WikiWeb_Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building_3

The building has been attributed similarities with the Woolworth Building in Manhattan. The architectural appearance dates back to the English Gothic: its feature is the rigid ribs that emphasise the height of the building and its upward thrust. The building has a tiered structure with the masses gradually narrowing and easing upwards. The ends of the tiers, unlike other high-rises, are flat – without towers or vases and decorated with merlons.
The central part of the building consists of 27 floors and its height is 172 metres. The plinth is clad in red granite and the façade is in light ceramic blocks. On the main façade, at a height of 114 metres, there is the coat of arms of the USSR mounted in reinforced concrete and covering an area of 144 m². The portals of the building are decorated with metal lattices and stucco made by sculptor Georgy Motovilov. The portals are flanked by large obelisks of dark grey stone. The central part of the high-rise passes into side 16-storey wings through ledges of tiers, and behind them into 6-storey wings. These enclosures link the massing of the building to the surrounding residential area.


WikiWeb_Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building_0

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building is one of seven Stalinist skyscrapers, designed and overseen by Vladimir Gelfreykh and Adolf Minkus.


K11 (Chinese: K11购物艺术中心; pinyin: K11 Gòuwù Yìshù Zhōngxīn, also known as K11 Art Mall) is a shopping mall, located on Huaihai Lu of the Xintiandi district, in the former Luwan District of Shanghai, China. It is 278 m high and was designed by Bregman and Hamann Architects. The mall consists of six stories above ground, and three underground, with a total area of about 40,000 m². It overlooks the People's Square across the Yan'an Elevated Road. Formerly called the Hong Kong New World Tower (Chinese: 香港新世界大厦; pinyin: Xiāngxǎng Xīn Shìjiè Dàshà), the building was reopened on May 28, 2013 as K11.


In light of the burgeoning Chinese cultural art movement, K11 was designed as a union between retail and art. This retail art center in Shanghai was opened by the K11 Art Foundation, led by founder Hong Kong billionaire Adrian Cheng. The first K11 Art Mall was opened in Hong Kong in 2009, four years before the opening of K11 Shanghai. K11 Shanghai is part of an initiative to create a "K11 art ecosystem" across all of China's major cities, such as Wuhan and Guangzhou. Cheng envisions K11 as a space for "art for the masses"; when asked about his vision for the K11 ecosystem, Cheng answered, “We want to create something that can propagate culture domestically and also internationally. We want to showcase the creativity of China."


The KPMG Tower, formerly Maison des Coopérants or Place de la Cathédrale, is a 34-storey skyscraper in downtown Montreal, Canada, that was completed in 1987. It is at 600 de Maisonneuve Ouest and has an official height of 146 m (479 ft). The building is owned and operated by BentallGreenOak.
The KPMG Tower was built on a plot of land owned by the Christ Church Cathedral, which lies directly in front of the building when viewed from Saint Catherine Street. It was designed by WZMH Architects and was styled to relate to the cathedral.
The tower incorporates an underground shopping centre, Promenades Cathédrale, as part of the underground city that is connected to the Metro.


Fox Plaza is a 29-story building located at 1390 Market Street in the Civic Center area of San Francisco. Built in 1966, the tower stands 354 ft (108 m) on the site of the former historic Fox Theatre at 1350 Market, which was opened in June 1929 and demolished in 1963.
The first twelve floors contain office space. Unlike many buildings, Fox Plaza has a 13th floor actually labeled "13", although this floor is the service floor and is not rented out. The 14th floor contains laundry facilities as well as apartments, while floors 15 through 29 are exclusively rental apartments. The ground floor contains a gymnasium for residents.
There is a corner low rise retail component housing a Credit Union, Gym, offices, Starbucks, and a US Post Office. The current owners are in the early planning and permitting stages to demolish the low-rise retail and replace it with a 120 ft (37 m) building containing condominiums.


The Times Tower, also known as the New Central Bank Tower, is an office tower in Nairobi, Kenya. At 140 metres (459 feet), it is the third tallest building in Kenya after the recently completed Britam Tower and UAP Tower, which have heights of 200 m (656 ft) and 163 m (535 ft) respectively. With 38 floors, along with a 7-storey banking complex and an 11-split storey car park, it is served by 10 elevators. The building is designed to resist earthquakes, and is set on a concrete raft varying in thickness from 0.9 to 3.0 m (2 ft 11 in to 9 ft 10 in).


The Telposta Towers is the seventh-tallest building in Nairobi, Kenya. The building is located in Kenyatta Avenue, near the center of Nairobi. It is 120 meters or 394 feet in height. The towers have 27 floors, and house Telkom Kenya.  Kenya's Ministry of Information and Communications and Kenya's Ministry of Trade are based in the building. Construction of the towers was started in 1996, and completed in 1999. It was designed by Anthony Gleeson and constructed by Laxmanbhai Construction.


The North Dakota State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The capitol, a 21-story Art Deco tower, is located in Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state. On a 160-acre (0.6 km²) campus that also houses many other government buildings, the capitol building and the surrounding office buildings house the state's legislative and judicial branches, as well as many government agencies.
The State Capitol is largely surrounded by state government buildings. The parks, walking trails, and monuments on the grounds provide a great deal of information about the state's history, making it one of the city's tourist attractions. Six buildings occupy the grounds; constructed as the government grew. Not all state agencies are housed on the grounds, however: a large number are spread throughout the city in other facilities. The state facility management division developed plans for a massive expansion and improvement of the grounds in 2000, but very little of the plan had been implemented by 2012.


The capitol building is a 241.67-foot (73.7 m) tall, 21-story, Art Deco, high rise designed by North Dakota architects Joseph Bell DeRemer of Grand Forks and W. F. Kurke of Fargo in conjunction with the noted Chicago firm of Holabird and Root, It is the tallest building in North Dakota and is known as the Skyscraper on the Prairie. This tower houses the office of the governor and the offices of multiple state agencies and departments. At the tower's base, in the west wing, the two chambers of the legislature meet when in session while the state supreme court meets in the east wing. The 18th floor of the Capitol is an observation deck with the highest vantage point in the state.
The south side of the Capitol building features a drive-through tunnel which leads to an entrance to the building. This was accessible by public vehicles until 2001 when it was closed due to security measures after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Today, only pedestrians are able to enter the tunnel. In 1988, U.S. President George H. W. Bush presented and dedicated an American Elm tree near the Capitol steps in commemoration of the state's Centennial of 1989.
The many windows on the capitol building's tower are used for several ongoing traditions. During the Christmas season, red and green shades are drawn over the windows and lights are turned on in certain offices to make a pattern that resembles a Christmas tree. During the New Year's Eve, office lights are turned on to spell out the new year; the first two numbers of the new year are given on the top half, and the last two numbers on the bottom. This tradition began during the 1970s, and is now done on all four sides of the building; the Christmas tree tradition began as early as the 1940s.
Tours of the capitol building are available on weekdays. Weekend tours are available Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tours include stops throughout both the building's legislative and judicial wings as well as an elevator ride to the top of the tower.


The first capitol building was constructed between 1883 and 1884 to house the territorial government, and after statehood, two additions were erected: the Senate wing (1894, south side), and the House wing (ca. 1903, north side). On the morning of December 28, 1930, smoke was spotted coming from the northeast part of the original building, and despite the fire department being summoned within minutes of the fire being noticed, it was already too late to save the structure. Even as the fire raged through the upper portions of the building, efforts were made by citizens and state employees to rescue what was possible before everyone was ordered out of the building mid-morning. It was later determined to likely have originated in a pile of oily rags in a janitor's closet on the top floor of the main part of the building, as work had been underway to clean and varnish the legislators' desks in preparation for the upcoming legislative session. North Dakota Secretary of State Robert Byrne saved the original copy of the state's constitution, but suffered cuts and burns on his hands while breaking a window to reach the document. Another state employee, Jennie Ulsrud, burned her hands when she attempted to save records in the state treasurer's office. Governor George F. Shafer came back from his visit to St. Paul, Minnesota while the fire was still burning. Upon arrival, he immediately assembled a team of state legislators and officials to discuss plans for coping with the loss of records and work space. As soon as it was safe to enter the interior of the still smoldering building, 40 state prison inmates were used to salvage the various departments' vaults and other items from the ruins (some vaults were burned, but most were found to be intact when opened). The Legislature met temporarily in Bismarck's War Memorial Building and the City Auditorium, an annex being constructed to link the two. State offices were spread out across all available space across town, including an entire floor of the Patterson Hotel downtown. Such was the need for space that the unburned lower floors of the original capitol's 1903 wing were even repaired and returned to use.
The disaster required the construction of a new building during the Great Depression. The tower and wing were built between 1931 and 1934, at a cost of $2 million. Governor George F. Shafer broke ground for the building on August 13, 1932. Workers on the building were paid only 30 cents an hour and, after multiple worker strikes, the capitol grounds were administered by martial law in June 1933. The state sold half of the original capitol campus to defray the cost of construction.  Artist Edgar Miller was brought in to do much of the interior design and decoration as well as the bas-relief sculptures on the facade which depict the human history of North Dakota.
The new 19-story capitol was expected to provide ample space for years to come, however it quickly filled as the state government expanded. The Liberty Memorial Building, completed in 1924, was able to house some of the additional workers, but more space was needed by 1955 when construction began for the State Office Building. The building originally housed the Bismarck Junior College, but the Legislature purchased it in 1959. The 1960s was a period of rapid development of the grounds. In 1960, the new governor's residence replaced the old residence which was deteriorating. In 1980, expanding State Historical Society of North Dakota moved into the new North Dakota Heritage Center and in 1968, the North Dakota Department of Transportation occupied the building designed to provide it more office space. The Transportation Building is the last constructed on the campus to date, although a Judicial Wing was added onto the base of the capitol tower between 1977 and 1981. While the space needed by state government has increased since the original construction of the Capitol in the 1930s, the state's population has decreased.


