List of tallest demolished freestanding structures

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This is a list of tallest demolished freestanding structures in the world. To be freestanding a structure must not be supported by guy wires, the sea or other types of support. It therefore does not include guyed masts, partially guyed towers and drilling platforms but does include towers, skyscrapers (pinnacle height) and chimneys.[1]

Demolished freestanding structures 198 m/650 ft or taller[edit]

Structures with the same height are ordered by demolition date

Name Pinnacle height
(metres / feet) 		Year built Year removed Type of structure Main use Country City Remarks Recording of event
One World Trade Center (1973–2001) 526.7 m 1,728 ft 1973 2001 Skyscraper Office, observation  United States New York City Destroyed on 11 September 2001. Tallest freestanding structure that no longer exists. Tallest building in the world 1972–1974.
Two World Trade Center 415.3 m 1,362 ft 1973 2001 Skyscraper Office, observation  United States New York City Destroyed on 11 September 2001. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Andorra Power Station 343 m 1,125 ft 1981 2023 Chimney Power station  Spain Andorra (Teruel) Demolished on 16 February 2023 by explosives. Tallest freestanding structure ever demolished in a controlled manner. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Power Station Westerholt 337 m 1,106 ft 1981 2006 Chimney Power station  Germany Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia Demolished on 3 December 2006 by explosives. Video on YouTube
Atlanta Turner Broadcasting Tower 314.3 m 1,031 ft 1967 2010 Lattice tower UHF/VHF-transmission  United States Atlanta, Georgia Dismantled in 2010. Tallest lattice tower to be demolished.
Chimney of Harllee Branch Power Plant 307 m 1,007 ft 1978 2016 Chimney Power station  United States Milledgeville, Georgia Demolished on October 15, 2016. Tallest multi-flue windscreen chimney ever demolished.[2] Video on YouTube
Chimney of Widows Creek Fossil Plant 305 m 1,001 ft 1980 2020 Chimney Power station  United States Stevenson, Alabama Demolished on December 3, 2020. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Marl-Chemiepark Power Station 300 m 984 ft 197? 1995 Chimney Power station  Germany Marl, North Rhine-Westphalia Demolished in 1995.
Chimney #1 of Boxberg Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1979 2000 Chimney Power station  Germany Boxberg, Saxony Demolished in 2000.
Chimney of Lippendorf Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1967 2005 Chimney Power station  Germany Lippendorf, Saxony Demolished by explosives in 2005.
Chimney #1 of Power Plant Jänschwalde 300 m 984 ft 1981 2003 Chimney Power station  Germany Jänschwalde Demolished by explosives 2002–2007.
Chimney #2 of Power Plant Jänschwalde 300 m 984 ft 1981 2005 Chimney Power station  Germany Jänschwalde Demolished by explosives 2002–2007.
Chimney #3 of Power Plant Jänschwalde 300 m 984 ft 1981 2007 Chimney Power station  Germany Jänschwalde Demolished by explosives 2002–2007.
Chimney of Thierbach Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1968 ? Chimney Power station  Germany Espenhain, Saxony Demolished.
Chimney #2 of Boxberg Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1979 2009 Chimney Power station  Germany Boxberg, Saxony Demolished in 2009. Video on YouTube
Chimney #3 of Boxberg Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1979 2012 Chimney Power station  Germany Boxberg, Saxony Demolished in 2009. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Chimney of Tušimice Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1974 2012 Chimney Power station  Czech Republic Tušimice Dismantled in 2011–12.[3]
Chimney #4 of Boxberg Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1979 2012 Chimney Power station  Germany Boxberg, Saxony Demolished in 2012.
Chimney #3 Matla Power Station Smokestack 276 m 906 ft 1982 1982 Chimney Power station  South Africa Kriel Demolished in 1982 after partially collapsing during construction. Video on YouTube
Chimney of R.E. Burger Power Station 260 m 854 ft 19 2016 Chimney Power station  United States Dilles Bottom Demolished on July 29, 2016[4] Video on YouTube
Chimney of Shawville Generating Station 259 m 850 ft 1972 2016 Chimney Power station  United States Shadyside, Ohio Demolished in 2016.
Chimney of Hamburg-Port 256 m 840 ft ? 2004 Chimney ?  Germany Hamburg Demolished in April 2004. Further damage occurred caused by miscalculation of debris trajectories from explosive demolition.
Chimneys #2 Yates Power Plant 253 m 830 ft 1974 2017 Chimney Power station  United States Newnan, Georgia Demolished on 21 January 2017. Video on YouTube

