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The city of Las Vegas, Nevada and its surrounding unincorporated communities in the Las Vegas Valley are the sites of more than 160 high-rises, 42 of which stand taller than 400 feet (122 m). The tallest structure in the city is the Stratosphere Tower, which rises 1,149 feet (350 m) just north of the Las Vegas Strip. The tower is also the tallest observation tower in the United States. Since the Stratosphere Tower is not fully habitable, however, it is not considered a building. The tallest building in Las Vegas is the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas, which rises 735 feet (224 m) and was topped out in November 2008. This building, however, is currently on hold. The tallest completed building in the city is the 52-story Palazzo, which rises 642 feet (196 m) and was completed in 2007.
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The history of skyscrapers in Las Vegas began with the 1954 completion of the Castaways Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas; the 216-foot (66 m) structure stood as the tallest building in the city until 1961, and was demolished in 2006. Beginning with the completion of the Diamond of the Dunes Tower in 1961, high-rise hotels began to become more concentrated on the Las Vegas Strip. The first high-rise hotel and casino resort to rise higher than 492 feet (150 m) was the 529-foot (161 m) New York-New York Hotel & Casino, completed in 1997. Las Vegas entered into a skyscraper-building boom in the late 1990s that has continued to the present; of the city's 40 tallest skyscrapers, 39 were completed after 1997. As of 2012, the skyline of Las Vegas is ranked 66th in the world and 18th in the United States with 176 completed high-rises.
In what is being dubbed a "Manhattanization wave", there are over 30 skyscrapers that are proposed, approved or under construction in the city that are planned to rise over 400 feet (122 m) in height. The tallest building approved for the city is the World Jewelry Center, which is planned for construction in Downtown Las Vegas. The 815-foot (248 m) tower is part of a proposal to construct a hub for the world's jewelry industry, across from World Market Center Las Vegas. The tallest building under construction in Las Vegas is the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas, which has also been the tallest building in the city since its topping out in November 2008; construction on the building was suspended in mid-2009 and is currently on hold under owner Carl Icahn.
Tallest buildings
This list ranks completed and topped out skyscrapers in Las Vegas that stand at least 400 feet (122 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details, but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. Freestanding observation towers, while not habitable buildings, are included for comparison purposes but not ranked.
Many Las Vegas skyscrapers are located on the Las Vegas Strip, the majority of which is located outside the Las Vegas city limits. This list includes all skyscrapers which are included within the city limits of Las Vegas and the surrounding communities which use Las Vegas as an official address. The United States Postal Service uses "Las Vegas, NV" as the official mailing address for the unincorporated places of Paradise, Winchester, and Spring Valley, and as such the distinction between the city and the surrounding communities is often not apparent.
* indicates building is still under construction, but has been topped out
Timeline of tallest buildings
This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Las Vegas as well as the current titleholder, the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas. The Stratosphere Tower has been the tallest free-standing structure in the city since its 1996 completion, but since it is not a fully habitable building it is not included in this list. Also, the first high-rise tower in Las Vegas before the Diamond of the Dunes Tower One was a 23-story tower at the Sahara Hotel from 1963–1969, which was the tallest in Las Vegas, Nevada.