New Orleans, the largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, is the site of 120 high-rises, 57 of which are taller than 200 feet (61 m) as of 2026. 26 such buildings reach a height of over 300 ft (91 m), while four skyscrapers stand taller than 492 ft (150 m), making its skyline the largest in the West South Central states outside of Texas. The tallest building in New Orleans and in Louisiana is Hancock Whitney Center (known as One Shell Square until 2018), which rises and was completed in 1972. Most of the city's tallest buildings are located in the city's Central Business District, which is bounded to the east by the Mississippi River. In the New Orleans metropolitan area, the unincorporated community of Metairie is home to five additional high-rises taller than 200 ft (61 m).The history of skyscrapers in New Orleans began with the construction of the Hennan Building in 1895. Rising , it is often regarded as the first skyscraper in New Orleans. During the first half of the 20th century, the skyline of New Orleans mostly consisted of low and mid-rise structures. The soft soils of New Orleans are susceptible to subsidence, and there was doubt about the feasibility of constructing large high-rises in such an environment. The 20-story Hibernia Bank Building, constructed in 1921 at a height of , held the title of the tallest in New Orleans for 44 years. One building that came close was the National American Bank Building, which rose to a height of 330 ft (101 m).

The 1960s saw the skyline reach greater heights, as the title of the city's tallest building was taken by 225 Baronne Street in 1965, then the World Trade Center in 1967. The Plaza Tower, completed in 1969, was the first building to exceed . Shortly after, Hancock Whitney Center became the city's tallest building in 1972. The oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s led to a surge in high-rise construction in New Orleans, with the number of buildings taller than 300 ft (91 m) increasing from 9 to 22 between 1975 and 1985. Many of these high-rises were built along Poydras Street, which has emerged as the city's principal high-rise corridor in addition to Canal Street. Following the end of the oil boom, high-rise development has declined.

Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans in 2005, caused many high-rises in the city to suffer damage, including flooding and blown out windows. As New Orleans recovered from the hurricane, various high-rise projects have been proposed, but have been stymied by material and labor costs, leading to the elimination of most. The tallest tower approved for construction in New Orleans was Trump International Hotel & Tower, which would have become the tallest building in the city at a height of , but was cancelled in 2011. Instead, the tallest building constructed in the 21st century is The Odeon at South Market, a 29-story residential tower built in 2020. Due to the city's strong tourism industry, a significant number of older high-rises have undergone renovations to apartment and hotel towers since 2010.

History

Map of tallest buildings The map below shows the location of buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m) in New Orleans, all of which are in the city's Central Business District. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion.

Cityscape

Tallest buildings

There are 57 completed buildings in New Orleans that stand at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.

