Singer Building
The world's tallest building became the tallest tower ever deliberately demolished after New York decided it could not save it.
Quick facts
- Existence state
- Officially Gone
- Peak stage
- general availability
- Research confidence
- high
- Last verified
What it was
Ernest Flagg's tower-and-base headquarters for the Singer Manufacturing Company at Broadway and Liberty Street in Manhattan.
An original 1890s office building was expanded into a slender 47-storey headquarters completed in 1908. It briefly held the world height record and remained a prominent early skyscraper even after taller towers surpassed it.
Existence timeline
Ernest Flagg designs an earlier headquarters on the site for Singer.
A major enlargement adds the tall tower and expanded base.
The Singer tower reaches full commercial use and briefly becomes the world's tallest building.
The Metropolitan Life tower surpasses Singer, though the building remains in use.
The company moves uptown and sells the building to Webb & Knapp.
The new owner plans a larger office development on the assembled site.
The city permits the entire structure to be razed despite preservation efforts.
Why it ended
Singer moved uptown, the property changed hands and U.S. Steel assembled the block for redevelopment. Preservation advocates documented its importance, but the city did not designate it; demolition proceeded in 1967.
Last confirmed trace
Architectural drawings, photographs and written records survive, along with salvaged lobby chandeliers installed at Pratt Institute.
What it left behind
The loss became a defining case for preservationists because a landmark law already existed but lacked a practical mechanism to save a large economically obsolete office tower.
How we classified it
The completed commercial skyscraper operated for decades before it was deliberately demolished.
Completed and occupied commercial use maps to 100 under Arrival Score V1.
Sources & verification
Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Sources are linked so readers can inspect the evidence directly.