe, even if it's inexplicable (as many new buildings do) not dread.

Where is the Pentagon?

I can not believe 7 ballparks could make the list over places like the Space Needle and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD....

I also agree with the man who said that the UND hockey arena should be on the list-that is an amazing facility....

and if you are going to include statues and monuments then Mt Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty have to be there as well.

Where's Columbia University's Low Memorial Library?

First, Joey said, "What about the Marin County Civic Center by FLW? I'm no expert, but it's gotta be cooler than all those baseball stadiums."

Then AM replied, "Hey, Joey. Because a building was designed by FLW doesn't necessarily bestow success upon it. He was a genius, but he created some true dogs."

AM, are you implying that the Marin Civic Center is a dog? A failure? As a regular visitor of the building I assure you it is a wonderful piece of architecture and is still the very useful seat of Marin County's various government offices and civil services. It would have been a welcome addition to this list. Joey didn't say it should be on the list merely because it was a FLW design. He just thought it should have been here. I tend to agree.

In the top 20 should have been the Phoenix Building in Hartford, CT. Far too many nostalgia monstrosities (Fenway Park?) are listed. The AIA missed by a mile here and deserve the admonition given to junior architects: "Back to the drawing board."

The Dolphin & Swan?
I've been there and it's nice but what about Tampa's Plant Hotel (now Plant Hall at the University of Tampa)? I'd even pick St. Pete's Don Cesar or Clearwater's Belleview Biltmore over the D & S.

I realize it is difficult to be all inclusive in a list such as this, but many great buildings in Cleveland were missing. The Terminal Tower, The Old Arcade, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Art Museum,and Severance Hall are all architectually unique and outstanding.

Where is the Renaissance Center in Detroit? The 70 story building majestically towers over the Detroit skyline. What about the Comerica tower? Detroit has two fabulous buildings and gets the shaft in this survey.

Pretty good list, few to many stadiums. The one omission that I see, would have to be the Cathedral of Learning @ the University of Pittsburgh. Inside and out one of the greatest academic buildings in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:CathoLearn.jpg#file

I am shocked that not one building from Detroit is listed. Clearly no one compiling the list of contenders has ever visited the city of Detroit. The Guardian Building, the Penobscot building, the Fisher building, Michigan Central Depot, the Book Cadillac, and even the Ren Cen are much more impressive than some of the buildings on the list. Other mentionables from Detroit are the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Wayne County Building.

I grew up in Quincy, MA, and was surprised to see both Fenway Park and the Crane Library made the list, but not Bulfinch's famed State House in Boston. As much as we all love Fenway for what it stands for, it's hardly a beautiful structure the way the State House is. I also agree with the folks who wonder why the Seattle Space needle is missing - what gives? And what about the California missions - surely one of them is worthy; perhaps there were too many to choose from, and no single one stood out? All in all, it does seem there were too many ordinary buildings from NYC and not enough gems from the rest of the USA.

John Hancock building in Chicago, Mall of America, The Basilica of St Mary, and The new Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis.

While most people do not realize it, the first US Government buildings erected in most cities were not post offices, but customhouses. Many of the most historic and beautiful are still standing and deserve mention. Some of the grandest include the old customshouse in New York, and the customhouses in New Orleans, San Francisco and Charleston, SC. While perhaps the outsides of some of these buildings are not particularly distinguished, the insides are highly embellished. Many of them are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Personally, I'd like to think that the mention of Camden Yards was to honor the wonderful B&O Railroad Warehouse. But there are much better structures in Baltimore than the admittedly nice, baseball stadium.

The Maryland National Bank (now Band of America) Building at 10 Light Street. Baltimore's art deco skyscraper and one of the prettiest I have ever seen. From the carvings at street level to the green and yellow top, its absolutely lovely. Too bad the boring Legg Mason Building blocks the view of this building from the inner harbor.

Camden Street Station - one of the few pre-Civil War railroad stations left and historically important, as well - plus, its lovely.

The B&O Building - nice early skyscraper with impressive carvings

There are several other nice late 19th/early 20th century office buildings in Baltimore as well there as well.

And agree that Benjamin Latrobe's Bascilica would have been a better choice if only picking one Baltimore building. Latrobe was one of America's earliest important architects, and its architectually unique and historically important as the first Catholic cathedral in the U.S.

Why not Washington National Airport - the original terminal is one of the few art deco airport terminals left and its been restored and the new addition is rather pretty. Sure, Dulles Airport was more important architectually when new, but additions have robbed it of its character.

