Alabama is not well known for skyscrapers and high rises, but it is home to some impressively tall buildings. In fact, the RSA Battle House Tower in Mobile Alabama is the tallest Gulf Coast building outside of Houston.
Apart from this one, all of Alabama’s tallest buildings cluster into just a few cities. Here, Birmingham is the city with the tallest buildings in the state, six of which are over 300 feet. Mobile and Orange Beach take the second and third place, with five and four each.
Other cities, like Montgomery, Florence, and Huntsville only have one building each over 300 feet.
However, no other city in Alabama has a building taller than 250 feet.
The table below includes a list of the top 15 tallest buildings in Alabama:
| Building | Height (Feet) | Floors | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSA Battle House Tower | 745 | 35 | Mobile |
| Shipt Tower / Wells Fargo Building | 454 | 34 | Birmingham |
| Regions-Harbert Plaza | 437 | 32 | Birmingham |
| RSA-TrustMark Building | 424 | 34 | Mobile |
| RSA Tower | 397 | 22 | Montgomery |
| AT&T City Center | 391 | 30 | Birmingham |
| Regions Center | 390 | 30 | Birmingham |
| Phoenix West II | 380 | 31 | Orange Beach |
| Turquoise Palace I | 377 | 30 | Orange Beach |
| Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel | 374 | 28 | Mobile |
| Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand | 374 | 31 | Huntsville |
| Phoenix West | 350 | 27 | Orange Beach |
| Mobile Marriott | 326 | 20 | Mobile |
| City Federal Building | 325 | 27 | Birmingham |
| Mobile Government Plaza | 325 | 12 | Mobile |
| Alabama Power Headquarters Building | 320 | 18 | Birmingham |
| Turquoise Palace II | 304 | 24 | Orange Beach |
| Renaissance Tower | 300 | 26 | Florence |
Topics
1. RSA Battle House Tower
The RSA Battle House Tower is the tallest building in Mobile, Alabama, as well as the tallest on the Gulf Coast outside of Houston. In addition, the Retirement Systems of Alabama building is one of 3 of the state’s tallest buildings owned by the RSA.
The RSA Battle-House tower was built into the Battle House Hotel, which was restored as part of the building project. In addition, while construction began in 2003, building was delayed several times, meaning that it didn’t open until 2009.
The RSA Battle House Tower boasts a 75-foot spire. This means that the 745-foot-high building has a roof at 670 feet. Still, this radio spire is also one of the highest in the country, with the tallest standalone radio tower at 640 feet.
Address: 11 N Water St, Mobile, AL 36602
2. Shipt Tower
The Shipt Tower is a 454-foot-tall skyscraper first built in 1986. It has 34 floors,and is the tallest building in Birmingham, Alabama. In fact, it was the tallest building in Alabama from 1986 to 2009, when the RSA Battle House Tower was built.
Shipt Tower’s original name was SouthTrust Tower. It rebranded to Wachovia Tower in 2005, and then to the Wells Fargo Tower in 2010. In 2020, the current tenants, Shipt, took residence and renamed the tower again.
Address: 1901 6th Ave N Ste 199, Birmingham, AL 35203
3. Regions-Harbert Plaza
At 437 feet high, the Regions-Harbert Plaza building is the second highest building in Birmingham. The office building finished construction in 1988, opening the following year as AmSouth-Harbert Plaza.
It was renamed in 2007, following a merger with Regions Financial Corporation. Today, it’s almost entirely office space – although the City Club of Birmingham rents two floors.
At 32 floors, Regions-Harbert Plaza towers over Birmingham and the promenade below – which is home to some of the city’s most popular restaurants. And, with its picturesque design, the building stands out from the more modern buildings around it.
Address: 1901 6th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
4. RSA-Trustmark Building
The RSA-Trustmark Building stands at 424 feet with 34 floors, making it the third highest building by number of floors and the fourth by external height.
