America’s Favorite Structures

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The best architecture in the United States

Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis ranks #14

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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Harris Interactive compiled a list of America’s best works of architecture, based on interviews with AIA members and a poll of about 1,800 adults. Here is the list, which was released in February 2007.

Rank Building City
1 Empire State Building New York, N.Y.
2 The White House Washington, D.C.
3 Washington National Cathedral Washington, D.C.
4 Thomas Jefferson Memorial Washington D.C.
5 Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco, Calif.
6 U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C.
7 Lincoln Memorial Washington, D.C.
8 Biltmore Estate (Vanderbilt Residence) Asheville, N.C.
9 Chrysler Building New York, N.Y.
10 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Washington, D.C.
11 St. Patrick’s Cathedral New York, N.Y.
12 Washington Monument Washington, D.C.
13 Grand Central Station New York, N.Y.
14 The Gateway Arch St. Louis, Mo.
15 Supreme Court of the United States Washington, D.C.
16 St. Regis Hotel New York, N.Y.
17 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, N.Y.
18 Hotel Del Coronado San Diego, Calif.
19 World trade Center New York, N.Y.
20 Brooklyn Bridge New York, N.Y.
21 Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia, Pa.
22 Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, Nev.
23 Cathedral of St. John the Divine New York, N.Y.
24 Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, Pa.
25 Trinity Church Boston, Mass.
26 Ahwahnee Hotel Yosemite Valley, Calif.
27 Monticello Charlottesville, Va.
28 Library of Congress Washington, D.C.
29 Kaufmann Residence (Fallingwater) Bear Run, Pa.
30 Taliesin Spring Green, Wis.
31 Wrigley Field Chicago, Ill.
32 Wanamaker’s Department Store Philadelphia, Pa.
33 Rose Center for Earth and Space New York, N.Y.
34 National Gallery of Art, West Building Washington, D.C.
35 Allegheny County Courthouse Pittsburgh, Pa.
36 Old Faithful Inn Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.
37 Union Station Washington, D.C.
38 Tribune Tower Chicago, Ill.
39 Delano Hotel Miami Beach, Fla.
40 Union Station St. Louis, Mo.
41 Hearst Residence (Hearst Castle) San Simeon, Calif.
42 Sears Tower Chicago, Ill.
43 Crane Library Quincy, Mass.
44 Woolworth Building New York, N.Y.
45 Cincinnati Union Terminal Cincinnati, Ohio
46 Waldorf Astoria New York, N.Y.
47 New York Public Library New York, N.Y.
48 Carnegie Hall New York, N.Y.
49 San Francisco City Hall San Francisco, Calif.
50 Virginia State Capitol Richmond, Va.
51 Cadet Chapel, Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, Colo.
52 Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, Ill.
53 Apple Store Fifth Avenue New York, N.Y.
54 Fisher Fine Arts Library, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa.
55 Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Kohala Coast, Hawaii
56 Rockefeller Center New York, N.Y.
57 Denver International Airport Denver, Colo.
58 Ames Library North Easton, Mass.
59 Milwaukee Art Museum Milwaukee, Wis.
60 Thorncrown Chapel Eureka Springs, Arkansas
61 TransAmerica Pyramid San Francisco, Calif.
62 333 Wacker Drive Chicago, Ill.
63 National Museum of Air and Space Washington, D.C.
64 Faneuil Hall Marketplace Boston, Mass.
65 Crystal Cathedral Garden Grove, Calif.
66 Gamble House Pasadena, Calif.
67 Nebraska State Capital Lincoln, Nebr.
68 New York Times Building New York, N.Y.
69 Salt Lake City Public Library Salt Lake City, Utah
70 Swan and Dolphin Hotels, Walt Disney World Orlando, Fla.
