From Notre Dame Cathedral to the Taj Mahal, many of the world's most iconic buildings seem to be packed with tourists all year round, beloved by the masses, with no risk of being sold and demolished.
But is that always the case?
We examined 20 buildings from around the world, designed by some of the most important architects of the time, and hosted many important figures and historical events. However, each one was eventually dismantled.
It turns out that huge fortunes can't resist the possibility of vandalism balls hitting buildings. The Vanderbilt family, a prominent Family of American industrialists, demolished several buildings on Manhattan's famous Fifth Avenue in the late 19th century to make way for their mansions. But decades later, when the family finally sold the building to a developer, the developer did not hesitate to bring the mansion to the ground floor just as the Vanderbilt family once did.
Historical conditions also prove that there are no indicators to determine the life of buildings. That said, Hollywood's Brown Derby restaurant was once one of Los Angeles' most famous restaurants and a famous meeting place for the city's famous celebrities. But while hordes of people still clamored to catch a glimpse of their favorite movie stars in the restaurant, it suddenly closed in 1980. Brondby's legion of fans wanted to reopen, but never came.
This is not to say that beloved buildings fall without a fight. From the housewife strike in New York City to the protests of famous architects, advocates of many famous buildings have been fighting for years to protect the building from destruction. But as the ruins of the following 20 buildings show, when it comes to relentless modern trends and the appetite of real estate developers, protests, historical status, and superfanship are not certain things.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="277" > Penn Station: New York</h1>
Today's rather monotonous Penn Station may surprise visitors, but the bustling train station was once a grand turning point in 20th-century architecture designed by renowned architects McKim, Mead & White. As one architect put it, the old Penn Station, filled with travertine quarries from Italy and 138-foot-high ceilings, is a "beautiful Fortress of Beaux Arts." By the 1950s, competition from airplanes and cars cost the station too much money to make ends meet. In the 1960s, a plan was made to move the train station underground to make room for madison Square Gardens, an above-ground sports field. Today's Pennsylvania station handles more than three times as many passengers as it was designed, and many of them may wish they were walking in the halls of the old station on their own.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="281" > Singer Building: New York</h1>
When completed in 1908, the Singer Building in downtown Manhattan was the tallest building in the world and one of the first skyscrapers in New York City to be lit up at night. The building, the headquarters of singer's sewing company, is designed to be in harmony with manhattan's narrow streets and back slightly. When Singer decided to move to the upper town in the 1960s, it was difficult to sell for habitation due to its small footprint, which was relatively undercumbered. The buyer, American Steel, bought the building just to destroy it. The demolition began in 1967 and set a less auspicious record: the world's tallest building was peacefully demolished, much to the regret of historic preservationists.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="285" > Arena: New York</h1>
When the Hippodrome Theater opened in New York City in 1905, it could accommodate more than 5,000 patrons and host everything from live plays and juggling performances to movies. In the decades that followed, the space became a place for rallies, circuses and even basketball courts. But by the end of the 1930s, sixth avenue real estate prices had risen to the point where the arena could no longer pay rent. It was closed in August 1939 and demolished in the same year.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="289" >Prentice Women's Pavilion: Chicago</h1>
When Prentice Women's Pavillion opened in Chicago in 1975, it was a fine example of modern medieval architecture designed by Bertrand Goldberg. The hospital's design inspired a strong dedication to the building and the wider community; but after failing to achieve landmark status, it was demolished in 2013 to make room for Northwestern's new medical research center. Among those who openly opposed the demolition was Frank Gehry, who was probably the most famous living architect in the world at the time.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="293" > Savoy Plaza Hotel: New York</h1>
Opened in the 1920s, the magnificent Savoy Plaza Hotel overlooks New York City's famous Central Park. The Beaux Arts building is considered an iconic symbol of the city's Jazz Age heritage, so much so that when the hotel was sold to General Motors in the 1960s, the car company could demolish it and build its own building, and important demonstrations sprung up. In the line of attack by protesters? The boycott of GM, led by some of New York's wealthiest women, and "Funeral Week" at the hotel, led by the School of Architecture.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="297" > Sutero Baths: San Francisco</h1>
When a self-made millionaire opened Sutro Baths in 1894 outside San Francisco, the idea was to provide the city's residents with an ocean pool aquarium on a rocky cliff with an attached bathroom that could be entered (at a low cost) to cool down, relax, and immerse yourself in nature. Sutro Baths has been popular for years – but during the Great Depression, leisure funds dried up, public transport to the baths suffered, and new public health regulations made it more difficult to run a bath. The baths never really restored their financial base and were destroyed in a fire before being demolished to make way for high-rise apartments.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="301" > Vanderbilt Residence: New York</h1>
In the 1870s, Cornelius Vanderbilt and his wife, Alice, demolished three brownstone buildings on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and the mansion they built on the land became the largest single-family home in the city's history. As the years passed, Cornelius bought more brownstone to demolish and make room for his property, saying his goal was to compete with the nearby Plaza Hotel. Alice finally sold the mansion— said to be a chilly place — to a developer in 1927. The developer did not hesitate to demolish the mansion to make way for new construction (Bergdorf Goodman now stands on the address of the original mansion). You can still find the remains of this mansion throughout New York City: the main entrance to the mansion is Central Park, two of the six sculptural reliefs are still installed at the Sherry Holland Hotel, and the fireplace in its entrance hall (as well as various works of art) are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="305" > Brown derby: Los Angeles</h1>
Hollywood's Brondby Restaurant was once a major haunt for many of the city's actors, producers and artists, and claims to have an estate that included Clark Gable's proposal to Carol Lombard. Designed in the shape of a hat – hence the name – the restaurant has been a legendary and central meeting place for generations of powerful people. But in 1980, the restaurant suddenly closed. Despite protests from conservationists and film lovers, the Brondby was demolished. Souvenirs salvaged from demolition have circulated at auctions across the country for decades.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="309" > Imperial Hotel: Tokyo</h1>