The building was originally constructed in 1965, following the demolition of an existing bank and customs house. It was also the tallest building in Alabama from 1965 till the construction of the Shipt Tower in 1986.
Today, it’s also the second tallest building in Mobile, although the original design for the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel’s Spire would have capped 500 feet, officially making the RSA-Trustmark the third tallest.
However, the eventual design placed the Renaissance Riverview spire at 374 feet, leaving the RSA-Trustmark as the second tallest building.
While this skyscraper is primarily office space, it also features a restaurant on the 34th floor, with a panoramic view of the Mobile Bay.
Address: 107 St Francis St, Mobile, AL 36602
5. RSA Tower
The RSA Tower is the tallest building in Montgomery, Alabama and the 5th tallest in the state. At 397 feet, this skyscraper belies its 22 floors – but also features a stunning 40-foot cap and spire. The RSA Tower was first constructed in 1996 and has since gone through multiple name changes.
It’s also the tallest point in the Montgomery skyline, meaning that if you look up while in the city, you’ll see it.
The RSA Tower won the 1988 Architectural Precast Association’s Award for Design & Manufacturing Excellence in 1998.
Address: 201 Monroe St, Montgomery, AL 36104
6. AT&T City Center
The AT&T center is a 30-story skyscraper located in the heart of Birmingham. First constructed in 1972, it was the tallest building in Birmingham, Alabama until 1986, when the Regions-Harbert Plaza was constructed.
The building, originally the South Central Bell Building, was later renamed to BellSouth City Center and then to the AT&T City Center when Bell South merged with AT&T.
In addition, this building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2018, it has been undergoing significant internal renovations.
Address: 600 19th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203
7. Regions Center
The Regions Center is one of several of Birmingham’s skyscrapers clustered onto 20th Street, and also one of the tallest in the city. At 390 feet, the 30-story office tower is one of the highest buildings in Alabama.
It’s also one of the most famous for design. The building features a steel enclosure with a granite and glass facing, which is lit every Christmas to display murals composed of colored gel on the facing, and every May for Regions Tradition and Regions Charity Classic golfing events.
The Regions Center finished construction in 1972, as the First National-Southern Natural Building. It was later changed to AmSouth-Sonat Tower and then the AmSouth Tower before being renamed to the Regions Center.
Address: 1900 5th Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
8. Phoenix West II
Phoenix West II is the tallest building in Orange Beach, Alabama. The hotel stands 380-feet high over the Gulf, delivering beautiful views and serving as a tourist attraction for the region.
That makes Phoenix West II, alongside the Phoenix West I and Turquoise Palace, unique in that you can simply stay at the building, see the views from the top, and enjoy the visit. The building features 31 floors and finished construction in 2013 – making it the newest building on this list.
Address: 23450 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
9. Turquoise Palace I
While the second highest building in Orange Beach, Turquoise Palace I is the largest vacation resort and rental in the city.
At 377 feet high with 24 floors, this condominium rental is also massive, offering stunning views of the gulf and near direct access to the beach.
And, of course, it’s not to be confused with the Turquoise Palace in Canada, or the Turquoise Palace II, which is 304 feet – despite the fact that both towers are across from each other.
Address: 26302 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL
10. Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel
The Renaissance Riverview Plaza hotel was originally constructed as a 277-foot high-rise hotel. At the time of construction in 1983, it was the second tallest building in Alabama.
With the addition of the spire, which was installed in 2008, the hotel is now 374 feet. That makes it the largest hotel in the state of Alabama.
Interestingly, the spire was constructed to match the nearby RSA Battle House Tower. That brings the skyline together, with two of its tallest buildings sharing a near-identical spire, and two of the city’s oldest hotels.
Address: 64 S Water St, Mobile, AL 36602
11. Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand
While not a building in the same sense as the office buildings and hotels that make up the rest of this list, the Saturn V dynamic test stand is one of the largest structures in Alabama.