The Hilton Austin Hotel is the third largest hotel in Austin, with 801 rooms. The Hilton Austin is also the sixth tallest hotel and twenty-second tallest building in Austin, Texas at 377 ft (115 m) tall with 31 stories.
Designed by Ellerbe Becket Inc and Susman Tisdale Gayle Architects (now STG Design, Inc), the building broke ground on July 10, 2001, and topped out officially on January 17, 2003, a span of 1 year, 6 months, and 7 days. The second largest ballroom in Austin also is located at the Hilton Austin. In 2018, a $7.5 million overhead walkway was constructed to connect the sixth floor of the hotel with the fourth floor of the Austin Convention Center.
The tower began an exterior renovation in early 2018. The tower's sand-colored facade was painted white, with black paint added between windows.


WikiWeb_JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)_0

The JPMorgan Chase Tower, formerly Texas Commerce Tower, is a 305.4-meter (1,002-foot), 2,243,013-square-foot (208,382.7 m²), 75-story skyscraper at 600 Travis Street in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. It is currently the tallest building in Texas and the South Central region of the United States, the tallest five-sided building in the world, the 29th-tallest building in the United States, and the 107th-tallest building in the world.


WikiWeb_JPMorgan Chase Tower (Houston)_1

The tower was built between 1979 and 1981 as the Texas Commerce Tower.  It was designed by noted architects I. M. Pei & Partners.  Architect of Record was 3D/International Inc.  In some early plans, the building reached up to 80 stories; however, the FAA expressed concerns that additional height was a risk for aircraft going into and out of nearby William P. Hobby Airport. Nonetheless, when it was completed, it was the sixth-tallest building in the United States and the eighth-tallest building in the world. The building was developed as part of a partnership between Texas Commerce Bank and Khalid bin Mahfouz. It was built on the site where the Uptown Theatre, demolished in 1965, once stood.
Upon its completion, the building surpassed Aon Center in Los Angeles to become the tallest building in the United States west of the Mississippi River, a title it held until Los Angeles's Library Tower, now known as the U.S. Bank Tower, was built in 1990.
JPMorgan Chase Tower is connected to the Houston Downtown Tunnel System. This system forms a network of subterranean, climate-controlled, pedestrian walkways that link twenty-five full city blocks. The lobby of JPMorgan Chase Tower has been designed to harmonize not only with the height of the structure but also with the portico of Jones Hall, home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and which occupies the city block immediately to the west.  For that reason, a five-story glass wall supported by a stainless steel space frame spans the entire 85-foot width of the front entrance, making the lobby area light and airy, and opening up the space to the plaza outside. The Tower also includes 22,000 square feet (2,000 m²) of retail space.
The sky lobby observation deck is located on the 60th floor. The sky lobby acts as a transfer point for persons traveling to the upper (61–75) floors, but also as an observation deck for the building tenants. The sky lobby is now permanently closed to the public and is only accessible by tenants. In the large plaza area at the entrance of the building is a multi-colored sculpture entitled "Personage with Birds", which was designed by painter and sculptor Joan Miró, and which was installed in the plaza in early 1982.
While the tower's name reflects the bank JPMorgan Chase, the only space designated to Chase was a single branch office on the bottom floor until 2021. The tower is owned by Prime Asset Management and managed by its original owner, Hines Interests.


Legg Mason Tower is a 24-story glass high-rise located at 100 International Drive in Baltimore's Harbor East development.  Completed in May 2009, the 650,000-square-foot (60,000 m²) waterfront skyscraper was developed by Harbor East Development Group, and reaches a height of 360.5 feet (109.9 m).  It was designed by Beatty Harvey Coco Architects with HKS Architects, and is situated at the edge of the city's Inner Harbor. This Class-A office building serves as the new headquarters for asset management firm Legg Mason, which moved from what was the Legg Mason Building at 100 Light Street.
It is also known as the home campus of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. The building is part of a mixed-use development with its neighbor, the Four Seasons Hotel, which was completed and opened in 2011. It is Pre-Certified Silver under the LEED Core and Shell Program, and was one of six developments recognized by the Urban Land Institute Wavemaker Award in 2009.


Central Plaza is a 78-storey, 374 m (1,227 ft) skyscraper completed in August 1992 at 18 Harbour Road, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the third tallest tower in the city after 2 International Finance Centre in Central and the ICC in West Kowloon. It was the tallest building in Asia from 1992 to 1996, until the Shun Hing Square was built in Shenzhen, a neighbouring city. Central Plaza surpassed the Bank of China Tower as the tallest building in Hong Kong until the completion of 2 IFC.
Central Plaza was also the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world, until it was surpassed by CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou. The building uses a triangular floor plan. On the top of the tower is a four-bar neon clock that indicates the time by displaying different colours for 15-minute periods, blinking at the change of the quarter.
An anemometer is installed on the tip of the building's mast, at 378 metres (1,240 ft) above sea level. The mast has a height of 102 m (335 ft). It also houses the world's highest church inside a skyscraper, Sky City Church.


Central Plaza is made up of two principal components: a free standing 368-metre-high (1,207 ft) office tower and a 30.5-metre-high (100 ft) podium block attached to it. The tower is made up of three sections: a 30.5-metre-high (100 ft) tower base forming the main entrance and public circulation spaces; a 235.4-metre-tall (772 ft) tower body containing 57 office floors, a sky lobby and five mechanical plant floors; and the tower top consists of six mechanical plant floors and a 102-metre-tall (335 ft) tower mast.
The ground level public area along with the public sitting out area form an 8,400 m² (90,000 sq ft) landscaped garden with fountain, trees and artificial stone paving. No commercial element is included in the podium. The first level is a public thoroughfare for three pedestrian bridges linking the Mass Transit Railway, the Convention and Exhibition Centre and the China Resource Building. By turning these space to public use, the building got 20% plot ratio more as bonus. The shape of the tower is not truly triangular but with its three corners cut off to provide better internal office spaces.
Central Plaza was designed by the Hong Kong architectural firm Ng Chun Man and Associates and engineered by Arup. The main contractor was a joint venture, comprising the contracting firms Sanfield (a subsidiary of Sun Hung Kai) and Tat Lee, called Manloze Ltd.


The land upon which Central Plaza sits was reclaimed from Victoria Harbour in the 1970s. The 77,800 square feet (7,230 m²) site was auctioned off by the Hong Kong Government at City Hall Theatre on 25 January 1989. It was sold for a record HK$3.35 billion to a joint venture called "Cheer City Properties", owned 50 per cent by Sun Hung Kai Properties and 50 per cent by fellow real estate conglomerate Sino Land and their major shareholder the Ng Teng Fong family. A third developer, Ryoden Development, joined the consortium afterward. Ryoden Development disposed its 5% interest for 190,790 square feet of office space in New Kowloon Plaza from Sun Hung Kai in 1995.
The first major tenant to sign a lease was the Provisional Airport Authority, who on 2 August 1991 agreed to lease the 24th to 26th floors. A topping-out ceremony, presided over by Sir David Ford, was held on 9 April 1992.


56 Leonard Street (known colloquially as the Jenga Building or Jenga Tower ) is an 821-foot-tall (250 m), 57-story skyscraper on Leonard Street in the neighborhood of Tribeca in Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which describes the building as "houses stacked in the sky." It is the tallest structure in Tribeca.
The building has 145 condominium residences priced between US$3.5 million and US$50 million. Residences range in size from 1,418 to 6,400 square feet (131.7 to 594.6 m²) and include two to five bedrooms all with private outdoor spaces.
As of May 2013, 70% of the building had sold. According to building developer Izak Senbahar, the building was 92% sold in seven months. In June 2013, a penthouse at 56 Leonard went into contract for US$47 million, making it the most expensive residential property ever sold below Midtown Manhattan. The building was completed in 2017.


WikiWeb_Bank of America Tower (Jacksonville)_0

Bank of America Tower (originally Barnett Center) is a skyscraper in the downtown area of Jacksonville, Florida, at the northwest corner of Bay and Laura streets. At 617 ft (188 m), it is the tallest building in Jacksonville, and the seventeenth-tallest in Florida (the tallest ten all being in Miami). It was built as the headquarters of Barnett Bank and originally named Barnett Center, but the name was changed to NationsBank Tower in 1998 after Barnett Bank was acquired by NationsBank. NationsBank soon acquired Bank of America and the building's name was changed to Bank of America Tower in 1999. The 42-floor structure was designed by German-American architect Helmut Jahn, and is constructed of reinforced concrete.


Cordis, Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港康得思酒店), formerly the Langham Place Hotel (朗豪酒店), is a five star hotel located at 555 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. It is operated by Langham Hotels International.


The hotel was built as part of an urban renewal project with three main elements: Langham Place shopping centre, hotel, and Langham Place Hotel. It was a joint venture development by the Great Eagle Group and the Urban Renewal Authority (URA).
Started in 1988, the project cost HK$10 billion and was completed in 2004. Several city blocks were demolished to make way for the project, including the old "Bird Street" at Hong Lok Street (雀仔街), home to many grassroots birdsellers.
On 26 August 2015, the Langham Place Hotel was rebranded as the Cordis, Hong Kong.


Złota 44 is a residential skyscraper (192 meters high, 52 stories) in central Warsaw, Poland. It was designed by Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, in association with Polish architects Architecture. It was developed by US real estate investment manager Amstar and Warsaw developer BBI Development, which bought the topped-out but unfinished building from its initial developer, ORCO.


The building's name comes from its address on Złota ("Golden") Street. Złota 44 is located next to the Palace of Culture and Science, the tallest building in Poland (237 m), and the Złote Tarasy shopping center. At 192 meters, Złota 44 is the sixth-tallest skyscraper in Warsaw.
Złota 44 is one of the tallest residential buildings in Poland and the European Union. The luxury 52-story skyscraper reaches a height of 192 meters and contains 287 apartments. All of these are equipped with the home management system (HMS), facilitating control of the air conditioning, roller blinds, heating, illumination, and allowing online restaurant orders and other services. All residents receive a security card, which only allows them to reach the floor their apartment is located on.
Residents have access to a wine cellar which accommodates up to 10,000 bottles and includes a tasting room. In addition to a 25-meter swimming pool (the largest private pool in Poland), the recreational floor has a hot tub, massage rooms, a Finnish sauna, a steam room and outdoor terrace. The floor also features a private movie theater with a golf simulator, children's playroom and conference rooms. A dedicated concierge is at the disposal of residents.


