The Singer Building, the corporate home of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, was completed in 1908 and was the tallest building in the world for all of two years, before being replaced by the Met Life Tower on Madison Square. The Met Life Building, in turn, was displaced for the honor by the Woolworth Building, a few blocks north of the Singer on Broadway.

 

The Singer Building is notable for several reasons. First, it was one of the first skyscraper to consider environmental factors, including the amount of light and air that could penetrate to ground level. Specifically, the central tower of the building, which begins on the 17th floor of the 43-story building, was roughly one-quarter the size of the base, allowing significant amounts of light to flow down to Broadway. And this was before the 1916 ordinance that required setbacks on new skyscrapers. 

 

Next, its Beaux-Arts and French Second Empire design by Ernest Flagg, covered by red brick, light-colored stone, and terra cotta, was considered an architectural triumph in its day. 

 

And, sadly, the Singer Building was the tallest skyscraper ever to be demolished until it was surpassed by 270 Park Avenue in 2019 (of course, not counting the World Trade Center).