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Americans look up – way up – in choosing favorite structure

The stately Empire State Building has long since lost its standing as the tallest building in the US. (That distinction now belongs to the Sears Tower in Chicago.) But as an architectural gem, it's unmatched. That is the conclusion of an opinion poll conducted by the Washington-based American Institute of Architects to celebrate its 150th anniversary. With the help of Harris Interactive, the AIA asked almost 2,000 randomly selected Americans to rank their favorite pieces of architecture from among 248 possibilities. The top 10 examples of American architecture, according to results of the poll:

1. Empire State Building
2. The White House
3. Washington National Cathedral
4. Thomas Jefferson Memorial (Washington)
5. Golden Gate Bridge
6. Lincoln Memorial (Washington)
7. US Capitol
8. Biltmore Estates/Vanderbilt Residence (Asheville, N.C.)
9. Chrysler Building (New York)
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Washington)