In fact, at 360 feet and 31 floors, it was the tallest building in the state at the time of construction in 1964. It was, of course, eclipsed a year later by the RSA-Trustmark Building. It’s also the tallest building in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Saturn V dynamic test stand features 31 floors but only 15 are accessible via the elevator. In addition, the building features a central bay and a derrick, capable of moving 200 tons of weight.
The test stand is also a National Historic Landmark, and was used to test the Pathfinder and Enterprise shuttles in addition to the Saturn V.
You can visit the Saturn V Dynamic test Stand at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center.
Address: Martin Rd SW, Huntsville, AL 35808
12. Phoenix West
The Phoenix West is the third tallest building in Orange Beach and the 12th highest in Alabama. At 350 feet, it towers over the Gulf, offering scenic views, as well as easy access to many of the area’s nearby tourist attractions.
In addition, the Phoenix West was originally the tallest building in the city. While construction started the same year as the nearby Turquoise Towers, it finished a year earlier.
Address: 23450 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
13. Mobile Marriott
Mobile Marriott is the second largest hotel in Alabama and the largest by original size. Today, it’s eclipsed by the spire on the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel.
However, at 326 feet, the Mobile Marriott was the largest hotel in Alabama from 1972 until the construction of the spire in 2008. In addition, it was the second tallest building in Mobile from 1972 until 1986.
The Mobile Marriott hotel has also changed hands at several points. It originally opened in 1979, as the Mobile Hilton. Later, it was renamed the Clarion Hotel Mobile before being purchased by Marriott International.
This hotel has a dual roof, with an almost 20-foot drop between the highest point and the main roof.
Address: 3101 Airport Blvd, Mobile, AL 36606
14. City Federal Building
Standing at 325 feet, the City Federal Building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the state. Like other buildings on this list, it was the tallest building in Alabama between its construction in 1913 and 1964.
It was also the tallest building in Birmingham until 1972.
Today, the City Federal Building has been renovated after being vacated in 1994. While it was renovated as an apartment complex in 2005, it’s currently being reworked into a restaurant and entertainment venue.
Address: 2024 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35203
15. Mobile Government Plaza
At 325 feet, the Mobile Government Plaza building ties with the City Federal Building for 14th and 15th place on this list.
This is the tallest government-owned building in Alabama. In addition, it’s the only building on this list built on designs entered into a competition sponsored by the American Institute of Architects.
While the Mobile Government Plaza is one of the tallest buildings in Mobile, it’s also one of the few high rises overlooking the historic district.
Address: 205 Government St, Mobile, AL 36602
16. Alabama Power Headquarters Building
Standing at 320 feet, the Alabama Power Headquarters Building and Complex is one of the tallest in the state.
However, with a sprawling 1,300,000 square feet of space across the complex, the building is as impressively large as it is tall.
The Alabama Power Headquarters building completed construction in 1990, 10 years after building began in 1980, and takes up the entire block between 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue North.
Address: 600 18th Street North Birmingham, 35203
17. Turquoise Palace II
The Turquoise Palace II is completely identical to the Turquoise Palace I in every way, except it is 304 feet high instead of 377 feet high. This height offset creates a wave shape across the roofs of the two neighboring buildings.
In addition, with 24 floors, the II is somewhat smaller than the I as well.
Address: 26302 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
18. Renaissance Tower
The Renaissance Tower in Florence Alabama is a tourist attraction and aquarium, hosting over 40 tanks across a 4,000 foot exhibit. The 300-foot-high tower finished construction in 1991.
Today, it’s part of the larger Shoals Resort and Golf Club and right next to the Veterans Club. It’s also one of the few towers with an observation deck and restaurant on the deck.
Interestingly, while the tower itself is 300 feet high, it’s geographically situated to be 500 feet above the Tennessee River.
Address: 10 Hightower Pl, Florence, AL 35630