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In 1776, the tallest building in the US was Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s a historic site with a tallest point of 196 ft. Christ Church’s bells were rung on July 8, 1776, to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Today, the tallest building in the US is the One World Trade Center, which has over 100 floors and is 1776 ft tall — a homage to the important year. Rising populations and growing cities necessitate making use of vertical space. The building’s core is made of ultra-high-strength concrete, stronger than any natural man-made rock, and steel beams. 

Design plans are approved for an even taller building in the United States, the Legends Tower in Oklahoma City. If built as planned, this mixed-use skyscraper would be 1,907 ft tall. Legends Tower will also have a concrete core and will gain additional stiffness and strength from a perimeter of concrete columns around that core that attach with steel outriggers.

Relevant Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) include: 1.3, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, WG.12