List of tallest buildings in New Orleans facts for kids

Skyline of the Central Business District of New Orleans

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, is the site of 106 completed high-rises, 45 of which stand taller than 250 feet (76 m). The tallest building in the city is Hancock Whitney Center, which rises 697 feet (212 m) in the New Orleans Central Business District and was completed in 1972. It also stands as the tallest building in the state of Louisiana. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city is Place St. Charles, which rises 645 feet (197 m). Nine of the ten tallest buildings in Louisiana are located in New Orleans.

The history of skyscrapers in New Orleans began with the construction of the Hennan Building in 1895; this building, rising 158 feet (48 m), is often regarded as the first skyscraper in New Orleans. The 20-story Hibernia Bank Building, constructed in 1921 at a height of 211 feet (64 m), held the title of the tallest in New Orleans for 44 years. But, for most of the 20th century, the skyline of New Orleans consisted of only low and mid-rise structures. The soft soils of New Orleans are susceptible to subsidence, and there was doubt about the feasibility of constructing large high-rises in such an environment.

Pictured in the New Orleans skyline is Hancock Whitney Center (towards left), New Orleans' tallest building, standing at 697 ft. (212 m), as well as Place St. Charles, Plaza Tower, First Bank and Trust Tower, and Energy Centre

This trend was broken with the construction of the World Trade Center in 1967. The Plaza Tower, completed in 1969, was the first building to exceed 500 feet (152 m). Shortly thereafter, Hancock Whitney Center took its place as the city's tallest building in 1972. The oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s led to more construction of high-rises in New Orleans, with the completion of 17 of the city's 40 tallest buildings. Today, the high-rises of New Orleans are clustered along Canal Street and Poydras Street in the Central Business District. Poydras Street in particular has emerged as the city's principal high-rise corridor.

As New Orleans continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina, various projects have been proposed but increasing material and labor costs have eliminated some. The tallest tower approved for construction in the city was Trump International Hotel & Tower; upon completion it would have become the tallest building in New Orleans at a height of 842 feet (257 m), but construction was delayed and eventually cancelled in 2011. Phase 3 of Canal Place is another skyscraper proposed for construction in the city. In addition, while not new construction, many of the older buildings in the central business district are undergoing renovations to condominium, apartment and hotel towers; these projects include the National American Bank Building.

Skyline of New Orleans with the Mississippi River in the foreground

Tallest buildings

This lists ranks New Orleans skyscrapers that stand at least 250 feet (76 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Rank	Name	Image	Height ft (m)	Floors	Year	Notes
01 1	Hancock Whitney Center		697 (212)	51	1972	Has been the tallest building in New Orleans and Louisiana since 1972; tallest building in the Southeastern United States at the time of its completion; first Southeastern skyscraper to rise higher than 656 feet (200 m); tallest building constructed in the city in the 1970s.
02 2	Place St. Charles		645 (197)	53	1984	Has more floors than any other building in the city; tallest building constructed in New Orleans in the 1980s,
03 3	Plaza Tower		531 (162)	45	1969	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1960s; since 2002 the tallest unused building in the city.
04 4	Energy Centre		530 (160)	39	1984
05 5	BankPlus Tower		481 (147)	36	1987
06 6	Sheraton New Orleans		479 (146)	49	1982	Tallest building used exclusively as a hotel in New Orleans.
07 7	New Orleans Marriott		449 (137)	42	1972	Tallest building on the downriver side of Canal Street.
08 8	400 Poydras Tower		442 (135)	32	1983
09 9	One Canal Place		440 (130)	32	1979
10 10	1010 Common		438 (134)	31	1970
11 11	Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans		407 (124)	33	1967
12 12	Benson Tower		406 (124)	26	1989
13 13	JW Marriott Hotel New Orleans		386 (118)	30	1984
14 14	Westin New Orleans Canal Place The Westin New Orleans Canal Place		373 (114)	29	1983
15 15	225 Baronne Street		362 (110)	29	1965
16 16	Hyatt Regency New Orleans		361 (110)	32	1976
17 17	Entergy Tower		360 (110)	28	1983
18 18	Hibernia Bank Building		355 (108)	20	1921	Tallest building constructed in New Orleans in the 1920s.
19 19	1250 Poydras Plaza		342 (104)	24	1979
20 20	The Odeon at South Market		342 (104)	29	2020	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 2020s.
21 21=	Hilton New Orleans Riverside		341 (104)	29	1977
22 21=	1515 Poydras		341 (104)	29	1984
23 23	National American Bank Building		330 (100)	23	1929
24 24	Harrah's New Orleans - Poydras Street Hotel		327 (100)	26	2006	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 2000s.
25 25	Pan American Life Center		322 (98)	27	1980
26 26	Poydras Center		300 (91)	28	1983
27 27	1440 Canal		288 (88)	21	1972
28 28	Orleans Tower		280 (85)	20	1977
29 29=	Charity Hospital		279 (85)	20	1939	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 1930s; tallest hospital in New Orleans.
30 29=	Le Méridien New Orleans		279 (85)	23	1984
31 31=	Loews New Orleans Hotel		276 (84)	22	1972
32 31=	Freeport McMoRan Building	Upload image	276 (84)	23	1984
33 33	Caesars Superdome		273 (83)	00 —	1972
34 34=	930 Poydras		270 (82)	21	2010	Tallest building constructed in the city in the 2010s.
35=	Four Winds		270 (82)	19	1927
36 36	1555 Poydras		262 (80)	22	1984
37 37	Windsor Court Hotel	Upload image	253 (77)	22	1984
38 38	First National Bank of Commerce Building	Upload image	252 (77)	19	1927
39 39=	New Orleans Exchange Centre		250 (76)	22	1981
39=	AT&T Building	Upload image	250 (76)	16	1983	Formerly the BellSouth Building, the name was changed when AT&T merged with BellSouth in 2007.

Timeline of tallest buildings

The Roosevelt New Orleans stood as the tallest building in the city from 1907 until 1921.

This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in New Orleans as well as the current titleholder, Hancock Whitney Center.

Tallest buildings in Metarie

Skyline of Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans This list ranks buildings in Metairie that stand at least 190 feet (58 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. Louisiana

Metairie is an unincorporated area of Jefferson Parish, and considered a satellite city of New Orleans.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Nueva Orleans para niños

• Buildings and architecture of New Orleans
• List of tallest buildings in Metairie
• List of tallest buildings in Louisiana