While the Washington area was probably over represented, I think there are some better buildings than most of what was listed - Burnham's Southern Building at 15th and H is a fantastic office building. The Southern Railroad Building at 15th and K Street is as close as DC gets to art deco. If you go by important achievements in construction, the Pentagon is one of the more remarkable structures in the U.S. - built quickly due to World War II, its remarkable its lasted for this long.

While the Virginia State Capitol is a fine choice, there are other Richmond buildings that would have definitely merited consideration for the list:

Main Street Station - complete with intact train shed, its one of the most beautiful railroad stations and could well be the best building in Richmond.

The Egyptian Building at MCV - oldest medical school building in the U.S., and one of the few examples of Egyptian Revival architecture to survive. Truly unique.

Monumental Church - also now on the MCV campus, this church was built to honor the victims of an 1814 theatre fire, including a governor of Virginia.

Old Richmond City Hall - okay, since Pittsburgh's City Hall is listed, it might be redundant to have more than one city hall building of the same style (perhaps why Minneapolis City Hall isn't listed as well).

I'd also nominate the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Building in Winston-Salem, NC (although since it was designed by the same architect as the Empire State Building, it may be redundant), Atlanta City Hall, and the Old Capitol of Iowa in Iowa City.

Concur with Terminal Tower/Cleveland Union Terminal Complex.

Hmm... Nothing from Saint Augustine, FL?? Flagler College, The Lightner Museum, Castillo de San Marcos, and any one of a dozen of more other buildings are definately worth a mention in this list. I truly can't believe that a boring monolith such as the Sears Tower made the list and the wonderful architecture of Saint Augustine gets not even a mention...

Wonderful discussion, but their are some building that need consideration.
The Johnson wax headquarters in Racine, WI whom the architech was Frank Lloyd Wright should have been included. Another Wisconsin site was "House on the Rock." I agree that the LDS Salt Lake Temple should have been included on the list but so should several others such as the Nauvoo, IL temple modeled after the original. In fact they used as many materials, tools and techniques in reconstructing this temple as they possibly could. Alverno College has an interesting architectural feature that is less than 10 years old in their newly added Science Building that is under appreciated.

How can leave an iconic structure like the
Space Needle off?
What about perhaps the greatest building in the U.S.; the Salk Institute.
More obscure, Mount Angel Library by Aalto in Oregon.

This would make a spectacular education piece if you placed the photos of each of the listed structures on Google Earth so we can all zoom to and fro between them. Each local contributor can add different views of the structure so we can really see the true majesty and special architectural nature of each.

Some other buildings I expected to see on the list:

Acoma Pueblo
Independence Hall
Statue of Liberty
PSFS Building, Philadelphia
Hancock Building, Chicago
Dulles Airport
National Gallery East Wing
Rockefeller Center
Timberline Lodge

The Milwaukee Museum of Art should be credited to Eero Saarinen, with the most recent addition by Santiago Calatrava.

I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one who noticed the absence of the LDS Temple and Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. However, I would add to the list of Non-Includees the rest of the Temples of the LDS church. There are over 100 worldwide, all of which are stunning, but of that number, there are approximately 60 here in the United States alone. The architecture of each of them is amazing and inspiring. Next time a list like this is done, you need to check out each of them to make a better determination of the best architecture in the United States. Like one person mentioned earlier, the Salt Lake, Washington DC and San Diego Temples are beautiful, but I would like to draw your attention to two of my favorites, Manti Utah and Idaho Falls Idaho. Well worthy and deserving of being recognized.

Andy,

Was reading through the posts, and I would like to make a point of clarification to something you stated a month ago. Furness' Fisher Fine Arts Library and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts are not the same building, as you suggested. I would have liked to see both of them make the list, but if I had to pick one it would have been the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Its got a little more of that Furness CRAZINESS to it. Although, Fisher Fine Arts has a fantastic staircase.

As a longtime Detroiter (1930-1950),I agree with many posts that the absence Albert Kahn is blatant architectural ignorance.His Fisher Building, with its Beau Deco blend, knocked me out as a kid gawking at the Golden Tower nights. But River Rouge and a zillion other industrial structures establish him as the Henry Ford of American architecture. An eleven year old immigrant from Bismarck's Germany in 1880, he was too poor to even graduate high school. This autodidact so impressed his bosses at the leading Detroit architecture firm that they sent him to Europe for his own Grand Tour. Our view of significant architecture has been grossly corrupted by Philip Johnson's hyperestheticism (he used to mock his Harvard teacher Walter Gropius in private letters as being too committed to working housing). Analogously, another self-taught German immigrant, Timothy Pflueger, gloried my several years residence in San Francisco with his Pacfic T & T high rise, his Oakland Paramount, and especially Union Square where he had the genius to put a parking lot under this urban jewel. It's high time the AIA got its sites right on who really enchanced the built environment in America. I would conclude with grateful praise for Charles Goodman,AIA, whose National Home prefab was our first house in Dewitt,MI.

