From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
America's Favorite Architecture is a list of buildings and other structures identified as the most popular works of architecture in the United States .
In 2006 and 2007, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) sponsored research to identify the most popular works of architecture in the United States. Harris Interactive conducted the study by first polling a sample of the AIA membership and later polling a sample of the public.[ 1]
In the first phase of the study, 2,448 AIA members were interviewed and asked to identify their "favorite" structures . Each was asked to name up to 20 structures in each of 15 defined categories. The 248 structures that were named by at least six of the AIA members were then included in a list of structures to be included in the next phase, a survey of the general public. The survey of the public involved a total of 2,214 people, each of whom rated many photographs of buildings and other structures drawn from the list of 248 structures that had been created by polling the architects. The public's preferences were ranked using a "likeability" scale developed for the study.[ 1] [ 2]
As part of the commemoration of the organization's 150th anniversary in 2007, the AIA announced the list of the 150 highest-ranked structures as "America's Favorite Architecture". New York City is the location of 32 structures on the list, more than any other place. Of the 10 top-ranked structures, 6 are in Washington, DC , which is the location of 17 of the 150 structures on the complete list.[ 2] Chicago has 16 structures on the list.
The 150 top-ranked structures are listed below.[ 3]
List of "America's Favorites"[ edit ]
Rank
Structure
City
State
Date
Architect(s)
Style
Picture
1
Empire State Building
New York City
NY
1931
William F. Lamb
Art Deco
2
The White House
Washington
DC
1800
James Hoban
Neoclassical
3
Washington National Cathedral
Washington
DC
1912-1990
George Frederick Bodley , Henry Vaughan and Philip H. Frohman
Gothic Revival
4
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Washington
DC
1947
John Russell Pope
Neoclassical
5
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco
CA
1937
Irving F. Morrow and Gertrude C. Morrow
Art Deco
6
United States Capitol
Washington
DC
1800
William Thornton
Neoclassical
7
Lincoln Memorial
Washington
DC
1922
Henry Bacon
Greek Revival
8
Biltmore Estate/Vanderbilt Residence
Asheville
NC
1895
Richard Morris Hunt ; Frederick Law Olmsted
Châteauesque
9
Chrysler Building
New York
NY
1930
William Van Alen
Art Deco
10
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Washington
DC
1982
Maya Lin
Modern
11
St. Patrick's Cathedral
New York
NY
1910
James Renwick
Gothic Revival
12
Washington Monument
Washington
DC
1888
Robert Mills
Egyptian Revival
13
Grand Central Terminal
New York
NY
1903
Reed and Stem ; Warren and Wetmore
Beaux-Arts
14
Gateway Arch
St. Louis
MO
Eero Saarinen
1965
Modern
15
Supreme Court of the United States
1935
Washington
DC
Cass Gilbert
Neoclassical
16
St. Regis
New York
NY
1904
Trowbridge & Livingston
Beaux-Arts
17
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York
NY
Calvert Vaux ; McKim, Mead & White ; Richard Morris Hunt ; Kevin Roche ; John Dinkeloo
Beaux-Arts
18
Hotel Del Coronado
Coronado
CA
James W. Reid
Victorian
19
World Trade Center (destroyed)
New York
NY
Minoru Yamasaki
Modern
20
Brooklyn Bridge
New York
NY
John Augustus Roebling
Gothic Revival
21
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia
PA
John McArthur Jr.