Video on YouTube

Chimney #2 ASARCO El Paso Smelter 252.5 m 828 ft 1967 2013 Chimney Smelter  United States El Paso, Texas Demolished in April 2013. Video on YouTube
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 1 250 m 820 ft 1918 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.[5]
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 2 250 m 820 ft 1918 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 3 250 m 820 ft 1918 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 4 250 m 820 ft 1918 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 5 250 m 820 ft 1918 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 6 250 m 820 ft 1918/1920 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 7 250 m 820 ft 1920 1944 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Demolished in 1944.
Lafayette transmitter, Tower 8 250 m 820 ft 1918/1920 1953 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  France Marcheprime Disassembled in 1953.
Bakar Eurco Chimney TE Rijeka 250 m 820 ft 1978 2005 Chimney ?  Croatia Bakar Demolished in 2005.
Chimney #1 Dolna Odra Power Station 250 m 820 ft 1973 ? Chimney Power station  Poland Nowe Czarnowo Disassembled.
Chimney of Grain Power Station 244 m 801 ft 1979 2016 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Isle of Grain, England Demolished on September 7, 2016. Video on YouTube
Central tower (Königs Wusterhausen) 243 m 797 ft 1925 1972 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  Germany Koenigs Wusterhausen Collapsed during storm on November 15, 1972. Tallest freestanding structure to collapse in a storm.
Chimney #1 Navajo Generating Station 236.2 m 775 ft 1997 2020 Chimney Power station  United States Page, Arizona, Demolished on December 18, 2020 Video on YouTube
Chimney #2 Navajo Generating Station 236.2 m 775 ft 1998 2020 Chimney Power station  United States Page, Arizona, Demolished on December 18, 2020 (see above)
Chimney #3 Navajo Generating Station 236.2 m 775 ft 1999 2020 Chimney Power station  United States Page, Arizona, Demolished on December 18, 2020 (see above)
Chimney Inverkip Power Station 236 m 774 ft 1976 2013 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Inverkip, Scotland Demolished on July 28, 2013. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Power Station Schwandorf 235 m 771 ft ? 2005 Chimney Power station  Germany Schwandorf, Bavaria Demolished in 2005.
Channel 9 TV Tower 233 m 764 ft 1965 2021 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  Australia Sydney Disassembled in August 2021. Video on YouTube
WOR TV Tower 231.65 m 760 ft 1949 1956 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  United States North Bergen, New Jersey Dismantled after being struck by an aircraft in 1956.
Chimney of Castrop-Rauxel Power Station 230 m 755 ft 1966 2008 Chimney Power station  Germany Castrop-Rauxel, North Rhine-Westphalia Demolished in 2008.
Chimneys of Heating Power Station Gera-Nord 225 m 738 ft 1984/1986 2010 Chimney Power station  Germany Gera, Thuringia Demolished 2008–2010.
Chimney of Schilling Power Station 220 m 722 ft 1962 2005 Chimney Power station  Germany Stade, Lower Saxony Demolished in 2005.
Yekaterinburg TV Tower 219 m 720 ft 1962 2018 Tower Observation Tower  Russia Yekaterinburg Demolished on March 24, 2018. Was originally intended to be 360 m (1,180 ft) tall. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Pembroke Power Station 217.3 m 713 ft 1968 2000 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Pembroke, Wales Demolished on November 25, 2000.
270 Park Avenue 216 m 708 ft 1960 2021 Skyscraper Office  United States New York City Disassembled in 2020–21. Tallest building to ever be voluntarily removed.