Star architect Frank Claud Wright's Imperial Hotel in Tokyo is not only an amazing example of his famous style, it is also a survivor. From the 1920s to the 1960s, the building survived the 1923 earthquake that shook Tokyo and destroyed many buildings. Decades later, the hotel was mired in a quagmire and demolished despite opposition from architecture enthusiasts and historic preservationists. The central hall and the reflecting pool have been preserved and can now be seen at the Inuyama Meiji Village Museum.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="313" > Euston Station: London</h1>
London's old Euston Station has a glorious history, including as a refuge during the German bombing of London during World War II, not to mention surviving the two world wars. But the building could not survive the relentless march of modernity. In the 1960s, much of this beautiful old building— full of Doric columns— was bulldozed to make way for the "train station of the future." Patrons of today's reimagined version will find little in common with the idyllic landscape of medieval renderings.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="317" > People's House: Belgium</h1>
Once a magnificent political office, the House of the People in Brussels was home to the Belgian Workers' Party and its descendants, which began at the end of the 19th century. Made of glass and steel, the building has a four-story shop, meeting room and café that can accommodate more than 300 people. By 1964, the building had irrevocably fallen into disrepair and was condemned. The following year, it was demolished to make room for the offices of a construction company.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="321" > Ebets Field: Brooklyn</h1>
From 1913 to 1960, beloved Albert Field was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. This iconic baseball stadium is home to many important moments in sports history, but perhaps not as famous for the Dodgers as Jackie Robinson famously broke the professional baseball skin color barrier in 1947. Ironically, it was the team's success that forced its stadium to be destroyed: Ebberts Field's 35,000-seat capacity simply wasn't enough to meet the needs of all fans. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1957, and three years later Alberts Field was demolished by a wreckish ball painted as a baseball.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="325" > Archangel Michael's Church: Warsaw</h1>
The Church of The Archangel Michael in Warsaw, Poland, was built during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who in the 1890s oversaw the expansion of church construction throughout the Russian Empire, including Poland. The magnificent Orthodox church was designed to serve the armies stationed in the area, and its refined nature was due to the elite troops it was designed to cater to. The church was abandoned and fell into disrepair after Russian troops left Poland in 1915 and was demolished in 1923 as a relic of what is considered a Russian occupation.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="329" > Hotel Okura: Tokyo</h1>
Tokyo's iconic Mid-Century Okura Hotel hosted a rotating lineup of world diplomats, power brokers and politicians, including Barack Obama, in the decades after its opening in 1962. So it was surprising when the hotel owners announced in 2016 that they would demolish it to make room for the rebuilt tower, which would expand the capacity of another 102 units. After a public outcry, the owners announced that they would retain the south wing of the original structure and build a new lobby mezzanine and bar in the same way as before.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="333" > Rose Pauson House: Phoenix</h1>
Phoenix's Rose Pauson House was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939 and completed in 1942. Before the tragedy, the owners lived in this masterpiece for only one year. In 1943, a curtain in the living room blew into an open fireplace and the building burned down. Legends of the house have been passed down for decades, and the charred remains became a popular meeting place for local teenagers in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="337" > Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel: Atlantic City</h1>
The Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel is a resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, built between 1902 and 1906 on the historic Blenheim Palace of the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill family. The reinforced concrete nature of the building was designed to withstand fire, making it the largest reinforced concrete building in the world at the time. In 1916, Churchill himself was a guest of the hotel. But the hotel's illustrious history can't help but transform Atlantic City into a casino paradise. The building was demolished in 1977 to make room for the casino.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="341" > Chicago Federal Building: Chicago</h1>
Opened in 1905 in midwestern cities, the Chicago Federal Building represents a major part of Chicago's functional government life. This monumental building occupies the entire block on both sides and is the center of urban management, including the courthouse and post office. Famous gang boss Al Capone was even sentenced in one of the courts. In 1965, the Chicago Federal Building was demolished to make way for more modern government buildings.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="345" imperial college >: London</h1>
Imperial College London was founded in 1887 at the time of the once mighty British Empire. The campus building includes a cinema, laboratories, classrooms, exhibition spaces, etc. The monumental building was almost impossible to keep up from the start, and by the turn of the 20th century, the government had taken over, and the government had helped keep the building running by renting out space. But when the demolition of the building was announced in the 1950s, conservationists were shocked and brokered a compromise. The "Queen's Tower" today still replaces the rest of the building after demolition among more modern buildings.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="349" > Commonwealth Coffee Palace: Melbourne</h1>
The Commonwealth Coffee Palace in Melbourne, Australia, is no ordinary coffee carol. Built in 1888 as a "temperance hotel" with more than 400 bedrooms, coffee is designed to replace alcohol as the preferred drink for residents. However, the austerity boom soon subsided. In order to continue its business, The Coffee Palace obtained a liquor license. In 1973, it was demolished to make room for the office building.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="353" > Royal Panorama Prison of Science and Art: London</h1>
Built in 1851, london's Royal Panorama Prison for Science and Art is a building designed to showcase scientific and artistic achievements. At its peak, it attracted more than 1,000 visitors a day. But over time, its attractions became less popular, and in the decades that followed it became a circus and a theater, only to be demolished in 1936. The site is now home to Odeon Leicester Square, which is a cinema.