Patrick D.Hazard, Weimar, Germany (where I am finishing a book on the Bauhaus, whom Albert Kahn derided as the "Glass House Boys"..

Loved your list. It makes for some interesting discussion. I especially enjoy the comments on the exclussions. My list would include the following three:
1. Ellis Island Immigration Center
2. Seattle Space Needle
3. Statue Of Liberty

The 1929 art deco Reynolds American Bldg in Winston-Salem...winner of several awards over the years and was the model used for the Empire State Building design.

There should be some kind of tribute to the common man. Maybe a Norman Rockwell portrait of an average neighborhood home. It could be arguably as important as any of these.

Great list. I live near Philadephia and am happy to see several entries from Philly. There is an omission that I noticed. It's in Hollywood, CA. The Beverly Johnson House designed by Lloyd Wright (FLW's son) in 1962. Director David Lynch lives there. It is a neat house.

One thing I find interesting is that several of the top 40 are traditional buildings built deep into the 20th century, such as the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, Washington National Cathedral, the National Gallery of Art, the Supreme Court, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Also noteworthy is that Frank Lloyd Wright, whom we are told over and over again is America's favorite architect, doesn't make an appearance until nos. 29 (Fallingwater) and 30 (Taliesin, Spring Green).

http://classicist.blogs.com/weblog/2007/03/americas_favori.html

The choices you have made in its compilation make it impossible to take this list seriously. I must agree with some of the previous commentaries: the preponderance of New York sites is disturbing at best and elitist at worst. Many cities have been summarily dismissed. In particular, Detroit has been inexcusably overlooked. It has many of the finest examples of 19th and 20th century anywhere in America. This former "Paris of the West" deserves serious consideration. I also agree that the AIA is woefully out of touch with American style; some of your listings are downright hideous!

I think the list should inclue the Guardian Building in Detroit. It is significant in that it was the best work of noted art deco master Writ Rowland. It also might represnt one of the last times an architect had such carte blanche on a project of that size. I would also like to add that I think the Fisher Builing in Detroit is worthy of this list. The building was comissioned by the seven fisher brothers who essentially gave Albert Kahn an unlimited bank role on the project. The builing is as much a piece of art as building and thus I think worthy of your list.

I have enjoyed reading many of the comments on this blog, but I think many of you are missing the point. This is NOT a list of the most architecturally important buildings in America or a list made by architects, but rather the public’s opinion about architecture. As architects part of our job is to listen to clients and this is what the public is saying they like. For everyone that is complaining about the Salk Institute not being on the list (or other important pieces of architecture) considers who made the list, THE PUBLIC. No one (besides architects) visits a biological studies institute on their vacation , nor is the institute located in a downtown where multitudes of people see it all the time. This is why the Bellagio Hotel makes the top 25 and the Salk Institute is nowhere to be seen. It would be very interesting to see what was included in the 248 buildings that the public could choose from and see what the AIA thought should be included but the public didn't. It would also be interesting if they redid the survey and had only architects complete it, I have a suspicion they results would be very different.

Indeed, some real surprises -- Bellagio and Disney's Swan/Dolphin hotels? Any yet, both the Marin Civic Center and Seattle's Space Needle are nowhere to be found?

Sadly, many lesser-known "hidden" gems are missing as well, such as two in Riverside, California -- The Mission Inn (arguably one of the most unique hotels in America) and the Beaux Arts classic 1903 Riverside County Courthouse (a replica of the "Grand Palais" in Paris, France).

What about the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, CA. Or some of the buildings in Balboa Park?

Great list and greater idea, Architecture can benefit from a "score card". Nearly all my favorite buildings were on the list, or the second string list, or in these comments following the list; except my favorite building, the original condominium at Sea Ranch by Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker. If Architecture is suppose to enhance the setting and show Man's potential helping hand to Nature, this project does it best. Thanks for the list.

The Bellagio? That's rediculous! What about Saarinen's GM Technical Center in Warren Michigan or the beautiful campus at Cranbrook Academy?

I enjoyed looking at this list and agree with the Detroit comments on the blog--lots of wonderful architecture there. I'd like to nominate the Mackinac Bridge. Every time I cross it, I picture the wilderness that pre-dated the fur traders.

Did I just miss the terminal building at DCA?