Second Empire
22
Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas
NV
Deruyter Butler ; Atlandia Design
Italianate
23
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
New York
NY
Heins & La Farge ; Ralph Adams Cram
Gothic Revival
24
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia
PA
Horace Trumbauer , Zantzinger, Borie, and Medary
Neoclassical
25
Trinity Church
Boston
MA
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
26
Ahwahnee Hotel
Yosemite Valley
CA
Gilbert Stanley Underwood
National Park Service Rustic
27
Monticello
Charlottesville
VA
Thomas Jefferson
Georgian
28
Library of Congress
Washington
DC
John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz
Beaux-Arts
29
Fallingwater/Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. Residence
Mill Run
PA
Frank Lloyd Wright
Modern/Organic
30
Taliesin
Spring Green
WI
Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie School
31
Wrigley Field
Chicago
IL
Zachary Taylor Davis
Jewel Box Stadium
32
Wanamaker's Department Store
Philadelphia
PA
Daniel Burnham
Neo-Renaissance
33
Rose Center for Earth and Space
New York
NY
James Stewart Polshek
Structural Expressionist / Postmodern
34
National Gallery of Art (West Building)
Washington
DC
John Russell Pope
Neoclassical
35
Allegheny County Courthouse
Pittsburgh
PA
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
36
Old Faithful Inn
Yellowstone National Park
WY
Robert Reamer
National Park Service Rustic
37
Union Station
Washington
DC
Daniel Burnham
Beaux-Arts
38
Tribune Tower
Chicago
IL
John Mead Howells ;Raymond Hood
Gothic Revival
39
Delano Hotel
Miami Beach
FL
Robert Swartburg ; Philippe Starck (interior)
Art Deco
40
Union Station
St. Louis
MO
Theodore C. Link
Romanesque
41
Hearst Residence
San Simeon
CA
Julia Morgan
Spanish Revival
42
Willis Tower , formerly the Sears Tower
Chicago
IL
Fazlur Rahman Khan Bruce Graham
Modern
43
Thomas Crane Public Library
Quincy
MA
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
44
Woolworth Building
New York
NY
Cass Gilbert
Gothic Revival
45
Cincinnati Union Terminal
Cincinnati
OH
Alfred Fellheimer and Stewart Wagner ; Paul Philippe Cret , consulting architect
Art Deco
46
Waldorf Astoria
New York
NY
Schultze & Weaver
Art Deco
47
New York Public Library
New York
NY
Carrère and Hastings
Beaux-Arts
48
Carnegie Hall
New York
NY
William B. Tuthill ; Richard Morris Hunt and Dankmar Adler , consulting architects
Italianate
49
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco
CA
Arthur Brown, Jr.
Beaux-Arts
50
Virginia State Capitol
Richmond
VA
Thomas Jefferson
Neoclassical
51
Cadet Chapel, Air Force Academy
Colorado Springs
CO
Walter Netsch
Futurist
52
Field Museum of Natural History
Chicago
IL
Daniel Burnham and Graham, Anderson, Probst and White
Neoclassical
53
Apple, 5th Avenue
New York
NY
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Structural Expressionist
54
Furness Library, U. Penn.
Philadelphia
PA
Frank Furness
Victorian
55
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Kohala Coast
HI
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Modern
56
Rockefeller Center
New York
NY
Reinhard & Hofmeister , Corbett , Harrison & Macmurray, Raymond Hood , Godley & Fouilhoux
Art Deco
57
Denver International Airport
Denver
CO
Fentress Bradburn Architects
Postmodern
58
Ames Free Library
North Easton
MA
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
59
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee
WI
Santiago Calatrava