71 Hearst Tower New York, N.Y.
72 Flatiron Building (Fuller Building) New York, N.Y.
73 Lake Point Tower Chicago, Ill.
74 Guggenheim Museum New York, N.Y.
75 Union Station Los Angeles, Calif.
76 Willard Hotel Washington, D.C.
77 Sever Hall, Harvard University Cambridge, Mass.
78 Broadmoor Hotel Colorado Springs, Colo.
79 Ronald Reagan Building and International trade Center Washington, D.C.
80 Phillips Exeter Academy Library Exeter, N.H.
81 The Plaza Hotel New York, N.Y.
82 Sofitel Chicago Water Tower Chicago, Ill.
83 Glessner House Chicago, Ill.
84 Yankee Stadium New York, N.Y.
85 Harold Washington Library Center Chicago, Ill.
86 Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts New York, N.Y.
87 The Dakota Apartments New York, N.Y.
88 Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, Ill.
89 Fairmont Hotel San Francisco, Calif.
90 Boston Public Library Boston, Mass.
91 Hollywood Bowl Hollywood, Calif.
92 Texas State Capitol Austin, Tex.
93 Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Fla.
94 Legal Research Building, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.
95 J. Paul Getty Center for the Arts Los Angeles, Calif.
96 High Museum Atlanta, Ga.
97 Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Islip, N.Y.
98 Humana Building Louisville, Ky.
99 Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, Calif.
100 Radio City Music Hall New York, N.Y.
101 Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio
102 United Airlines Terminal, O'Hare Chicago, Ill.
103 Hyatt Regency Atlanta Atlanta, Ga.
104 AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants Stadium) San Francisco, Calif.
105 Time Warner Center New York, N.Y.
106 Washington, D.C., Metro Washington, D.C.
107 IDS Center Minneapolis, Minn.
108 Seattle Public Library Seattle, Wash.
109 Museum of Modern Art San Francisco, Calif.
110 Union Station Chicago, Ill.
111 United Nations Headquarters New York, N.Y.
112 National Building Museum (Pension Building) Washington, D.C.
113 Fenway Park Boston, Mass.
114 Dana-Thomas House Springfield, Ill.
115 TWA Terminal, Kennedy Airport New York, N.Y.
116 The Athenaeum New Harmony, Ind.
117 Walker Art Center Minneapolis, Minn.
118 American Airlines Center Dallas, Tex.
119 Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa Phoenix, Ariz.
120 Los Angeles Central Library Los Angeles, Calif.
121 San Francisco International Terminal San Francisco, Calif.
122 Oriole Park at Camden Yards Baltimore, Md.
123 Taliesin West Scottsdale, Ariz.
124 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington, D.C.
125 Citicorp Center New York, N.Y.
126 V. C. Morris Gift Shop (Xanadu Gallery) San Francisco, Calif.
127 Union Station Kansas City, Mo.
128 Rookery Building Chicago, Ill.
129 Weisman Art Museum Minneapolis, Minn.
130 Douglas House Harbor Springs, Mich.
131 Hollyhock House Los Angeles, Calif.
132 Pennzoil Place Houston, Tex.
133 Royalton Hotel New York, N.Y.
134 Reliant Astrodome Houston, Tex.
135 Safeco Field Seattle, Wash.
136 Corning Museum of Glass Corning, N.Y.
137 30th Street Station Philadelphia, Pa.
138 Robie House Chicago, Ill.
139 Williams Tower (Transco Tower) Houston, Tex.
140 Stahl House (Case Study House #22) Los Angeles, Calif.
141 Apple SoHo New York, N.Y.
142 John Hancock Towers Boston, Mass.
143 Pennsylvania Station New York, N.Y.
144 Hyatt Regency San Francisco San Francisco, Calif.
145 Carson Pirie Scott Chicago, Ill.
146 Museum of Modern Art New York, N.Y.
147 Auditorium Building Chicago, Ill.
148 Brown Palace Hotel Denver, Colo.
149 Ingalls Ice Arena, Yale University New Haven, Conn.
150 Battle Hall, University of Texas Austin, Tex.
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