Due to financial problems experienced by the developer, as well as invalidation of the construction permit and disputes with the inhabitants of the surrounding buildings, Złota 44's construction was put on hold in 2009, but resumed in January 2011. On 3 February 2012, the building was topped out.
In December 2013, ORCO terminated its contract with general construction contractor Inso. By the end of the year, ORCO was calling the investment a "major financial failure for the group in the fall of 2013". It announced a €121 million (approximately 500 million PLN) write-down of the value of the building, and went on to announce its intention to sell it as quickly as possible. One of the banks financing the skyscraper's construction terminated its contract and wanted its 250 million PLN loan refunded. ORCO also disclosed that the high apartment prices (up to 65,000 PLN per square meter, at the time the highest in Poland) were artificially inflated to generate media coverage.
On 28 August 2014, ORCO's sale of Złota 44 was finalized; the skyscraper was acquired by American real estate investment company Amstar and Polish property developer BBI Development for €50 million (approximately 215 million PLN), a fraction of the estimated €163 million (700 million PLN) construction cost.


The U.S. Bancorp Tower (also known as the Big Pink) is a 42-story, 163.38 m (536.0 ft) skyscraper in Portland, Oregon. It is the second tallest building in the city after Wells Fargo Center, and with its nearly 69,000 m² (740,000 sq ft) office space, it is the largest in Oregon in terms of volume.  In October 2019, the building was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification for environmental sustainability by the U.S. Green Building Council.


Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) with Pietro Belluschi as the consultant, the tower cost $60 million to construct.  Ground was broken on May 29, 1981, and the building was largely completed in June 1983.  It was dedicated on December 1, 1983. The tower adjoins U.S. Bank Plaza at 555 SW Oak Street, a 7-story, 497,800 sq ft (46,250 m²) building constructed in 1974. A tower expected to rise about 37 stories was already part of the bank's long-term site plans at that earlier date, but that phase of the plans ended up being delayed until the 1980s.
Originally, the building served as the national headquarters of U.S. Bancorp, and was the regional headquarters of that organization until a 1997 merger moved the corporate offices to Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2004, U.S. Bancorp had 480,000 sq ft (45,000 m²) leased until 2015.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the top floors held the headquarters of Louisiana-Pacific.
Since a $4 million renovation in 2002, the 30th floor of the tower has been occupied by the Portland City Grill, Portland's top-grossing restaurant.  It has been cited as the restaurant with the best view in Portland.
In 2000, the U.S. Bancorp Tower was sold for a price of $165 million to a partnership of three firms:  Unico Properties, JPMorgan and Wafra Investment Advisory Group.  In 2004, a majority stake in the tower was acquired by California-based Broadreach Capital Partners LLC, which bought-out JPMorgan and Wafra, but Unico continued to own 25 percent.  At that time, 92 percent of the building was leased.
In August 2006, a majority stake in the building was purchased by "institutional investors advised by JPMorgan Asset Management" for a price of $286 million.
In 2008 LaSalle Investment Management purchased a majority stake in the building from Unico Properties; the building had an estimated value of $285 million at the time. LaSalle sold their stake in 2015, to TPF Equity REIT that is majority-owned by UBS. Unico Properties retains a minority share in the building. The sale price was $372.5 million, a record for any office building in the Portland area.


The Metropolitan Tower, developed by Metropolitan Properties of Chicago, is a skyscraper located at 310 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's East Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District in the Loop community area in Cook County, Illinois, United States and has been renovated as a condominium complex with 242 units.  Residences range in size from 1,200 square feet (110 m²) to 4,000 square feet (370 m²). Penthouses feature 360 degree city views and private elevators.  Prices run from $300,000 for a 762 square feet (70.8 m²) one-bedroom unit to $1.365 million for a 1,932 square feet (179.5 m²) three-bedroom.  The Metropolitan Tower was also for a time home to a branch of Chase Bank.  The space now houses a branch of CVS.


Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the Metropolitan Tower was named the Straus Building when completed in 1924.  Though it was the first building in Chicago with 30 or more floors, it was never officially designated Chicago's tallest building since the Chicago Temple Building, also completed in 1924, is taller by 92 feet (28 m) but has seven fewer floors.  The Straus Building and the Chicago Temple Building were the first to take advantage of the 1923 zoning ordinance; before then, no building in Chicago could be taller than 260 feet (79 m).
The Metropolitan Tower was at one time called the Continental National Insurance Company Building (later Continental Center I).  From 1980 to 2004 it was called the Britannica Building when that company was its tenant.


This U-shaped building, standing at 475 feet (145 m) in height, fronts Chicago's Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.  The 40-foot (12 m) pyramid at the top of the building (which Schulze & Harrington, authors of Chicago's Famous Buildings, compare with the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus), with its new zinc-coated stainless steel sheathing, is peaked by a 20-foot (6 m) glass "beehive" ornament containing a blue glass box filled with six 1000-watt lightbulbs which emits a deep blue light, a prominent feature of Chicago's nighttime skyline. The beehive is supported by four limestone bisons. Because of this ornament, the building is sometimes referred to as the "Beehive Building."
Just beneath the beehive are four carillon bells ranging in weight from 1,500 to 7,000 pounds, unused for many years until restored in 1979 for the Chicago visit of Pope John Paul II. At one time, the bells chimed the well-known Cambridge Quarters on the quarter-hours.  The base has been altered from its original design: rectangular window openings replaced giant arches on Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. At one time, the thirtieth floor was the Straus Tower Observatory, which was open to the public for viewing the city.
The original main entrance was a pair of elaborately carved bronze doors set in a marble portal flanked by bas-reliefs and used to be in the center of the east side, through the largest of the archways.
In 2009, the Metropolitan Tower won a "Best Adaptive Reuse" award from the Friends of Downtown, a planning and urban design organization for downtown Chicago.


The original owner of the Metropolitan Tower was S. W. Straus and Company, a dealer of investment bonds and one of the leading financers of major real estate in Chicago during the late 19th century and early 20th century.  The tower's crown has many symbols for characteristics the company wanted to portray.  The pyramid symbolized longevity and permanence and the beehive stood for industry and thrift.  When first installed, the beehive also contained four directional beacons, a metaphor for the company's global reach.  The pyramid is supported by the four bisons, a traditional symbol for the American West.  Straus was hoping to use these symbols to instill trust in their customers, to reassure them that their investments would be handled actively and carefully by an institution that could be trusted over the long term. Ironically, the firm failed during the Great Depression and closed fewer than ten years after lighting the beacon.


The Miami Tower  is a 47-story, landmark office skyscraper in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located in central Downtown. It is currently the 16th tallest building in Miami and Florida. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed it on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places as the Bank of America Tower.In 2022, the office skyscraper was purchased by DRA Advisors and CP Group, the largest office landlord in Downtown Miami and Florida.


Built for CenTrust Bank in 1987, the 47-story building ranks in the top twenty tallest skyscrapers in Miami and in Florida at a height of 625 feet (191 m) and is known for its elaborate night-time illuminations and its dramatic three glass tiers. Designed by the Pei Cobb Freed & Partners architectural firm, the tower consists of two separate structures: A 10-story parking garage owned by the city and the 47-story office tower built upon the air rights of the garage. Preliminary planning for the tower began in February 1980; construction on the garage began by November. The garage was completed in February 1983 and the tower began construction a year later. On August 1984, while the tower was under construction, a 5-alarm fire began on the ninth floor; construction was subsequently delayed for several weeks. On December 15, 1985, the tower was lit for the first time in Miami Dolphins aqua and snowflakes.
By mid-1986, the tower's exterior was complete and the grand opening for the complex was set for early fall that same year. Due to the uneven settling of the tower's foundation to one side by several inches, and the resulting misalignment of the tower's elevator rails, the grand opening for the complex was delayed until February 1987. The complete complex featured the world's only elevated metro station in a skyscraper (Knight Center station). It also gained notoriety for its luxurious interiors, including a skylobby on the 11th floor covered in marble and gold and a 10,000 sq ft (930 m²) outdoor terrace. Also its indoor gym features mahogany cabinets. The tower is connected to the James L. Knight Center by a pedestrian walkway and on the first floor is a retail spine covered with green marble. The tower contains 1.16 million square feet (108,000 m²) with 503,000 sq ft (46,700 m²) of office space and a 535,000 sq ft (49,700 m²), 1,500 space parking garage.
The tower can be seen in the "Streetwise" episode of Miami Vice which aired on December 5, 1986.
The building appears during the end credits of the 1986 film Flight Of The Navigator in an aerial shot of Miami. The top floors can clearly be seen still under construction.
The roof of the building was the set of Gloria Estefan's 1994 video for "Turn The Beat Around". The building is also one of many featured on the backdrop of the stage on The Tonight Show.
On January 1, 2010, the building was renamed the Miami Tower.


Day 1, also known as Amazon Tower II and Rufus 2.0 Block 19, is a 521-foot-tall (159 m) office building in the Denny Triangle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, located at the intersection of Lenora Street and 7th Avenue. It is part of the three-tower complex that serves as the headquarters of Amazon. The name "Day 1" previously belonged to two buildings on Amazon's South Lake Union campus, but both structures have since been renamed. The building's east facade features a large sign reading "Hello World". The construction project was the most expensive in the city to finish in 2016 amidst the recent downtown housing boom.
The building also houses the prototype Amazon Go location, which opened to a private beta in December 2016 and to the general public on January 22, 2018.


The Amazon campus, designed by Seattle architecture firm NBBJ and landscape architecture firm Site Workshop, was approved by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development in late 2012. Excavation on the 37-story Tower II began under the direction of Sellen Construction in 2014. It opened on November 7, 2016. The project, covering the entire three-block campus, is also on track to receive LEED Gold certification.


