FAMOUS STRUCTURE

AND BUILDINGS
 The NEWGRANGE
megalithic passage tomb at
Newgrange in Ireland covers over an
acre and was constructed around
3200 B.C. Buried for centuries, the
mound was rediscovered in 1699 and
was restored starting in 1962.
The tomb is extensively decorated
with spiral and lozenge shapes.
 COLOSSEUM
The Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)
of Rome, the largest and most famous of
the Roman amphitheaters, was opened
for use A.D. 80. Elliptical in shape, it
consisted of three stories and an upper
gallery, rebuilt in stone in its present
form in the 3rd century A.D.
 PANTHEON
The Pantheon at Rome, begun by
Agrippa in 27 B.C. as a temple, was
rebuilt in its present circular form by
Hadrian (A.D. 118–128). Literally the
Pantheon was intended as a temple of
“all the gods.” It is remarkable for its
perfect preservation today, and has
served continuously for 20 centuries as
a place of worship.
 Later
European
 ST. MARK'S CATHEDRAL
St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice (1063–1071), one
of the great examples of Byzantine architecture,
was begun in the 9th century. Partly destroyed by
fire in 976, it was later rebuilt as a Byzantine
edifice.
Other famous examples of Byzantine architecture
are St. Sophia in Istanbul (532–537); San Vitale in
Ravenna (542); and Assumption Cathedral in the
Kremlin, Moscow (begun in 1475).
 ALHAMBRA
The Alhambra (1248–1354), located in
Granada, Spain, is universally esteemed as
one of the greatest masterpieces of Muslim
architecture. Designed as a palace and
fortress for the Moorish monarchs of
Granada, it is surrounded by a heavily
fortified wall more than a mile in perimeter.
 TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower of London is a group of buildings and
towers covering 13 acres along the north bank of
the Thames. The central White Tower, begun in
1078 during the reign of William the Conqueror,
was originally a fortress and royal residence, but
was later used as a prison. The Bloody Tower is
associated with Anne Boleyn and other notables.
 WESTMINISTER ABBEY

Westminster Abbey, in London, was

begun in 1050 and completed in 1065. It
was rebuilt and enlarged in several
phases, beginning in 1245. With only two
exceptions (Edward V and Edward VIII),
every British monarch since William the
Conqueror has been crowned in the abbe
 NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS
Notre-Dame de Paris (begun in
1163), one of the great examples of
Gothic architecture, is a twin-towered
church with a steeple over the
crossing and immense flying buttresses
supporting the masonry at the rear of
the church.
 THE VATICAN
The Vatican is a group of buildings in Rome
comprising the official residence of the pope.
The Basilica of St. Peter, the largest church in
the Christian world, was begun in 1452, and it
was rebuilt between 1506 and 1626. The
Sistine Chapel, begun in 1473, is noted for
frescoes by Michelangelo.
 THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES
The Palace of Versailles in France, containing
the famous Hall of Mirrors, was built during
the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century and
served as the royal palace until 1793. Built on
the colossal scale typical of many works of
baroque architecture, the palace is also noted
for its gardens, which include some 1,400
fountains.
 EIFFEL TOWER
Eiffel Tower, structure designed by A. G. Eiffel and
erected in the Champ-de-Mars for the Paris
exposition of 1889. The tower is 984 ft (300 m) high
and consists of an iron framework supported on four
masonry piers, from which rise four columns uniting
to form one shaft. Three platforms at different heights
(the intermediate platform just above the junction of
the columns is 644 ft/196 m high) are reached by stairs
and elevators. On the top of the tower are a
meteorological station, a wireless station, and a
television transmission antenna.
Asian, African,
and South
American
 TAJ MAHAL
The Taj Mahal (1632–1650), at Agra, India, built
by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, is
considered by some as the most perfect
example of the Mogul style and by others as
the most beautiful building in the world. Four
slim white minarets flank the building, which
is topped by a white dome; the entire structure
is made of marble.
 TAJ MAHAL
Another well-known Muslim
edifice is the Citadel, located on
an outcrop of limestone
overlooking Cairo. Begun in 810,
it was fortified (1176–1183) by
Saladin during the Crusades.
 PETRA
Ancient rock city, in present-day
Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi
Musa for the stream that flows
through it. A narrow, winding pass
between towering walls leads to the
open plain upon which stood the
ancient city. The plain is surrounded
by hills in which tombs have been
carved in the pink sandstone.
 ANGKOR WAT
Angkor Wat,outside the city of Angkor Thom,
Cambodia, is one of the most beautiful examples
of Cambodian, or Khmer, architecture. The
sanctuary was built during the 12th century.