Chimney of Littlebrook Power Station, Unit 'D' 215 m 705 ft 1981 2019 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Dartford, Kent Demolished in December 2019. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Alma Power Station 213.5 m 700 ft 1960 2018 Chimney Power station  United States Alma, Wisconsin Demolished on October 1, 2018.[6] Video on YouTube
Chimney Power Station Moers-Meerbeck 210 m 689 ft ? 1990's Chimney Power station  Germany Moers–Meerbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia Demolished early 1990s.
Novosemeykino Longwave Transmission, Tower 1[7] 205 m 673 ft 1943 2010 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  Russia Novosemeykino Demolished in 2010,[8] selfradiating insulated against ground
Novosemeykino Longwave Transmission, Tower 2[7] 205 m 673 ft 1943 2010 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  Russia Novosemeykino Demolished in 2010,[8] selfradiating insulated against ground
Novosemeykino Longwave Transmission, Tower 3[7] 205 m 673 ft 1943 2010 Lattice Tower UHF/VHF-transmission  Russia Novosemeykino Demolished in 2010,[8] selfradiating insulated against ground
Chimney Power Station Franken II 202 m 663 ft 1964 2001 Chimney Power station  Germany Erlangen, Bavaria Demolished in 2001.
Chimney of Považská Bystrica Old Power Station 201 m 659 ft ? 2016 Chimney Power station  Slovakia Považská Bystrica Demolished in 2016.[9]
Chimney Ludwigshafen 200 m 656 ft ? 2002 Chimney ?  Germany Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate Demolished in November 2002.
Chimney Power Station Breitungen 200 m 656 ft 1986 2005 Chimney Power station  Germany Breitungen, Thuringia Demolished in 2005.
Chimney of Schwedt PCK-refinery 200 m 656 ft ? 2003 Chimney Refinery  Germany Schwedt, Brandenburg Demolished in 2003.
Chimney of Pątnów Power Station 200 m 656 ft 1967 2008 Chimney Power station  Poland Pątnów Demolished in 2008.
Manušice Chimney 200 m 656 ft ? ? Chimney ?  Czech Republic Česká Lípa Demolished ?
Chimney of Skalice u České Lípy 200 m 656 ft ? ? Chimney ?  Czech Republic Skalice u České Lípy Demolished ?
Chimney of Didcot A Power Station 199.5 m 654 ft 1968 2020 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Didcot, Oxfordshire Demolished in February 2020. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Ohio Edison Toronto Power Plant[10] 198 m 650 ft 19 2008 Chimney Power station  United States Toronto, Ohio Demolition on November 1, 2008. Video on YouTube
Port Kembla Copper Stack 198 m 650 ft 1965 2014 Chimney Smelter  Australia Port Kembla, New South Wales Demolished on February 20, 2014. Video on YouTube
Chimney #1 of Nanticoke Generating Station Units 1–4 198 m 650 ft 1972 2018 Chimney Power station  Canada Nanticoke, Ontario Demolished on February 28, 2018. Video on YouTube
Chimney #2 of Nanticoke Generating Station Units 5–8 198 m 650 ft 1972 2018 Chimney Power station  Canada Nanticoke, Ontario Demolished on February 28, 2018. (see above)
Chimney of Kingsnorth Power Station 198 m 650 ft 1970 2018 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Hoo St Werburgh, Kent Demolished in March 2018. Video on YouTube
Chimney of St. Johns River Power Park[11] 198 m 650 ft 1988 2019 Chimney Power station  United States Jacksonville, Florida Demolished on July 23, 2019.[12] Video on YouTube
Chimney of Consumers Energy B.C. Cobb Plant 198 m 650 ft ? 2020 Chimney Power station  United States Muskegon, Michigan Disassembled in 2019-20.[13] Video on YouTube
Chimneys of Ferrybridge C Power Station 198 m 650 ft 1966 2020 Chimney Power station  United Kingdom Ferrybridge, North Yorkshire Demolition in 2020. Video on YouTube
Chimney of Thunder Bay Generating Station 198 m 650 ft 1963 2021 Chimney Power station  Canada Thunder Bay, Ontario Demolished on September 9, 2021.[14] Video on YouTube