200 Public Square is a skyscraper in Cleveland, Ohio. The building, located on Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, reaches 45 stories and 658 feet (201 m) with 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m²) of office space. It is the third-tallest building in Cleveland and fourth-tallest in the state of Ohio. The building opened in 1985 as the headquarters for Standard Oil of Ohio or Sohio, and was known as the Sohio Building or Standard Oil building. After British Petroleum (BP) rebranded Sohio as BP in the early 1990s, the building was often called the BP America Building, BP America Tower, BP Tower, or BP Building, and those earlier names are still regularly used even after BP moved its North American headquarters to Chicago in 1998. It was officially renamed 200 Public Square in 2005 and since 2010, has been Cleveland's regional headquarters for Huntington Bancshares.


In November 1981, Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio) announced plans to build a skyscraper on Public Square. Initially, it was supposed to surpass the Terminal Tower in height, but city officials insisted that the Tower remain the city's tallest building. The BP Building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum in the postmodern style and angled to be parallel to both Euclid and Superior avenues.
Construction began in 1982 with the demolition of two Cleveland landmarks, the Burnham and Root Cuyahoga Building (1892) and the 16-story George B. Post Williamson Building (1900). The new structure was completed in 1985 and was officially opened in 1987 as the BP America Tower, when British Petroleum purchased the remaining 45% of Sohio and merged its North American holdings to form BP America, Inc., headquartered in the new building.


Claes Oldenburg's Free Stamp sculpture was commissioned by Alton Whitehouse and other Sohio executives to stand in front of the tower, but BP officials did not appreciate it, and donated the sculpture to the City of Cleveland. After some modifications, the city installed it in Willard Park, next to Cleveland City Hall.
Before the Key Tower was built, the BP Building was the second-most prominent skyscraper in the city, often photographed with the adjacent Terminal Tower as a twin emblem of Cleveland. It contains 36 elevators, 10 escalators, 3 fountains, 1 waterfall, 1,500 plants, and several works of art.
When BP purchased Chicago-based Amoco in 1998, the company said it would move its headquarters from Cleveland to Chicago. The building was purchased by the Chicago-based EQ Office in 1996 for $144 million, which in turn sold it to Harbor Group International in June 2005 for $141.25 million. Harbor Group worked with Electra Real Estate (TASE: ELTR) to purchase the building. The building was subsequently renamed 200 Public Square. Most Clevelanders and the Harbor Group still recognize it as the BP Tower, although many still refer to it as the Sohio Building.


La Laurentienne Building (French: Édifice La Laurentienne) is a 102-metre (335 ft), 27-story skyscraper in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The building was designed by Dimitri Dimakopoulos & Associates for Marathon Realty, Lavalin and the Laurentian Bank. It is located on René-Lévesque Boulevard at the intersection of Peel Street, in the Ville-Marie borough of Downtown Montreal. It is adjacent to the Bell Centre and the 1250 René-Lévesque skyscraper to the south, and stands on the site of the former Laurentian Hotel.
La Laurentienne Building is currently owned and managed by global real estate investor, developer and owner Oxford Properties. The building's grounds are home to the outdoor bronze sculpture Cactus modulaire.


The Osaka Bay Tower (大阪ベイタワー), also known as ORC 1, is a mixed-use, mainly hotel and office, skyscraper in the Osaka Resort City 200 building complex located in the Minato-ku ward of Osaka, Japan. Completed in March 1993, it stands at 200 m (656 ft) tall, with the top floor located at 188.7 m (619 ft). It is the 5th tallest building in Osaka Prefecture and the 36th tallest building in Japan.


The Omni San Diego Hotel is a four-diamond high-rise luxury hotel and condominium tower in San Diego, California.  It is owned and operated by Omni Hotels & Resorts.


Built in 2004 at a cost of $124 million, the 32-story, 511-room Omni San Diego is located across the street from the San Diego Convention Center and connected via sky bridge to Petco Park. The tower was developed by JMI Realty and designed by architectural firm Hornberger and Worstell. Other key contributors include general contractor Swinerton and Architectural Glass and Aluminum as the glazing contractor. The hotel has over 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) of meeting space in addition to a 9,750-square-foot (906 m²) ballroom.  There is also a sixth-floor outdoor terrace with a heated pool and jacuzzi, a McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant, and a full-service business center.


The building was designed by David Childs, of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Originally featured as a 900-foot (270 m) tower with setbacks at various intervals, a redesign was revealed in early December 2013 to feature a cylindrical "tube." The redesign increased the height of the tower to 1,009 feet (308 m). Interiors were designed by Ingrao with Eucalyptus cabinetry and Quartzite countertops.
The tower was designed as a residential and a hotel tower. 35 Hudson Yards contains 11 floors dedicated to hotel space along with a sky lobby, a ballroom and a spa. A plaza is located at the foot of the tower and the tower also contains medical offices.
The first floor serves as the building's lobby. The lobby contains Flowers, a tapestry by Swedish artist Helena Hernmarck. Retail is on levels 2, 4, and 5 and will consist of an outpost of the Hospital for Special Surgery focused on physical therapy and a SoulCycle. Six floors of office space starts from level 8 that serve as the new headquarters for Related's subsidiary Equinox Fitness. The hotel, also managed by Equinox, has 212 rooms (including 48 suites) across and levels 24 through 38. Levels 3, 6, and 7 are home to a 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) gym and spa also operated by Equinox. The upper 36 floors contain 135 condominiums. Building amenities include a gym, yoga studio, meditation room, a lounge, and a golf-simulator. In August 2019, a new restaurant, Electric Lemon, opened on the 24th floor.


The project was presented to the public for the first time in summer 2011. The tower is a part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, and is located at 11th Avenue and West 33rd Street. The building design was changed from a cylindrical to a rectangular prismatic shape in December 2013.
The construction of 35 Hudson Yards began in 2015 and was completed in 2019. A building permit application was filed in January 2015. In July 2016, the project received $1.2 billion in construction financing from UK hedge fund The Children's Investment Fund Management. 35 Hudson Yards topped out in June 2018.
The building opened on March 15, 2019. The hotel opened in June.


The Hobart Building is an office high rise located at 582–592 Market Street, near Montgomery and 2nd Streets, in the financial district of San Francisco, California. It was completed in 1914. It was at the time the second tallest building in the city, at 21 floors and 87 m (285 ft). It was designed by Willis Polk.
The building was constructed for the Hobart Estate Company on the site of the company's previous offices. The location was reportedly chosen by founder Walter S. Hobart in the 1880s for its prominent location at the head of 2nd Street, originally one of the city's major streets leading to the fashionable Rincon Hill neighborhood. Said to be the favorite commercial building of its designer, Willis Polk, its sculpted terra cotta exterior with Baroque ornamentation and handcrafted brass and Italian marble interior are a noted example of neoclassical architecture.
Its unusual shape was dictated by the site, which is an asymmetric polygon, and since a neighboring structure was torn down in 1967, exposing one flank, it is now even more idiosyncratic and striking. The Hobart Building was designated as a landmark by the City of San Francisco in 1983, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.


The Old Great Square (Finnish: Vanha Suurtori, Swedish: Gamla Stortorget) is a medieval market square located in the city centre of Turku, Finland. It is located in the II District in very close proximity to Turku Cathedral. The area was the administrative and commercial centre of Turku since the founding of the city in the 13th century up until the Great Fire of Turku.
Today, there are buildings alongside the Old Great Square, but only on the southern side because the blocks on the northern side changed to Porthaninpuisto after the fire. There are four historical buildings which the City of Turku restored for cultural use: the Brinkkala Mansion, Old Town Hall, Hjelt Mansion and Juselius Mansion. The buildings were mainly constructed after the fire and represent neoclassicism.


Habima Square (Hebrew: כיכר הבימה, lit. The Stage's Square, also known as The Orchestra Plaza) is a public major space in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, which is home to a number of cultural institutions such as the Habima Theatre, the Culture Palace, and the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art. The square is at the intersection of Rothschild Boulevard, Hen Boulevard, Dizengoff Street, and Ben-Zion Boulevard.


A more comprehensive renovation by architect Dani Karavan was launched in 2007, encompassing both the Habima Theatre and the plaza. While most of the compound had previously served as a parking lot, the goal of the latest renovation was the construction of an underground lot, allowing the compound to serve as a big plaza. On 7 June 2010, the underground "Culture Parking Lot" was opened with an area of 40,000 m² and 1,000 parking spaces.
In September 2010, the Ya'akov Garden renovation was completed. A ramp that had led to the garden's upper-balcony was demolished and Chen Boulevard was connected to the square. The renovation of Habima was completed In January 2011, with the renovation of the entire compound in April.


Umschlagplatz (German: collection point or reloading point) was the term used during The Holocaust to denote the holding areas adjacent to railway stations in occupied Poland where Jews from ghettos were assembled for deportation to Nazi death camps. The largest collection point was in Warsaw next to the Warsaw Ghetto. In 1942 between 254,000 – 265,000 Jews passed through the Warsaw Umschlagplatz on their way to the Treblinka extermination camp during Operation Reinhard, the deadliest phase of the Holocaust in Poland. Often those awaiting the arrival of Holocaust trains, were held at the Umschlagplatz overnight. Other examples of Umschlagplatz include the one at Radogoszcz station - adjacent to the Łódź Ghetto - where people were sent to Chełmno extermination camp and Auschwitz.
In 1988, a memorial was erected in Warsaw to commemorate the deportation victims from the Umschlagplatz. The monument resembles a freight car with its doors open. It is located on the corner of Stawki Street.


Independence Square (Spanish: Plaza de la Independencia, or colloquially as Plaza Grande) is the principal and central public square of Quito, Ecuador. This is the central square of the city and one of the symbols of the executive power of the nation. Its main feature is the monument to the independence heroes of August 10, 1809, date remembered as the First Cry of Independence of the Royal Audience of Quito from spanish monarchy. The square is flanked by the Carondelet Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Plaza Grande Hotel.
The square is surrounded by the following four streets: Calle Venezuela (east), Calle Chile (north), Calle Gabriel García Moreno (west) and the pedestrian segment of Calle Eugenio Espejo (south).


