In addition, since the definition of “tallest building” has not always been a matter of unanimous consensus, there are several Bronx buildings that have been described as being the borough’s tallest, but which based on the criteria outlined herein do not qualify for the accolade. After first establishing the criteria for defining what constitutes a “building” and how height is measured for this purpose, each of the holders of the title are identified, described, and placed into the broader historical context. This article traces the holders of the superlative title “Tallest Building in the Bronx” from the late nineteenth century until the present day - 2018. As a result, the current holder of the tallest in the Bronx title, the 428-foot tall River Park Towers of 1974, has held the top position for over 40 years. Since the end of the era of large-scale housing projects in the 1970s, no new buildings have come along to break the borough’s tallest barrier. It was not until the postwar period that a succession of large scale residential towers could finally make a rightful claim to the title of the borough’s tallest even if they did so with little or no fanfare. Immaculate Conception today, minus the spireĪlthough none of the borough’s early skyscrapers were taller than the church, several were named the tallest in the Bronx in press reports which overlooked the church’s soaring spire. In Manhattan, skyscrapers would soon eclipse church spires and in turn newer skyscrapers would rise ever higher, but in what became, from 1898 onward, the borough of the Bronx, the Immaculate Conception Church of Melrose continued to be the tallest building for decades. Patrick’s Cathedral, whose 330-foot tall twin spires were installed just two months earlier, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (286 feet), Trinity Church (284 feet), the Tribune Building (260 feet), Church of the Holy Redeemer (250 feet), and the Western Union Telegraph Building (230 feet). It was exceeded by only a few in Manhattan including St. 150th Street between Melrose and Courtlandt avenues was one of the tallest buildings in all of New York City. When the 227-foot tall Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary held its dedication ceremony on December 23, 1888, the New York World proclaimed it the “largest and finest building of its kind in the Annexed District.” In fact the new Roman Catholic parish church on E. This article has been reprinted with permission and originally appeared in the Bronx County Historical Society Journal, Volume LV, Numbers 1 & 2 Spring/Fall 2018.
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