The architecture of Angkor Wat, derived from

the stupa form, is enormously impressive, but
the most remarkable feature of the temple
compound is its sculptural ornament, covering
thousands of feet of wall space.
 BOROBUDUR
Borobudur or Boroboeder (both: bō"rōboodOOr') [
key], ruins of one of the finest Buddhist monuments,
in central Java, Indonesia. Built by the Sailendras of
Sumatra, this magnificent shrine dates from about
the 9th cent. It is a huge, truncated pyramid covered
with intricately carved blocks of stone that illustrate
the life of the Buddha and his teachings according to
Mahayana Buddhist doctrine. A seated Buddha
within may be seen from three platforms above the
seven stone terraces that encircle the pyramid.
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
The Great Wall of China (begun c. 214 B.C.),
designed specifically as a defense against
nomadic tribes, has large watchtowers that
could be called buildings. It was erected by
Emperor Ch'in Shih Huang Ti and is 1,400 mi
long. Built mainly of earth and stone, it varies
in height between 18 and 30 ft.
 THE FORBIDDEN CITY
After 1421 Beijing became China's
capital, and its group of imperial
buildings, known as the Forbidden
City, remains a remarkable
achievement. Around its main
courtyard and many smaller courts are
grouped splendid halls, galleries,
terraces, and gateways.
 MACHU PICHU
Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca
fortress in the Andes Mountains of
Peru. Thought to have been built and
occupied from the mid-15th century,
it is surrounded on three sides by
stepped agricultural terraces, which
are connected to the main plazas and
buildings by thousands of stone steps
 TEOTIHUACAN
Ancient commercial and religious center in
the central valley of Mexico, c.30 mi (48
km) NE of Mexico City. Once thought to be
the great religious center of the Toltec, it
is now held to be the relic of an earlier
civilization. Teotihuacán is the largest (c.7
sq mi/18.1 sq km) and most impressive
urban site of ancient America
UNITED STATES
 CHYRSLER BUILDING
The Chrysler Building (1928–1930) in
New York City is one of the finest
examples of art deco–style
architecture. Built for automotive
magnate Walter P. Chrysler, the
building uses decorative elements
borrowed from automobiles. At 1,046
ft it was briefly the world's tallest
building.
CHYRSLER BUILDING
Chrysler Building, in midtown Manhattan,
New York City, at Lexington Ave. between
42d and 43d St.
For about a year, until the completion
(1931) of the Empire State Building, the
Chrysler was the world's tallest building.
Empire State Building

It was designed by the firm of Shreve, Lamb,

and Harmon and built in 1930–31. For many
years its 102 stories (1,250 ft/381 m high)
made it the tallest building in the world. The
construction of the World Trade Center
ended its reign as the world's and the city's
highest skyscraper, but it regained the latter
distinction through misfortune when the
Trade Center was destroyed (2001) by a
terrorist attack
Rockefeller Center

The project was sponsored by John D.

Rockefeller, Jr., with fourteen of the buildings
built between 1931 and 1939.
 These include the 70-story GE (General Electric)
Building, known prior to 1989 as the RCA (Radio
Corp. of America) Building.
 The Time-Life Building (built 1960–61), the most
recent addition to the group, extended the
center's boundaries west of the Ave. of the
Americas.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in New
York City, was begun in 1892 and is now two-
thirds completed. When completed, it will be
the largest cathedral in the world: 601 ft long,
146 ft wide at the nave, 320 ft wide at the
transept.
The east end is Romanesque-Byzantine style,
and the nave and west end are Gothic.
 Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge, vehicular suspension bridge,
New York City, southernmost of the bridges
across the East River, between lower
Manhattan and Brooklyn; built 1869–83.
It was the first steel-wire suspension bridge in
the world and was the world's longest
suspension bridge at the time of its
completion.
 The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (“Liberty Enlightening the
World”) is a 225-ton, steel-reinforced copper
female figure, 151 ft 1 in. (46.05 m) in height,
facing the ocean from Liberty Island1 in New
York Harbor.
The right hand holds aloft a torch, and the left
hand carries a tablet upon which is inscribed:
“July IV MDCCLXXVI.”
 Sears Tower

Sears Tower, Chicago, the world's third tallest

building. Until the opening of the 1,483-ft (452-m)
Petronas Towers (1997) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
it was the world's tallest building.
 Constructed from 1970 to 1974 for Sears,
Roebuck & Co., it rises 110 stories to a height of
1,450 ft (442 m); the 253 ft (77 m) television
antenna topping it makes it the world's third
largest freestanding structure at 1,703 ft (519 m
 Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, located on the riverfront in
St. Louis, Mo., is a tapered curve of stainless
steel rising to 630 ft.
 The tallest manmade memorial in the United
States, the Arch was designed by Finnish-born
U.S. architect Eero Saarinen and built between
1963 and 1966.
Visitors can ride to the top in specially devised
capsule-like tram cars
 Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore (6,000 ft), in South Dakota,

became a celebrated American landmark after
sculptor Gutzon Borglum took on the project of
carving into the side of it the heads of four great
presidents.
 From 1927 until his death in 1941, Borglum worked
on chiseling the 60-foot likenesses of Washington,
Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
 His son, Lincoln, finished the sculpture later that
year.
 Golden Gate Bridge,
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge,
completed in 1937, is one of the most
recognizable structures in the United
States. Designed by Joseph B.
Strauss, this elegant suspension
bridge has a main span of 4,200 ft.
 Space NeedlE
The Seattle Space Needle
was the futuristic centerpiece
of the 1962 Seattle World's
Fair. The 605-foot-tall
Needle is topped by an
observation deck and a
revolving restaurant.