WikiWeb_Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange and Rostral Columns_0

The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange (also Bourse) and Rostral Columns, located in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Federation, are significant examples of Greek Revival architecture. Designed by French architect Thomas de Thomon, and inspired by the Greek Temple of Hera at Paestum, the stock exchange was constructed between 1805 and 1810. The rostral columns erected on either side of the Stock Exchange were completed in 1811. The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange is located at Birzhevaya Ploschad 4.


The Cortile del Belvedere (Belvedere Courtyard or Belvedere Court) was a major architectural work of the High Renaissance at the Vatican Palace in Rome. Designed by Donato Bramante from 1505 onward, its concept and details reverberated in courtyard design, formalized piazzas and garden plans throughout Western Europe for centuries. Conceived as a single enclosed space, the long Belvedere court connected the Vatican Palace with the Villa Belvedere in a series of terraces connected by stairs, and was contained on its sides by narrow wings.
Bramante did not see the work completed, and before the end of the sixteenth century it had been irretrievably altered by a building across the court, dividing it into two separate courtyards.


Shortly after, the court was home to the papal menagerie. It was on the lower part of the courtyard that Pope Leo X would parade his prized elephant Hanno for adoring crowds to see. Because of the pachyderm's glorious history he was buried in the Cortile del Belvedere.
The court was incomplete when Bramante died in 1514. It was finished by Pirro Ligorio for Pius IV in 1562–65. To the great open-headed exedra at the end of the uppermost terrace, Ligorio added a third story, enclosing the central space with a vast half-dome to form the largest niche that had been erected since antiquity— the nicchione ("great niche") visible today from several elevated outlooks around Rome. He completed his structure with an uppermost loggia that repeated the hemicycle of the niche and took its cue from scholarly reconstructions of the ancient sanctuary dedicated to Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste, south of Rome.
The lowest, and largest level of the court was not planted. It was cobbled and paved with a saltire of stones laid corner to corner and had semi-permanent bleachers set against the Vatican walls to serve for outdoor entertainments, pageants and carousels such as the festive early-17th-century joust depicted in a painting in Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi. The upper two levels were laid out with of patterned parterres that the Italians referred to as compartimenti, set in wide graveled walkways. The four sections (now grassed) of the upper courtyard have the same pattern that appears in 16th-century engravings.
Sixtus V spoiled the unity of the Cortile (1585–90) by erecting a wing of the Vatican Library, which occupies the former middle terrace and bisects the space. James Ackerman has suggested that the move was a conscious one, designed to screen the secular, even pagan nature of the Cortile and the collection of sculptures that Pope Adrian VI had referred to as "idols". Today the lowest terrace is still called the Cortile del Belvedere, but the separated upper terrace is called the Cortile della Pigna after the Pigna, a large bronze pinecone, mounted in the niccione, likely to have been the finial of Hadrian's tomb or, as supposed in the Middle Ages, to mark the turning point for chariots in the hippodrome where many Christians were martyred.
In 1990, a sculpture of two concentric spheres by Arnaldo Pomodoro was placed in the middle of the upper courtyard.


The Schloßplatz (English: Palace Square or Castle Square) is a city square in the center of Dresden, Saxony, Germany. It gets its name from the Dresdner Schloss, the royal residence of the Electors and Kings of Saxony, which faces the south side of the square. The Schloßplatz is further bounded by the Katholische Hofkirche, the Sächsische Ständehaus, the Georgentor, and Augustus Bridge the over the River Elbe. Dating from the 15th century, the square was destroyed in Bombing of Dresden in World War II. In recent years the buildings surrounding the square have largely been restored so that the area again has a historic character.


Plaza Independencia (Spanish for Independence Square) is the name of Montevideo's most important plaza. It separates Ciudad Vieja from downtown Montevideo, with the Ciudadela, Montevideo Twin Towers on one side and the beginning of 18 de Julio avenue on the other.
In the center, the Artigas Mausoleum dominates the perspective.
Many important buildings, such as the Solís Theatre and the workplaces of the President of Uruguay (both the Estévez Palace and the Executive Tower) are located by this square.
One of the characteristic buildings located by the square is Palacio Salvo.
This square was designed in the 1830s by Carlo Zucchi, inspired in the Rue de Rivoli, Paris. Three decades later it was redesigned by Bernardo Poncini.


Portland Square (grid reference ST594737) is a Grade I listed square in the St Paul's area of Bristol.
It was laid out in the early 18th century as one of Bristol's first suburbs. Built upon a flat area of ground its central focus of St. Paul's Church. Shortly after construction started a number of the builders involved in the project became bankrupt, leaving much of the Square unfinished.
A variety of Georgian architecture designed by Daniel Hague was designed for wealthy occupants, although some has since fallen into disrepair or been converted from residential occupation to offices. It is laid out around a central gardens. The gates and railings of which are a grade II listed building.


Bristol's generally booming economy in the 1990s encouraged some restoration and sympathetic redevelopment, initially on a small scale by individuals and businesses. Cosie's wine bar and the Surrey Wine Vaults were bohemian destinations for Bristol's vibrant nightlife, despite the area's threatening reputation – a reputation far less deserved in these main squares than in some nearby streets.
FTP which then became Galaxy Radio 97.2 The Hot FM was based at No 25.
One of the first major projects, the inspiration of its founding director June Burrough, was the Pierian Centre, a self-contained centre for training and self-development. This opened in 2002 in the Grade I listed No 27 and closed in December 2011 due to lack of funding. The most visible development was in 2004, the opening of St Pauls church (closed in 1988) as the Circomedia centre of excellence for circus and theatre training.
Portland Square featured in the BBC Doctor Who 2012 Christmas Special, "The Snowmen". Filming took place overnight on 21–22 August 2012. It stood in for central London for the bonfire scene in the  Sherlock episode "The Empty Hearse".


Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile.
The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving the current name to the urban landmark. It is located where formerly the Mapocho River used to fork. The oval-shaped plaza is the focal point of celebrations and riots in the city. The area also serves as a hub for Santiago's street network. Some of the main streets of Santiago intersect in the area, including Providencia Avenue, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Avenue (best known as Alameda) and Vicuña Mackenna Avenue. A tunnel entrance to the Costanera Norte Highway is close to Plaza Baquedano. Parque Forestal, Balmaceda Park and Bustamante Park converge here.


It was established in 1875 as Plaza La Serena and adopted its current name in 1928 to honor Manuel Baquedano. It was originally a traffic circle but its geometric design and functionality have changed since then.
Baquedano metro station is named after Plaza Baquedano.
In the context of the 2019–2021 protests, the protesters dubbed the square as Plaza de la Dignidad (Dignity Square).
On March 12, 2021, the four-ton statue of General Baquedano was removed to be restored by the National Council of Monuments, after continuous acts of vandalism by protesters. Attempts to burn and tear down the statue were made on March 5 and 8 respectively, ultimately prompting the authorities to make the decision.


Kongens Nytorv (lit. "The King's New Square") is a public square in Copenhagen, Denmark, centrally located at the end of the pedestrian street Strøget.  The largest square of the city, it was laid out by Christian V in 1670 in connection with a major extension of the fortified city, and has an equestrian statue of him at its centre. The initiative moved the centre of the city from the medieval area around Gammeltorv, at that time a muddy medieval marketplace, to a cobbled new square with a garden complex, inspired by the Royal city planning seen in Paris from the early 17th century.
Important buildings facing the square include the Royal Danish Theater from 1874, the Charlottenborg Palace from 1671 (now the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts), the Thott Palace from 1683 (now the French Embassy), the Hotel D'Angleterre and the Magasin du Nord department store.


Münsterhof (literally: Fraumünster abbey courtyard) is a town square situated in the Lindenhof quarter in the historical center of Zürich, Switzerland. Münsterhof is the largest town square within the Altstadt (old town) of Zürich, and is surrounded by medieval buildings. The area forms part of the southern extension of the Quaianlagen promenades of Zürich's lakefront.


Münsterhof is located in front of the Fraumünster church, and lies a short distance from the Münsterbrücke bridge which leads eastwards across the river Limmat to the Limmatquai and Grossmünster church beyond. It is surrounded by medieval buildings, among which are several guild houses, including zur Waag, the former Kämbel guild house, and the art museum Zunfthaus zur Meisen. This area forms part of the southern extension of the Quaianlagen promenades that were built between 1881 and 1887.
Münsterhof is the biggest town square within the former medieval town walls of Zürich. It is part of the historical core of the medieval town of Zürich, previously the Celtic-Roman Turicum.


WikiWeb_Modernisme Plaza of the City Hall of Valencia_0

The Modernisme Plaza of the City Hall of Valencia was the transformation of the square of the City Hall of Valencia by Javier Goerlich in 1931 (then called "Bajada de San Francisco"). It later became the Plaza of the City Hall and its fountain.
Dr. Daniel Benito Goerlich (nephew of architect Goerlich Lleó), Professor of Art History and Curator of Cultural Heritage of the University of Valencia, stated that the 1930s reform "belongs to a very specific social context, and was destroyed a few years later in a completely different context, the repressive postwar, towards the 'disaffected' to the political regime of the time."


Leipziger Platz is an octagonal square in the center of Berlin. It is located along Leipziger Straße just east of and adjacent to the Potsdamer Platz.


The Skanderbeg Square (Albanian: Sheshi Skënderbej) is the main plaza in the centre of Tirana, Albania. The square is named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. The total area is about 40,000 square metres. The Skanderbeg Monument dominates the square.
The city plan for Tirana was initially designed by Armando Brasini in 1925 and continued by Florestano Di Fausto in a Neo-Renaissance style with articulate angular solutions and giant order fascias. Following the Italian invasion of Albania the master plan was updated in 1939 by Gherardo Bosio.
Many buildings including the Tirana International Hotel, the Palace of Culture, the National Opera, the National Library, the National Bank, the Ethem Bey Mosque, the Clock Tower, the City Hall, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Energy, and the National Historical Museum are situated at the square.


