[voidfunc]

100% agree. I'd argue they were the #2 landmark in NYC after The Statue of Liberty at the time.

1. Statue of Liberty, without question.

2. Twin Towers - showed up in just about shot of NYC put into mainstream media from the date of inception until destruction.

3. Empire State Building - Yes it is really recognizable but never got the media exposure of the WTC.

After that things get a little muddier. If I'm doing a top-5 I probably do something Times Square and Rockefeller Center to round out the big-5 pre-9/11.

[gojomo]

Of course the Statue of Liberty & Empire State Building were the undisputed 1/2 (in either order) NYC landmarks for many decades before the WTC arrived.

The Empire State Building had been the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years, from 1931-1970.

It was arrival of the taller WTC twin towers in 1970, & to a lesser extent the proliferation of other midtown skyscrapers, that gradually chipped away at the Empire State Building's literal & figurative prominence.

[voidfunc]

Sorry, should have been clearer - the ESB absolutely held the #2 spot pre-WTC, but the WTC overtook the ESB in attention and recognition mostly due to its prominent featuring in mass media which really ramped up and has been the top cultural export from NY and the US since the 70's.

There wasn't a movie made about NYC that didn't at some point feature the WTC in it either as part of the background shot.

[denton-scratch]

Chrysler building?

[gojomo]

Definitely emblematic of an era, & the midtown skyline, & a popular photo subject!

[riffraff]

hey, how about the Brooklyn Bridge? I'm pretty sure in the '70s/'80s it was in the top 5, being very popular both in art (e.g. Andy Warhol) and mass media (TV, movies, comics)

[Gunnerhead]

What about post-9/11?

[voidfunc]

Shift 3-5 up. I don't think the new WTC holds close to the same brand recognition as The Twins.

Personally I'd probably rank the Top-5 post 9/11 as:

1. Statue of Liberty

2. Empire State Building

3. Times Square

4. Rockefeller Center

5. Chrysler Building

There's probably some fair arguments that these other buildings could make the top-5. In particular I think you could possibly swap out one of Rockefeller Center or The Chrysler Building for any of the below.

1. Yankee Stadium (well pretend Old and New are similar enough)

2. The Gugenheim

3. Madison Square Garden (I might be stretching with this one)