Postmodern
60
Thorncrown Chapel
Eureka Springs
AR
E. Fay Jones
Prairie School
61
Transamerica Pyramid
San Francisco
CA
William Pereira
Modern
62
333 Wacker Drive
Chicago
IL
Kohn Pedersen Fox
Modern
63
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
Washington
DC
Gyo Obata
Modern
64
Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Boston
MA
Benjamin Thompson
Georgian
65
Crystal Cathedral
Garden Grove
CA
Philip Johnson
Structural Expressionist / Postmodern
66
Gamble House
Pasadena
CA
Greene and Greene
American Craftsman
67
Nebraska State Capitol
Lincoln
NE
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
Art Deco /Neoclassical
68
New York Times Building
New York
NY
Renzo Piano
Structural Expressionist
69
Salt Lake City Public Library
Salt Lake City
UT
Moshe Safdie
Structural Expressionist / Postmodern
70
Walt Disney World Dolphin and Swan Hotels
Lake Buena Vista
FL
Michael Graves
Postmodern
71
Hearst Tower
New York
NY
Norman Foster
Structural Expressionist
72
Flatiron Building
New York
NY
Daniel Burnham
Beaux-Arts /Chicago school
73
Lake Point Tower
Chicago
IL
Schipporeit and Heinrich
Modern
74
Guggenheim Museum
New York
NY
Frank Lloyd Wright
Modern
75
Union Station
Los Angeles
CA
The Parkinsons
Spanish Revival
76
Willard Hotel
Washington
DC
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh
Beaux-Arts
77
Sever Hall, Harvard University
Cambridge
MA
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
78
Broadmoor Hotel
Colorado Springs
CO
Warren & Wetmore
Spanish Revival
79
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington
DC
James Ingo Freed
Postmodern
80
Phillips Exeter Academy Library
Exeter
NH
Louis Kahn
Modern
81
The Plaza Hotel
New York
NY
Henry J. Hardenbergh
Beaux-Arts
82
Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Chicago
IL
Jean-Paul Viguier
Postmodern
83
Glessner House
Chicago
IL
Henry Hobson Richardson
Richardsonian Romanesque
84
Yankee Stadium (1923) (demolished)
New York
NY
Osborn Architects & Engineers
Jewel Box Stadium
85
Harold Washington Library
Chicago
IL
Hammond, Beeby and Babka
Postmodern
86
Lincoln Center
New York
NY
Wallace Harrison , Philip Johnson and others
Modern
87
The Dakota Apartments
New York
NY
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh
Neo-Renaissance
88
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago
IL
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
Beaux-Arts
89
Fairmont Hotel
San Francisco
CA
Reid & Reid
Beaux-Arts
90
Boston Public Library
Boston
MA
Charles Follen McKim
Renaissance Revival
91
Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles
CA
Expressionist
92
Texas State Capitol
Austin
TX
Elijah E. Myers
Neo-Renaissance
93
Fontainebleau
Miami Beach
FL
Morris Lapidus
Modern
94
Legal Research Building , University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
MI
York and Sawyer
Gothic Revival
95
Getty Center
Los Angeles
CA
Richard Meier
Modern
96
High Museum
Atlanta
GA
Richard Meier
Modern
97
Federal Building and United States Courthouse
Central Islip
NY
Richard Meier
Modern
98
Humana Building
Louisville
KY
Michael Graves
Postmodern
99
Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles
CA
Frank Gehry
Postmodern / "Blobitecture "
100
Radio City Music Hall
New York
NY
Edward Durell Stone
Art Deco
101
Paul Brown Stadium
Cincinnati
OH
NBBJ
Postmodern
102
United Airlines Terminal 1, O'Hare Airport
Chicago
IL
Helmut Jahn
Modern
103
Hyatt Regency Atlanta
Atlanta
GA
John C. Portman, Jr.