The next mayor, Erion Veliaj, announced that instead the 2010 plan would be reintroduced with minor changes such as greater green space areas around the square, underground parking, and the introduction of stone material taken from all corners of Albania, and Albanian inhabited lands. Albania's rich flora would be represented in the gardens around the square, while the former garden behind Skanderbeg's monument would be restored to the pre-2010 state and named Europe Park.
Construction works started in 2016 with the finishing of the small ring road around the square.
Once the project is completed, the square will serve as a venue where the surrounding institutions would showcase themselves in an open environment concept. The square will also serve as a local farmers market with vendors from rural Tirana showcasing their organic products. The square was opened to the public in June 2017.


Pioneer Courthouse Square, also known as Portland's living room, is a public space occupying a full 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) city block in the center of downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1984, the square is bounded by Southwest Morrison Street on the north, Southwest 6th Avenue on the east, Southwest Yamhill Street on the south, and Southwest Broadway on the west.


The Place du Carrousel ([plas dy kaʁuzɛl]) is a public square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, located at the open end of the courtyard of the Louvre Palace, a space occupied, prior to 1883, by the Tuileries Palace. Sitting directly between the museum and the Tuileries Garden, the Place du Carrousel delineates the eastern end of the gardens just as the Place de la Concorde defines its western end.
The name "carrousel" refers to a type of military dressage, an equine demonstration now commonly called military drill.  The Place du Carrousel was named in 1662, when it was used for such a display by Louis XIV.


Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century that are named after places in Cheshire — in this case Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house.  It is larger but less grand than the central feature of the district, Belgrave Square, and both larger and grander than Chester Square.  The first block was laid out by Thomas Cubitt from 1827.  In 2016 it was named as the "Most Expensive Place to Buy Property in Britain", with a full terraced house costing on average £17 million — many of such town houses have been converted, within the same, protected structures, into upmarket apartments.
The six adjoining, tree-planted, central gardens of Eaton Square are Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. All of the buildings (№s 1–7, 8-12A, 14–23, 24 and 24a to 48, 51–62, 63–66, Eaton House (№ 66a), 67–71, 72, 73–82, 83–102 and 103–118) are statutorily listed, specifically at Grade II* save as to 1 to 7 and 63 to 66a which are in the mainstream, initial category of grade II. №s 103 to 105 are leased and internally converted into the Belgian Embassy, as is № 106 for the Bolivian Embassy.
The red telephone booth, of the "K6" edition outside № 103, is Grade II listed.


The houses in Eaton Square are large, predominantly three-bay-wide buildings, joined in regular terraces in a classical style, with four or five main storeys, plus attic and basement and a mews house behind. Most of the houses are faced with white stucco, but some are faced with underlying high-quality brickwork.  Sides are set 350 feet (110 m) apart 1,615 feet (492 m) apart.
As to roads: the whole rectangle is divided into six compartments or zones as it is bisected lengthways by the Victoria or Buckingham Palace approach way to the King's Road which is very diversely and briefly successively named northeast of Sloane Square).  Crossways it is spanned by four less important roads, all of which change name before during and after their transit across the square. All of the roads while in transit across the square assume the name Eaton Square and most of them are one-way, with no full outer circuit in any one direction permitted or possible.
In 1900, the Welsh Industrial Association held an exhibition at 83 Eaton Square, rented by the Winifred, Countess of Dundonald, the event was visited by Alexandra, Princess of Wales. The person presiding over the refreshment room exhibition was Kathleen, Duchess of Wellington, assisted by Mrs. A.J. Warden,  with a party of attractive ladies wearing the national costume of Wales accompanied by Ivor and Albertina Herbert of Llanover's Harpist playing for the occasion.
Between 1916 and 1917, building 87 briefly became the 'Countess of Dundonald hospital', treating many of the wounded in the Great War, George V & Queen Consort Mary of Teck visited the patients at the Hospital, they were greeted by the Staff and Countess of Dundonald herself.
Before World War II homes on the street ranked as those of the upper class but was outranked by comparators in Belgrave Square, Grosvenor Square, St James's Square or Park Lane.  The aftermath of that war saw most of those converted to commercial and institutional uses, leaving the square almost wholly residential, raising its prominence. Some of the houses remain undivided but many have been internally converted into flats or multi-storey instances (maisonettes) by permission or instruction of the Grosvenor Estate. These are often lateral conversions – that is, they cut across more than one of the original houses – let under typical long leases across the uppermost price bracket, their exact price depending on size, lease duration and amenity. The façades of the square remain as imagined and built. Most but not all of the freeholds still belong to the Grosvenor Group. Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster, who inherited the Duke of Westminster title from his father Gerald Grosvenor in 2016, uses one as his London home. Until the 1920s his predecessors lived in Grosvenor House the mansion forerunner to the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane facing Hyde Park.
Co-fronting the north-east end is St Peter's, a 200-feet-long, tree-lined Church of England church, in a classical style, fronted by a six-columned Ionic portico behind which is a slender clock tower. It was designed by Henry Hakewill and built between 1824 and 1827 (during the square's building).
Between 1940 and 1944 the Belgian government in exile occupied its three numbers which have been long used as that country's embassy in Britain and further premises in central London as their lesser homes and offices.


There has been a town hall in Tallinn since at least 1322 and a town square next to it ever since then. The hall was rebuilt from 1402 to 1404 into its current form, and a Christmas tree display has been held in the square since 1441, making the Tallinn Christmas tree display over 580 years old.


Fitzroy Square is a Georgian square in London. It is the only one in the central London area known as Fitzrovia.


The square, nearby Fitzroy Street, and the Fitzroy Tavern in Charlotte Street have the family name of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, into whose ownership the land passed through his marriage. His descendant Charles FitzRoy, 1st Baron Southampton developed the area during the late 18th and early 19th century.
Fitzroy Square was a speculative development intended to provide London residences for aristocratic families, and was built in four stages. Leases for the eastern and southern sides, designed by Robert Adam, were granted in 1792; building began in 1794 and was completed in 1798 by Adam's brothers James and William. These buildings are fronted in Portland stone brought by sea from Dorset.
The Napoleonic Wars and a slump in the London property market brought a temporary stop to construction of the square after the south and east sides were completed. According to the records of the Squares Frontagers' Committee, 1815 residents looked out on "vacant ground, the resort of the idle and profligate". Another contemporary account describes the incomplete square:
The houses are faced with stone, and have a greater proportion of architectural excellence and embellishment than most others in the metropolis. They were designed by the Adams, but the progress of the late war prevented the completion of the design. It is much to be regretted, that it remains in its present unfinished state.
The northern and western sides were subsequently constructed in 1827–29 and 1832–35 respectively, and are stucco-fronted.
The south side suffered bomb damage during World War II and was rebuilt with traditional facades to remain in keeping with the rest of the square.


Götaplatsen is a public square in Gothenburg, Sweden, at the southern end of Avenyn, the city's main boulevard. The square was inaugurated when Gothenburg held a major international industrial exhibition, 1923, celebrating the city's 300th anniversary.
Götaplatsen is Gothenburg's cultural hub, enclosed by the Gothenburg Concert Hall (where the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra resides), the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Gothenburg City Theatre and the City Library. At the centre of the square presides the Poseidon statue by Carl Milles—the statue has become one of the symbols of the city. On the city's annual culture festival different Swedish musical artists usually perform free at the square, bands like Hardcore Superstar, Mustasch and Teddybears have all performed at this occasion.


Götaplatsen got its name in 1914, but until 1923 the area was strictly rural. Götaplatsen was designed by the architects Sigfrid Ericson and Arvid Bjerke and construction began in 1921. The Gothenburg Museum of Art was completed just in time before Gothenburg’s 300th anniversary in 1923, the Gothenburg Exhibition.
Much of the southern part of Götaplatsen is terraced in stone with wide stairs leading up to the Gothenburg Museum of Art's seven high arches. Until the 1980s, the museum of art´s entrance was positioned at the top of the archway. Today however, the entrance has been moved a number of levels further down, closer to the street level, where the Hasselblad Centre is also located.
Across the gallery, which is located as a side-house to the Gothenburg Museum of Art at Götaplatsen’s southeastern corner, stood a triumphal arch which was the entrance to the exhibition area during the Gothenburg Exhibition. This triumphal arch was demolished in 1928.
The statue was inaugurated on 24 September 1931. The Gothenburg City Theatre was opened on 29 September 1934. The following year, in 1935, the Gothenburg Concert Hall was built on the other side of Götaplatsen.
In 1967, the Gothenburg Public Library was opened. This is next door to Lorensbergsteatern, below the Gothenburg City Theatre across Berzeliigatan.


The Mother Teresa Square (Albanian: Sheshi Nënë Tereza) is the second largest square in Tirana, Albania. It is named after the Albanian-born Indian Roman Catholic nun, missionary and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mother Teresa.
The square was planned by the Italian architect Gherardo Bosio, and built together with the main Boulevard in 1939 to 1941, during the Italian occupation of Albania, in a Rationalist style.
When the square was first constructed, it was named Victor Emmanuel III Square in honor of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.
It is located on the south end of the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard and important buildings are situated on this square. The building include the  University of Tirana, the Polytechnic University, the University of Arts, the Archeological Museum and the Centre of Albanological Studies.
On 1980 a fountain was placed on the middle of the square and after the Fall of communism in Albania it was named after Mother Teresa and a statue of her was placed on the east side of the square. Both the statue and the fountain were later removed, after the restoration of the square in 2014 caused by the preparations for the Pope Francis visit in Tirana. Today it is a pedestrian zone, mostly used for different activities and concerts by the Municipality of Tirana.


Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended to mirror St. Andrew Square in the east. The gardens, one of the collection of New Town Gardens, are private and not publicly accessible.


