Towrs

Welcome to Towrs.com

The purpose of this web site is to create a catalog of great architecture around the world.

Unlike other attempts at this, Towrs is powered by you. There is no group of editors second-guessing what is important architecture. It could be the Sears Tower in Chicago, or it could be a cool house down the street where you live. Don't let the name "Towrs" fool you into thinking this is one of those web sites that's only about skyscrapers. There's a lot more to life and architecture that who's got the biggest structure.

This is an open collaberation. When you add a building to Towrs, other people are free to add, subtract, or make corrections and updates to your entry. Similarly, you are encouraged to make updates to other buildings already in the database. However, vandalism is not tolerated, and users who deface the web site or behave inappropriately will be banned.

So, have fun. Tell people about your world. Learn about theirs.

Master List

There is a master list of all buildings on Towrs. Not all have articles, but there are at least photographs of virtually everything listed.

Featured Building: JP Morgan Chase Tower, Houston

JP Morgan Chase tower as viewed from the north.

The JP Morgan Chase Tower stands 75 stories above the Theater District. It landed Houston as the 3rd city in the world to pass the 1,000 foot ("supertall") mark. When it was built, it was the 8th tallest building in the World & the U.S., or outside of Chicago & New York City. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River from its completion in 1981 until it was surpassed by the US Bank Tower (Library Tower) in Los Angeles, in 1989. It surpassed 1100 Louisiana (then called First National Bank) as the tallest Building in Houston & Texas, and has held the title ever since.

Featured City: Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the American Midwest, and much to the consternation of New Yorkers, the city where the first skyscraper was erected in the late 19th Century.

Founded by explorers and fur traders where the Chicago River flows out of Lake Michigan, it grew quickly as a hub for railroads, manufacturing, shipping, and meat processing. Today its global influence has been eclipsed by newer stars, but it continues to thrive as an international center for insurance, agribusiness, architecture and design.

Featured Building: 30 Saint Mary Axe, London

30 Saint Mary Axe in London, England. © Wayne Lorentz.

The building that brought central London into the modern era of avant garde skyscrapers didn't come without controversy. Officially known as 30 St. Mary Axe, this building has been lovingly described as a lighthouse of 21st century architecture, and mocked as the "gherkin." When the Swiss Re insurance company commissioned the building, it intended it to be a landmark. Mission accomplished. Though its height is far less than other London skyscrapers, its prominent location, peeking up from behind the Tower of London, has landed it supporting roles in dozens of feature films, and millions of tourist snapshots.