Modern
104
AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants Stadium)
San Francisco
CA
Populous
Retro ballpark
105
Time Warner Center
New York
NY
David Childs
Modern
106
Washington Metro
Washington
DC
Harry Weese
Brutalist
107
IDS Center (IDS Tower)
Minneapolis
MN
Philip Johnson
Modern
108
Seattle Central Library
Seattle
WA
Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus
109
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco
CA
Mario Botta
Postmodern
110
Union Station
Chicago
IL
Daniel Burnham and Graham, Anderson, Probst and White
111
United Nations Headquarters
New York
NY
Wallace Harrison and others
Modern
112
National Building Museum
Washington
DC
Montgomery C. Meigs
Renaissance Revival
113
Fenway Park
Boston
MA
114
Dana-Thomas House
Springfield
IL
Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie School
115
TWA Terminal, JFK Airport
New York
NY
Eero Saarinen
Modern / Expressionist
116
The Athenaeum
New Harmony
IN
Richard Meier
117
Walker Art Center
Minneapolis
MN
Edward Larrabee Barnes
118
American Airlines Center
Dallas
TX
Art Deco
119
Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa
Phoenix
AZ
Albert Chase McArthur with Frank Lloyd Wright consulting
120
Los Angeles Central Library
Los Angeles
CA
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
121
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco
CA
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill , Del Campo and Maru Architects , Michael Willis Architects
122
Camden Yards
Baltimore
MD
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum
123
Taliesin West
Scottsdale
AZ
Frank Lloyd Wright
124
United States Holocaust Museum
Washington
DC
James Ingo Freed , Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
125
Citicorp Center
New York
NY
Hugh Stubbins & Associates ; Emery Roth & Sons
126
V. C. Morris Gift Shop / Xanadu Gallery
San Francisco
CA
Frank Lloyd Wright
127
Union Station
Kansas City
MO
Jarvis Hunt
Beaux-Arts architecture
128
Rookery Building
Chicago
IL
Burnham and Root
Chicago school
129
Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art , University of Minnesota
Minneapolis
MN
Frank Gehry
Postmodern / "Blobitecture "
130
Douglas House
Harbor Springs
MI
Richard Meier
Modern
131
Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House
Los Angeles
CA
Frank Lloyd Wright
132
Pennzoil Place
Houston
TX
Philip Johnson
133
Royalton Hotel
New York
NY
Philippe Starck
134
Astrodome
Houston
TX
135
Safeco Field
Seattle
WA
136
Corning Museum of Glass
Corning
NY
Gunnar Birkerts
137
30th Street Station
Philadelphia
PA
Graham, Anderson, Probst and White
Neoclassical
138
Robie House
Chicago
IL
Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie School
139
Williams Tower (Transco Tower)
Houston
TX
Philip Johnson
140
Stahl House (Case Study House #22)
Los Angeles
CA
Pierre Koenig
141
Apple, SoHo
New York
NY
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
142
John Hancock Tower
Boston
MA
Henry N. Cobb
143
Pennsylvania Station (demolished)
New York
NY
McKim, Mead & White
144
Hyatt Regency
San Francisco
CA
John Portman
145
Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building
Chicago
IL
Louis Sullivan
Chicago school
146
Museum of Modern Art
New York
NY
147
Auditorium Building
Chicago
IL
Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan
Chicago school
148
Brown Palace Hotel
Denver
CO
Frank Edbrooke
149
David S. Ingalls Rink, Yale University
New Haven
CT
Eero Saarinen
150
Battle Hall , U. Texas
Austin
TX
Cass Gilbert
Spanish-Mediterranean Revival
When it was released, critics observed that the list of "favorites" did not reflect the judgments of architectural experts. Upon the list's release, AIA president R.K. Stewart acknowledged that the rankings did not represent architects' professional judgments, but instead reflected people's "emotional connections" to buildings.[ 4] Buildings named by critics as being some that architects consider to be highly significant, but that did not achieve top 150 ranking in the public survey, included the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California , designed by Louis Kahn ; the Inland Steel and John Hancock buildings in Chicago; Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia ; and the Seagram Building in New York City, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe .[ 4] [ 5] John King of the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that in 1991 the AIA had named Eero Saarinen's design for Dulles Airport as one of ten "all-time works of American architects." King noted that the public's ratings were based on seeing just one photo of each building, and pointed out that "There's more to architecture than a picture can convey."[ 4]
Structures ranked below the top 150 [ edit ]
The 98 buildings that were listed by architects as significant, but did not rank in the top 150 in the public vote, were:[ 4]
860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments – Chicago, Illinois
American Folk Art Museum – New York City
Art & Architecture Building – Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut
Baker House – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Beinecke Rare Book Library – Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Beth Sholom Synagogue – Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Boston City Hall – Boston, Massachusetts
Bradbury Building – Los Angeles, California
Burton Barr Library – Phoenix Public Library, Phoenix, Arizona
Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts – Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – Los Angeles
Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption – San Francisco
CBS Headquarters / Black Rock – New York City
Yale Center for British Art /Museum of British Art – Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Chapel/W15 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Chapel of St. Ignatius – Seattle University , Seattle
Crown Hall – Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago
Dallas City Hall – Dallas, Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport – Dallas, Texas
M. H. de Young Memorial Museum – San Francisco
Denver Art Museum – Denver, Colorado
Denver Public Library – Denver, Colorado
Eames House – Pacific Palisades, California
Ennis House /Ennis-Brown House – Los Angeles
Esherick House – Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania
Experience Music Project – Seattle
Farnsworth House – Plano, Illinois
First Christian Church – Columbus, Indiana
First Church of Christ Scientist – Berkeley, California
First Unitarian Church of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Ford Foundation Building – New York City
Frank Gehry Residence – Santa Monica, California
Freer Gallery of Art – Washington, DC
Genzyme Center – Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gropius House – Lincoln, Massachusetts
Guaranty Building – Buffalo, New York
Horton Plaza – San Diego
IBM Building – Chicago
Inland Steel Building – Chicago
Jacobs Field – Cleveland, Ohio
John Deere World Headquarters – Moline, Illinois
John Hancock Building – Chicago
Johnson Wax Building – Racine, Wisconsin
Kaufmann Desert House – Palm Springs, California
Kimball Art Museum – Fort Worth, Texas
Kings Road House – West Hollywood, California
Larkin Administration Building – Buffalo, New York
Lever House – New York City
Lovell Beach House – Newport Beach, California
R. H. Macy and Company Store (building) – New York City
Marin County Civic Center – San Rafael, California
Marshall Field and Company Building – Chicago
Menil Collection – Houston, Texas
Minneapolis Central Library – Minneapolis
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth – Fort Worth, Texas
Monadnock Building – Chicago
Morgan Library & Museum – New York City
Mount Angel Library – Mount Angel, Oregon
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Nasher Sculpture Center – Dallas
National Gallery of Art (East Wing) – Washington, DC
North Christian Church – Columbus, Indiana
Oakland Museum of California – Oakland, California
O'Hare International Airport – Chicago
Peabody Terrace – Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Petco Park (San Diego Padres ) – San Diego
Philadelphia Savings Fund Society Building /PSFS – Philadelphia
Philip Johnson 's Glass House – New Canaan, Connecticut
Prada – Los Angeles
Prada – 575 Broadway, New York City
Price Tower – Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Rachofsky House – Dallas, Texas
REI Flagship Store, Seattle
Reliance Building – Chicago
Richards Medical Research Laboratories – Philadelphia
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – Arlington, Virginia
Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art – Cincinnati
Salk Institute – La Jolla, California
San Francisco Public Library – San Francisco
Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse – Phoenix, Arizona
Seagram's Building – New York City
Frederick J. Smith House – Darien, Connecticut
Soldier Field – Chicago
Sony Plaza (AT&T Corporate Headquarters) – New York City
Staples Center – Los Angeles
Superdome – New Orleans
Tiffany and Company Building – New York City
Unity Temple – Oak Park, Illinois
University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona Cardinals Stadium) – Glendale, Arizona
Vanna Venturi House – Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania
Wainwright Building – St. Louis, Missouri
Washington Dulles International Airport – Chantilly, Virginia
Wexner Center for the Arts – Ohio State University – Columbus, Ohio
Whitney Museum – New York City
William J. Clinton Presidential Library – Little Rock, Arkansas
^ a b American Institute of Architects, "About this Exhibit", FavoriteArchitecture.org website
^ a b American Institute of Architects Releases Poll Showing "America's Favorite Architecture" , Building Online, March 15, 2007
^ American Institute of Architects, FavoriteArchitecture.org website
^ a b c d John King, When it comes to the tops in architecture, it's all about how it makes people feel , San Francisco Chronicle , February 13, 2007
^ Alex Frangos, Americans' Favorite Buildings , The Wall Street Journal , February 7, 2007