Initially named St. George's Square in James Craig's original plan, it was renamed in 1786 after King George III's Queen and first daughter, to avoid confusion with George Square to  the south of the Old Town. Charlotte Square was the last part of the initial phase of the New Town to be "completed" in 1820 (note- the north-west section at Glenfinlas Street was not completed until 1990 due to a long-running boundary dispute). Much of it was to the 1791 design of Robert Adam, who died in 1792, just as building began.
In 1939 a very sizable air-raid shelter was created under the south side of the gardens, accessed from the street to the south.
In 2013 the south side was redeveloped in an award-winning scheme by Paul Quinn, creating major new office floorspace behind a restored series of townhouses.
Edinburgh Collegiate School was located in Charlotte Square.


On the north side, No. 5 was the home of John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute (1881–1947), who bought it in 1903 and gave it to the National Trust for Scotland on his death. It was the Trust headquarters from 1949 to 2000. Bute did much to promote the preservation of the Square.
Nos. 6 and 7 are also owned by the National Trust for Scotland. No.6, Bute House is the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland. In 1806 it was home to Sir John Sinclair creator of the first Statistical Account of Scotland. No. 7 was internally restored by the Trust in 1975 to its original state, and is open to the public as The Georgian House. The upper floor was formerly the official residence of the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The building includes one fireplace brought from Hill of Tarvit in Fife in 1975.
West Register House, formerly St. George's Church, forms the centre of the west side. It was designed by the architect Robert Reid in 1811, broadly to Adam's plan. The church opened in 1814 and was converted to its current use in 1964. It is one of the main buildings of the National Records of Scotland


Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and south but it is centred 125 metres east of Regent Street and double that NNE of Piccadilly Circus. A small block south is retail/leisure street Brewer Street. The square and its buildings have featured in many works of literature and host many media, advertising and public relations companies that characterise its neighbourhood within Soho.


Originally the site of a plague pit, this west London square was brought into being from the 1670s onwards. The square was possibly laid down by Sir Christopher Wren; the plan bears Wren's signature, but the patent does not state whether it was submitted by the petitioners or whether it originated in Wren's office.  It very rapidly became the political and ambassadorial district of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, housing the Portuguese embassy among others.
The town house of the first Viscount Bolingbroke, much favoured by Queen Anne graced the square. The statue of George II sculpted by John Nost in 1724 came from Cannons House in March 1753. William Pitt the Elder was born in the Square in 1708. Confusion surrounds whether the statue represents King George II of Great Britain, or King Charles II, as noted on the signage in Golden Square. Oral history recounts that the statue was accidentally won at auction, when the winning bidder raised his hand to greet a friend; the purchase price so low that he decided not to contest and gave the statue as a gift to the people of Golden Square.


The Faisalabad Clock Tower is a clock tower in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan, and is one of the oldest monuments still standing in its original state from the period of the British Raj. It was built in 1905 by the British, when they ruled much of the South Asia during the nineteenth century.
The decision to build the clock tower on this spot was taken by the then Jhang deputy commissioner Sir James Lyall. The foundation of the majestic Clock Tower was laid on 14 November 1905 by the British lieutenant governor of Punjab Sir Charles Riwaz and the biggest local landlord belonging to the Mian Family of Abdullahpur Mian Abdul Raheem, Faisalabad (then known as Lyallpur). A water well formerly existed at the exact location of the Clock Tower which was filled with earth. The red sandstone used in its construction was brought from Sangla Hill Tehsil, about 50 kilometres from here.The fund was collected at a rate of Rs. 18 per square of land. The fund thus raised was handed over to the Municipal Committee which undertook to complete the project. It took two years to complete the construction at a cost of Rs. 40,000.
The locals refer to it as "Ghanta Ghar" (Urdu: گھنٹہ گھر) which translates into Hour House in English. It is located in the older part of the city. The clock is placed at the center of the eight markets that, from a bird's-eye view, look like the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom. This special layout still exists today and can be viewed using the latest software from Google Maps. The eight markets (bazaars) each has unique product types for sale. The bazaars are named for the directions these open towards i.e. Katchery bazaar, Chiniot bazaar, Aminpur bazaar, Bhawana Bazaar, Jhang Bazaar, Montgomery bazaar, Karkhana bazaar and Rail bazaar. All these eight bazaars are also connected with each other through another round-shaped bazaar, which is called 'Gole Bazaar'.
During festivals of Eid and Independence Day of Pakistan, the mayor (nazim) of Faisalabad delivers a speech at this site and hangs the flag at full mast.


Maria-Theresien-Platz is a large public square in Vienna, Austria, that joins the Ringstraße with the Museumsquartier, a museum of modern arts located in the former Imperial Stables. Facing each other from the sides of the square are two near identical buildings, the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum). The buildings are near identical, except for the statuary on their façades. The Naturhistorisches' façade has statues depicting personifications of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The Kunsthistorisches façade features famous European artists, such as the Dutch Bruegel, among others.
The Naturhistorisches Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the square adjoining them were built in 1889. At the center of the square is a large statue depicting Empress Maria Theresa, namesake of the square. The Modern Art Museum in the former Imperial Stables shows contemporary works that some may consider controversial. The three museums are popular destinations for tourists.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum contains numerous famous works by the Northern European masters, such as Bruegel's Tower of Babel, as well as an extensive collection of ancient world art. The Egyptian collection (Aegyptisches Sammlung) houses mummified forms, stone carvings, and the tomb of an Egyptian prince that was transported to Vienna and reassembled for Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. On the stairwell's roof are frescoes by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.
The Naturhistorisches Museum houses displays of butterflies and other insects, and an extensive preserved and stuffed animal collection, the most poignant examples of which include a Przewalskii's horse, a baby Javanese rhinoceros, and a case of dodo remains. Also notable is the museum's famous Mikrotheater, showing slides of microscopic organisms, its two spider crabs which were sent to Emperor Franz Joseph by the Japanese Emperor as a gift, and the first ever human depiction of an underwater scene made from life observation and the diving bell from which it was made. The stairwell contains paintings of Emperor Franz Joseph, Empress Maria Theresa and her stuffed pet lap dog, a miniature hound.


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Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States. The focus of the square is Madison Square Park, a 6.2-acre (2.5-hectare) public park, which is bounded on the east by Madison Avenue (which starts at the park's southeast corner at 23rd Street); on the south by 23rd Street; on the north by 26th Street; and on the west by Fifth Avenue and Broadway as they cross.
The park and the square are at the northern (uptown) end of the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan. The neighborhood to the north and west of the park is NoMad ("NOrth of MADison Square Park") and to the north and east is Rose Hill.
Madison Square is probably best known around the world for providing the name of Madison Square Garden, a sports arena and its successor which were located just northeast of the park for 47 years, until 1925. The current Madison Square Garden, the fourth such building, is not in the area. Notable buildings around Madison Square include the Flatiron Building, the Toy Center, the New York Life Building, the New York Merchandise Mart, the Appellate Division Courthouse, the Met Life Tower, and One Madison Park, a 50-story condominium tower.


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At the western side of Madison Square Park, on an island bordered by Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and 25th Street, stands an obelisk, designed by James Goodwin Batterson which was erected in 1857 over the tomb of General William Jenkins Worth, who served in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican War, and for whom Fort Worth, Texas was named, as well as Worth Street in lower Manhattan. The city's Parks Department designated the area immediately around the monument as a parklet called General Worth Square.


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The new design brought in the sculptures that now reside in the park.  One notable sculpture is the seated bronze portrait of Secretary of State William H. Seward, by Randolph Rogers (1876), which sits at the southwest entrance to the park.  Seward, who is best remembered for purchasing Alaska ("Seward's Folly") from Russia, was the first New Yorker to have a monument erected in his honor.
Other statues in the park depict Roscoe Conkling, who served in Congress in both the House and the Senate, and who collapsed at that spot in the park while walking home from his office during the Blizzard of 1888 and died five weeks later, after refusing to pay a cab $50 for the ride; Chester Alan Arthur, the 21st President of the United States; and David Farragut, who is supposed to have said "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. The Farragut Memorial (1881), which was first erected at Fifth Avenue and 26th Street and moved to the Square's northern end in 1935, was designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens (sculpture) and architect Stanford White (base).
Along the south edge of the park of is the Eternal Light Flagstaff, dedicated on Armistice Day 1923 and restored in 2002, which commemorates the return of American soldiers and sailors from World War I.
Another park highlight is the granite Southern Fountain, a modern reproduction of the original fountain, which was first located on the site of the Old Post Office. It was completed in 1843, before being rededicated in the park in 1867.  The modern replacement was installed in 1990, and renovated in 2015.


John Mackintosh Square (colloquially The Piazza) is a main square in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It has been the centre of city life since the 14th century and takes its name from John Mackintosh, a local philanthropist. Notable buildings on John Mackintosh Square include the Parliament Building and the City Hall.


Berkeley Square /ˈbɑːrkliː/ is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, and originally extended further south. The gardens' very large London Plane trees are among the oldest in central London, planted in 1789.


Plaza Zabala is a plaza in the Ciudad Vieja of Montevideo, Uruguay. In late 1878, during the dictatorship of Colonel Lorenzo Latorre, it was decided to demolish the old fort and build a public square in its place. But for 12 years this site remained a wasteland. The Plaza finally came to be established only on December 31, 1890 when the equestrian statue of Bruno Mauricio de Zabala was installed. It was sculpted by the  Spanish sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera in collaboration with the Basque architect Pedro Muguruza Otaño and inaugurated on December 27, 1931.
The Plaza also now takes its name from Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, founder of the city. The monument has an oblique plan. This layout is distinctly different in an area which has streets laid in a checkerboard pattern in the historic district, marked by the gardens designed by the landscape architect French Eduardo André. It is also one of the places where fences and gates of iron are still seen in the city. The street surrounding the square is named as Ring Durango, in honor of the town Vizcaya of Durango, where Zabala was born. On its south side, Palacio Taranco, once residence of the Ortiz Taranco brothers, is now the Museum of Decorative Arts, and on its west, the well-preserved ex-residence of Sáenz de Zumarán is now the seat of the Discount Bank.


