The most famous buildings and monuments in the USA (2024)

1.Mount Rushmore in Keystone, SD

Boasting the carved faces of four American presidents, South Dakota’s granite Mount Rushmore is among the country’s strangest—and most visited—monuments. Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln have gazed out from the peak since 1941, when the project was completed by sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln. Almost three million people visit the Mount each year, where they can hike up the Presidential Trail to get an up-close-and-personal look at the giant faces.

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One of the most important buildings in the history of the United States, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall is where the young nation’s Declaration of Independence and its Constitution were debated and adopted into law. Predating U.S. independence, the Georgian-style hall was completed in 1753 and originally housed the Liberty Bell—now displayed across the street in its own building.

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When it opened in 1937, San Francisco’s instantly recognizable suspension bridge was the longest and the tallest in the world, at 4,200 and 746 feet, respectively. It’s since been surpassed by other structures but remains an iconic landmark known worldwide. Open to cars and pedestrians, the bridge is crossed each day by about 10,000 walkers and 6,000 bikes.

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The world’s tallest obelisk, a 554-foot stone structure that anchors D.C.’s National Mall, took a while to complete: Construction began in 1848 but was interrupted several times by the chaos of the Civil War. Though they are now closed—there’s an elevator for visitors—the monument is also renowned for the 898 steps that lead to 50 different landings.

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The most recognizable skyscraper in the world was erected in the late 1920s and has been a mobbed tourist destination ever since: These days, it attracts about4 million visitors each year. At 102 stories, it’s no longer the tallest building in the country—that title goes to the nearby One World Trade Center—but it’s still one of the most distinctive. Capable of displaying 16 million colors, its state-of-the-art LED light system changes for special events and holidays.

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This “Gateway to the West” is the world’s tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the Western hemisphere at 630 feet. Designed by Eero Saarinen in 1947 and completed in 1965, the stainless steel-clad arch commemorates Western expansion in the U.S. One of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, the arch welcomes about four million visitors each year.

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Erected in the 1870s in Boston’s Back Bay, this Romanesque, rough-stone church is one of the city’s most well-known landmarks. Each December, the church welcomes many visitors who line up for its free Candlelight Carols, performances of traditional carols and anthems offered by the Trinity choirs and instrumentalists since 1909.

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Most Americans know the phrase “Remember the Alamo,” even if they’re not exactly sure what transpired at the 18th-century Spanish mission. Later secularized and used as a fortress, the Alamo was the site of a bloody and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution between Texas’s early Anglo settlers and the Mexicans (the latter won) in 1836. One of the most visited historic sites in the country, the fort welcomes about three million visitors annually.

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12.Fort Sumter in Charleston

13.Fort McHenry in Baltimore

This white, four-winged Art Deco masterpiece designed by architect Robert Swartburg is a whimsical addition to South Beach, constructed in 1947. Updated in 1994 by French designer Philippe Starck, the hotel’s sleek interior has long been a favored hangout spot for celebrities frolicking in Miami.

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17.Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Built at the height of the Gilded Age by a Vanderbilt, this expansive estate outside Asheville mimics France’s Versailles Palace with its steeply pitched, slate-tiled roof. Inside, 250 rooms divided between four floors include 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, three kitchens, 65 fireplaces, and a formerly men-only “Bachelors’ Wing.” Today, visitors to the 8,000-acre estate can gawk at original art by Renoir and Singer Sargent, magnificent 16th-century tapestries, and a library that houses 10,000 volumes.

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Downtown L.A.’s most recognizable building is a masterpiece designed by Frank Gehry, a distinctively rippled, stainless-steel coated structure that houses the L.A. Philharmonic and the L.A. Master Chorale. Walt Disney’s widow Lillian donated the initial $50 million needed to get the project off the ground, and the concert hall was completed in 1996. Its renowned acoustics come courtesy of a fir- and oak-paneled interior.

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