Timeline of world's tallest demolished freestanding structures[edit]

Name Height (metres / feet) Held record Structural type Country City Notes
Meidum pyramid 92 m 300 ft 2610 BC–1303 AD (3913 years) Mausoleum  Egypt Meidum Collapsed during construction, now 65m
Lighthouse of Alexandria 103 to 118 m 338 to 387 ft 1303-1500 (197 years) Lighthouse  Egypt Alexandria Damaged by earthquakes in 956, 1303 and 1323. The most destructive of which is indicated to be the 1303 quake.
Malmesbury Abbey 131 m 431 ft 1500-1549 (49 years) Church  United Kingdom Malmesbury Spire collapsed around 1500.
Lincoln Cathedral 159.7 m 524 ft 1549-1921 (372 years) Church  United Kingdom Lincoln Spire collapsed in 1549.
New Brighton Tower 172.8 m 567 ft 1921-1936 (15 years) Lattice Tower  United Kingdom Liverpool Dismantled from 1919 to 1921.
US Naval Radio Station Pearl Harbor, 3 identical towers[15] 183 m 600 ft 1936-1938 (2 years) Lattice Tower  United States Honolulu Dismantled in 1936.
US Naval Radio Station Cayey, 3 identical towers[16] 189 m 620 ft 1938-1944 (6 years) Lattice Tower  United States Cayey, Puerto Rico Demolished in 1938.
Lafayette transmitter, 8 identical towers 250 m 820 ft 1944-1982 (38 years) Lattice Tower  France Marcheprime Towers 1 through to 7 demolished in 1944, tower 8 demolished in 1953.[5]
Chimney #3 Matla Power Station Smokestack 276 m 906 ft 1982-1995 (13 years) Chimney  South Africa Kriel Demolished in 1982 after partially collapsing during construction.
Chimney of Marl-Chemiepark Power Station 300 m 984 ft 1995-2001 (6 years) Chimney  Germany Marl Demolished in 1995.
Two World Trade Center 415.3 m 1,362 ft 2001 (29 minutes) Skyscraper  United States New York City Destroyed on 11 September 2001 at 9:59 am.
One World Trade Center (1973–2001) 526.7 m 1,728 ft 2001-current (21+ years) Skyscraper  United States New York City Destroyed on 11 September 2001 at 10:28 am. Tallest freestanding structure that no longer exists.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ See Tallest freestanding structures by skyscraperpage.com
  2. ^ "Chimneys".
  3. ^ "Tušimice power plant – demolition of 300 m chimney – en Libre spol. S r.o."
  4. ^ "Smoke Stack at R.E. Burger Plant in Dilles Bottom Comes Down".
  5. ^ a b "Lafayette transmitter, Marcheprime | 1225903". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  6. ^ "Scratch one smokestack from the banks of the Mississippi | NewsCut | Minnesota Public Radio News". Blogs.mprnews.org. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  7. ^ a b c "Novosemeykino Longwave Transmission Towers, Novosemeykino". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  8. ^ a b c Nicolas Janberg, Chief Editor. "Novosemeykino Transmission Towers (Novosemeykino)". Structurae. Retrieved 2021-01-26. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ a.s., Petit Press. "Komín v strojárňach zmizne, patrí k najvyšším stavbám". sme.sk.
  10. ^ "FirstEnergy Toronto Power Plant Demolition & Remediation". Independence Demolition. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  11. ^ "St. Johns River Power Park | Electric Facilities| Electric Generation | About". JEA. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  12. ^ "JEA St. John's River Power Park Hung Boiler Units and Chimney - Controlled Demolition, Inc". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  13. ^ "What was that boom? Coal plant in Muskegon has been demolished". wzzm13.com. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  14. ^ "Budget Demolition - Thunder Bay Generating Station - 650 Foot Stack Blast - Sept 09, 2021". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  15. ^ "US Naval Radio Station Pearl Harbor - NPM". Navy-radio.com. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  16. ^ "The Impact on Cayey, Puerto Rico of the Spanish American War: The Evolution of a Place Called Henry Barracks". Retrieved 2021-01-26.
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