Jan Palach Square (Czech: Náměstí Jana Palacha) is a town square in the Old Town of Prague. It is located on right bank of the Vltava River next to the former Jewish Quarter.


Plaza Rajah Sulayman, also known as Rajah Sulayman Park, is a public square in Malate, Manila. It is bounded by Roxas Boulevard to the west, San Andres Street to the south, and Remedios Street to the north. The plaza is considered the center of Malate as it fronts the Malate Church, the main church of the district.
The square is named after Rajah Sulayman, the late 16th-century sovereign of the Kingdom of Maynila.


In Spanish colonial times, the plaza was a simple open field located between the shores of Manila Bay and the Malate Church, ending at a beach which used to be a popular bathing area.  However, during American rule, the plaza was cut off from the coastline due to land reclamation works undertaken for the construction of Roxas Boulevard.  The plaza was last renovated in 2002, during the administration of Lito Atienza, as part of a citywide urban beautification program aimed at making Malate a prime tourist area, which involved the installation of a new dancing fountain.  A large signaled pedestrian crossing connects the plaza to the Baywalk, which has been criticized for worsening traffic along Roxas Boulevard.
In part because of the 2002 renovations, Plaza Rajah Sulayman has been regarded as the new center of Malate nightlife, which traditionally is associated with the Remedios Circle further inland, as well as Manila's lovers' lane.  The plaza is also regarded as a prime spot to watch the famous sunsets of Manila Bay.  However, the election of Alfredo Lim as mayor of Manila in 2007 and his subsequent closure of establishments along the Baywalk—of which the plaza was considered a part—have put into question this reputation: columnist Ducky Paredes has noted that the closure of the Baywalk has done more harm for the city than good.


The Platzl is a public square in Munich, Germany, at which multiple notable buildings reside or resided, such as the eponymous theater and the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl.
The square was first mentioned on maps by its current name in 1780; previously, it was known only as the "Graggenau" quarter. In the nineteenth century, first the white beer and then the brown beer brewing operations of the Hofbräuhaus brewery were moved to the Platzl. With the later addition of the "Bockbierkeller", the Platzl became the center of Munich beer drinkers.
In 1874, a theater-restaurant moved in across the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl which by 1906 became known as the "Platzl Bühne" ("Stage at the Platzl") theater, marking the beginning of the Platzl as one of  Munich's entertainment districts.


The Place des Jacobins is a square located in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. It was created in 1556 and a fountain was added in 1856. The square belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to Jean Pelletier, this square is one of the most famous in Lyon, because of its location in the center of the 2nd arrondissement and its heavy traffic, as 12 streets lead here. The square, particularly its architecture and its features, has changed its appearance many times throughout years.


The square was created in 1556 after a request by King Henri II who wanted to replace the monks cemetery, located at the north of the Jacobins church, with a market. One year later, the walls of the old cemetery of monks disappeared and the place became a public square. In 1562, some buildings were destroyed by the troops of the Baron des Adrets to open the rue Saint-Dominique. The square was then triangular and named Place de Confort.
From 1296, the Jacobins had a convent on the place, with a garden, and Jacques Duèze was elected Pope in this convent on 7 August 1316 by 23 cardinals locked in by the Count of Poitiers. Here Humbert II, the last Dauphin of Vienne (1348), made an assignment of his States to Charles, eldest son of the Duke of Normandy. In 1495, Charles VIII and his wife lived in the monastery. After the Revolution of 1789, the monastery was used as cars shed. Attempts to reestablish the cult and to create a parish named St. Pothin were unsuccessful.
The Jacobins church was built over a period from 1657 to 1689 and, in the same time, a big portal added by architect Antoine Lepautre allowed the building to reach great notoriety, and famous people attended the offices, including Louis XII in 1501 and the Queen Mother in 1579. The convent was rebuilt in 1714 and eventually nationalized in 1793. A land contiguous to the chapel was sold in 1725 and bought by Vingtrinier in 1779, then by the State in 1822. The church was demolished in 1818 and the convent housed the prefecture of the Rhone from 1812 to 1852 under the leadership of prefect of Rhône Pierre de Bondy (and thus the street was renamed Place de la Préfecture at the time).
Notable events that occurred on the square include executions of political opponents on 15 March 1590, a big firework to celebrate the peace in 1713, and shows by a temporary theater built by Falconnet and
Farge in 1834, quickly destroyed by a fire.
The square was enlarged twice: first in 1824, during the creation of the rue Centrale, built by the architects Benoît Poncet and Jean-Amédée Savoye; then in 1860, when the square became trapezoidal as the rue Gasparin was opened and new buildings were added. Some mosaics found on the square provided indications of what Roman houses looked like.
In 2004, a plaque recounting its history was added to the square.


In 1740, the square was called Place Confort which then absorbed the rue des Alards in 1556, named after a rich family who owned buildings in the neighborhood. In 1782, it became the Place des Jacobins, then, in 1794, was renamed Place de la Fraternité. After changing its name twice — Place de la Préfecture in 1858, then Place de l'Impératrice in 1868 —, it was renamed Place des Jacobins in February 1871. The current name of the square comes from the Jacobins, also named religious Preachers of the Order of St. Dominic, who occupied the building on the southern side of the square from 1296. These Dominicans were called Jacobins when Philippe Auguste gave them a building in Paris and the brothers went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Jacobus in Latin).


Plaza Moriones is a major public square in Tondo, Manila.  Unlike other squares in Manila, the plaza is in the shape of a linear park occupying the central median of Moriones Street, starting at the intersection of Moriones and Juan Luna Streets, and ending at the intersection with Santa Maria Street, bisected by Nicolas Zamora Street in the center.  It is named after Governor-General Domingo Moriones y Muralla, responsible for the construction of Manila's sewerage system during his tenure from 1877 to 1881.
Originally an open green field lined with benches in colonial times, today the plaza is paved, with a size of 2,227 square meters (23,970 sq ft) and a capacity of 6,681 persons. Trees and benches line its entire length, and three fountains have been placed throughout the plaza. Flanked by paved roads, the central portion of the plaza resembles 19th century garden design with its plants such as bandera española (canna) flowers and palm trees. At the end of the plaza stands the Sigaw ng Tondo, a monument sculpted in 1978 by Eduardo Castrillo in memory of local victims fleeing Japanese forces during the Battle of Manila in 1945.  In 2010, another monument was erected at the plaza in memory of Honorio Lopez, a Tondo-born playwright who fought in the Philippine Revolution. This monument was designed by Toym Imao.
Owing to its location in Tondo, a working-class area of Manila, Plaza Moriones serves as a center for Philippine political discourse, second only to Plaza Miranda in Quiapo in terms of importance.  On May 1, 1903, thousands of members of the Unión Obrera Democrática Filipina, led by Isabelo de los Reyes, organized the Philippines' first Labor Day celebrations, with laborers such as tailors, mechanics, barbers and lithographers marching from the plaza to Malacañang Palace. Several years later, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) was established on November 7, 1930 at a public rally held at the plaza,  attended by six thousand people.  Currently, Plaza Moriones is designated as one of five freedom parks in the City of Manila, where protests and rallies may be held without requiring permission from local authorities.
Beyond politics, Plaza Moriones is also significant for its location close to the Port of Manila: in 1906, the first nuns of the Order of Saint Benedict assigned to the Philippines arrived from Germany, landing at the plaza.


Viru Square (Estonian: Viru väljak) was a square in the center of Tallinn, Estonia. It existed as a square until 2002 when the construction of Viru Centre began. Currently only a roundabout and an official "street name" are left of the former open area. The roundabout is the intersection of three main streets of Tallinn: Pärnu maantee (Pärnu Road), Narva maantee (Narva Road), Mere puistee (Sea Avenue); and two smaller: Viru tänav and Vana-Viru tänav (Old-Viru Street). Also, all of the four tram lines of Tallinn go through the roundabout.


Eleftheria Square (Greek: Πλατεία Ελευθερίας; Turkish: Eleftheria Meydanı, Özgürlük Meydanı); literally meaning Liberty Square, is the main square in central Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, in Europe. It forms the intersection of Ledra and Onasagorou streets with Stasinou, Omirou, Kostaki Pantelidi, Konstandinou Palaiologou and Evagorou avenues. It is considered one of Zaha Hadid's Top 35 projects.


In 2005 an architectural competition was announced to redesign the historical square. This was won by a group led by Zaha Hadid.
"Eleftheria Square constitutes a dramatic and historically significant 'architectural' intervention - an aspiration to reconnect the ancient city's massive fortified Venetian Walls and moat with the modern city and beyond - a bold vision of coherence and continuity which can become a catalyst to unify the last divided capital of Europe." Zaha Hadid Architects


Plaza Garibaldi is located in historic downtown Mexico City, on Eje Central (Lázaro Cárdenas) between historic Calle República de Honduras and Calle República de Peru, a few  blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The original name of this plaza was Plaza Santa Cecilia, but in 1920, at the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution, it was renamed in honor of Lt. Col. Peppino Garibaldi, who joined with the Maderistas in the attack on Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, during the Revolution. The Garibaldi Metro station is named after this plaza.
The Plaza is known as Mexico City's home of mariachi music. At all hours of the day and night, mariachi bands can be found playing or soliciting gigs from visitors to the Plaza. The Salón Tenampa, which became the home of mariachi music in Mexico City in the 1920s, is still in business on the north side of the plaza. The plaza and the neighborhoods around it are undergoing extensive renovations to halt the decades-long degeneration of the area. The plans include a remodeled plaza and extensive rework of the surrounding buildings and streets plus sidewalks, with the goal of making the area safe for visitors at all times. However, as of May, 2013, serious risks remained near the plaza and in the nearby neighborhood of Tepito.
This area was designated as a "Barrio Mágico" by the city in 2011.