RankName ImageLocationHeightft (m)FloorsYearPurpose Notes Hancock Whitney Center 51 1972Office Has been the tallest building in New Orleans and Louisiana since 1972. Tallest building in the Southeastern United States at the time of its completion. First skyscraper in the Southeastern United States to rise higher than ; tallest building completed in the city in the 1970s. Formerly known as One Shell Square until 2018. Place St. Charles 53 1985Office Has more floors than any other building in New Orleans. Tallest building completed in New Orleans in the 1980s. Formerly known as the Bank One Center and First NBC Center. Plaza Tower 45 1968Office Tallest building in New Orleans from 1967 to 1972. Tallest building completed in the city in the 1960s. Plaza Tower has been unoccupied since 2002 due to the presence of toxic mold and asbestos in the building. Redevelopment plans have been put forward, but have not come to fruition as of . Tallest unoccupied building in New Orleans. Energy Centre 39 1984Office BankPlus Tower 36 1987Office Formerly known as the First Bank and Trust Tower, LL&E Tower, and 909 Poydras Tower. Sheraton New Orleans 47 1982Hotel Tallest building used exclusively as a hotel in New Orleans. New Orleans Marriott 42 1972Hotel Tallest building on the downriver side of Canal Street. 400 Poydras Tower 32 1983Office Also known as the Texaco Center. One Canal Place 32 1979Office The building contains The Shops at Canal Place and is attached to the Westin New Orleans Canal Place hotel, with which it shares a parking garage. 1010 Common 31 1970Mixed-use Constructed as an office building. In 2024, it was announced that 1010 Common will be redeveloped into a mixed-use hotel and office building, with the Fairmont New Orleans hotel occupying 18 floors. Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans 33 1967Mixed-use Tallest building in New Orleans briefly from 1967 to 1968. Formerly known as the ITM Building and the World Trade Center New Orleans. Constructed as an office building. Closed in 2011 and was converted into a mixed-use hotel and residential building from 2018 to 2021. Benson Tower 26 1989Office Formerly known as Dominion Tower and the CNG Tower. JW Marriott Hotel New Orleans 30 1984Hotel The Westin New Orleans Canal Place 29 1983Hotel 225 Baronne Street 29 1965Mixed-use Tallest building in New Orleans from 1965 to 1967. Constructed as an office building. The building was converted to a mixed-use residential and hotel building between 2013 and 2015. Hyatt Regency New Orleans 27 1976Hotel Entergy Tower 28 1983Office Hibernia Bank Building 20 1921Office Also known as Capitol One Bank Building. Tallest building completed in New Orleans in the 1920s. 1250 Poydras Plaza 24 1979Mixed-use Also known as Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown. Formerly known as the Eni Building and the Mobil Building. Originall constructed as an office building, a portion of the building was converted into a Hyatt Hotel from 2014 to 2015. Hilton New Orleans Riverside 29 1977Hotel 21 1515 Poydras 29 1984Office 22The Odeon at South Market292020ResidentialTallest building completed in the city in the 2020s. National American Bank Building 23 1929Residential Originally an office building, it was renovated for use as a residential building after Hurricane Katrina, work of which was finished in 2008. Also known by its street address, 200 Carondelet. Caesars New Orleans - Poydras Street Hotel 26 2006Hotel Formerly Harrah's New Orleans. Tallest building completed in the city in the 2000s. Pan American Life Center 28 1980Office 1440 Canal241971Office Poydras Center 28 1983Office Orleans Tower 20 1977Office 29 Charity Hospital 20 1939Health Tallest building completed in the city in the 1930s; tallest hospital in New Orleans. 30 Le Méridien New Orleans 23 1984Hotel Formerly known as Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, W New Orleans, and Four Points by Sheraton Downtown. Became the Le Méridien New Orleans in 2014. 31 Loews New Orleans Hotel 22 1972Hotel 32 1615 Poydras — 23 1984Office Also known as DXC Technology Center. Formerly known as the Freeport McMoRan building. N/A Caesars Superdome N/A 1972Recreational 33 Four Winds 19 1927Residential Constructed as an office building.34AT&T Building—161980Data center 35 1555 Poydras 22 1984Office 36 Windsor Court Hotel — 22 1984Hotel 930 Poydras212010ResidentialTallest building completed in New Orleans in the 2010s.38Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans French Quarter/CBD—181956Hotel 39 New Orleans Exchange Centre 21 1981Office40New Orleans Marriott North—201979Hotel41One River Place—151995Residential42Hilton New Orleans/St. Charles Avenue181926HotelOriginally a Masonic temple. Sold in 1992 and redeveloped as the Hotel Monaco until 2005. Reopened in 2007 as a Hilton.43The Jung Hotel & Residences—181928Hotel44Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel—181925Hotel45Residence Inn by Marriott New Orleans French Quarter Area/Central Business District—192019Hotel46Tulane University Murphy Building—151983Education47Wyndham New Orleans - French Quarter—201969Hotel48The Roosevelt New Orleans141907HotelTallest building in New Orleans from 1907 to 1921. Tallest building completed in New Orleans in the 1900s.49925 Common Luxury Apartments—141952Residential50Marais Apartments—171953Residential51United States Postal Service Building—141962Office52Hale Boggs Federal Building141976Office53The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans—171967Hotel54The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans—131909Hotel55The Roosevelt New Orleans, Baronne Street Tower—161925Hotel56Whitney Building—141911Office57The Standard At South Market—152018Residential

Tallest demolished There has been one building that once stood taller than 200 ft (61 m) in New Orleans and has since been demolished. Name ImageHeightft (m)FloorsYear completedYear demolishedPurposeNotesGrand Palace Hotel1719512012HotelOriginally constructed as the Claiborne Towers, a residential building. It was partially converted to a hotel in the 1960s, then a senior citizen's residence called Delta Towers in 1972. DOCOMOMO US/Louisiana, Claiborne Towers 1950, 14 January 2011. The building was fully converted into a hotel in the 1980s, and was known under various names before the Grand Palace Hotel. What is the history of the Claiborne Towers?, Blake Pontchartrain™: New Orleans Trivia Column, Gambit - Best of New Orleans, 24 January 2011. Damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Grand Palace Hotel was demolished via implosion in 2012. The demolition took only 10 seconds to complete. Grand Palace Hotel, New Orleans, demolished in 10 seconds, BBC News, 24 July 2012. Timeline of tallest buildings Nine buildings once held the title of tallest building in New Orleans including the current titleholder, Hancock Whitney Center. NameImage Street address Years as tallest Heightft (m) Floors Reference Best Western St. Christopher Hotel— 114 Magazine Street 1893–1895 8 Hennen Building 203 Carondelet Street 1895–1904 11 Hampton Inn New Orleans Downtown— 226 Carondelet Street 1904–1907 14 123 Baronne Street 1907–1921 15 Hibernia Bank Building 812 Gravier Street 1921–1965 20 225 Baronne Street 225 Baronne Street 1965–1967 29 World Trade Center New Orleans 2 Canal Street 1967–1969 33 Plaza Tower 1001 Howard Avenue 1969–1972 45 Hancock Whitney Center 701 Poydras Street 1972–present 51

Tallest buildings in Metarie Metairie is an unincorporated area of Jefferson Parish, and considered a satellite city of New Orleans. It has over ten high-rise buildings, including five that are taller than 200 ft (61 m).

RankName ImageLocationHeightft (m)FloorsYearPurpose Notes 1 Three Lakeway Center 34 1987Mixed-use Tallest building in Metairie and Jefferson Parish. Tallest building in Louisiana outside of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Mixed-use office and hotel building. 2 The Galleria 21 1986Office 3 Two Lakeway Center— 19 1996Office 4 Heritage Plaza 18 1983Office Tallest building in Metairie from 1983 to 1987. 5 Executive Tower One— 14 1972Office Tallest building in Metairie from 1972 to 1983.

Notes

See also Buildings and architecture of New Orleans List of tallest buildings in Louisiana List of tallest buildings in Shreveport List of tallest buildings in Baton Rouge

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