There have been countless architectural gems built over centuries that people have had the chance to admire. Everything from authentic houses of worship to spectacular bridges, stations, and entire old towns, among other structures, have been a mesmerizing sight for their eyes at some point throughout history. Unfortunately, quite a few buildings like these weren’t able to stand the test of time and can now only be admired in photographs.
We have gathered some of such photographs on this list for you to marvel at. They were shared by the ‘Lost Architecture’ community—“a subreddit devoted to images and discussion of interesting buildings that no longer exist,” as their own description reads. It covers all sorts of impressive structures that were destroyed by wars and other calamities, sadly leaving us with not much more than a picture of what it once was.
#1 San Francisco’s Cliff House 1896–1907
Image source: ZomberBomber
#2 Skete Of All Saints, Ukraine (Largest Wooden Church In Ukraine, Burned Down 2022)
Image source: TheRickerd120
#3 Neue Elbbrücke Bridge From 1887-1959 In Hamburg, Germany
Image source: Lepke2011
#4 St. Peter’s Hospital, Bristol, England. Built In The Late 14th Century As A Merchant’s House, Destroyed In The Bristol Blitz In 1940
Image source: JankCranky
#5 Salzhaus And Haus Frauenstein. Built Around 1600 In Frankfurt, Germany. Both Destroyed In 1944 By An Raf Raid
Image source: JankCranky
#6 Cathedral Of Christ The Saviour, Located In Borki, Near Kharkiv In The Russian Empire (Modern-Day Kharkiv, Ukraine). Pictured In 1894. It Was Destroyed During The Second World War
Image source: Silverfrost5549
#7 Los Angeles In 1918, Nothing Here Survived To The Present Day
Image source: moose098
#8 The Old Times Square. (1904)
Image source: reddit.com
#9 Graham House, West Vancouver, Canada, Designed By Arthur Erickson In 1962, Demolished In 2007
Image source: archineering
#10 The Baths Of Diocletian, 298 Ad. A Couple Of Walls Are Left, Still Impressive
Image source: CountHonorius
#11 Park Hotel Bremen, Bremen, Germany. Built In 1890 And Was Lost To A Fire In 1907
Image source: JankCranky
#12 Świnoujście/Swinemünde Pier, Poland (Formerly Germany). The Place Existed Between 1890s And 1920s
Image source: Mackelowsky
#13 Pennsylvania Station, New York City, Ca 1910
Image source: HejdaaNils
#14 1890 Sioux City Corn Palace, Iowa. From 1887 To 1891, Sioux Cityans Celebrated The Autumn Harvest With A Festival Featuring The Construction Of A Large Building In Downtown Called A Corn Palace Covered In Corn And Other Grains
Image source: JankCranky
#15 Ancient Egyptian Fortress Of Buhen – Lost To The Aswan Dam (Lake Nasser)
Image source: CountHonorius
#16 A Digital Reconstruction Of Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, Which Was Located In London, England. Completed In 1314, It Was Destroyed In The 1666 Great Fire Of London. The Current Cathedral With Its Iconic Dome Was Built Between 1675 And 1710
Image source: Silverfrost5549
#17 1905 Photo Of The Park Avenue Hotel (A.k.a. Working Women’s Hotel) At 32nd And Park Avenue In New York City. Opened In 1878, Demolished In 1925. (Partial Ai Colorization)
Image source: morganmonroe81
#18 Helmond, The Netherlands (Demolished In 2019 For A Big Appartement Block)
Image source: TheRickerd120
#19 Base Of The Spire, Seen From The Southwest, Notre-Dame De Paris, 2018
Image source: danbob411
#20 Park Terrace, Duluth, Minnesota. Built In 1890 And Demolished In 1936
Image source: JankCranky
#21 Leaning Tower Of Zaragoza “Torre Nueva”(1504-1892)
Image source: Atropapalucos
#22 Steele High School, Dayton, Ohio. Built In 1894, Demolished For A Parking Garage In 1955
Image source: qazto
#23 Galloway’s Furniture Store, Sarasota, Florida, Designed By Victor Lundy In 1959. Partially Demolished In The 1970s, Some Of The Structure Still Survives Within A Nondescript Exterior
Image source: archineering
#24 Color Photo Of Penn Station In 1963 Just Prior To Demolition
Image source: morganmonroe81
#25 The Old Tripe House, Digbeth, Birmingham, U.k. (1533-1893)
Image source: JankCranky
#26 Everything In This Photo Was Destroyed – Skopje, North Macedonia Before The 1963 Earthquake
Image source: d2mensions
#27 Saratoga Hotel In Havana, Cuba. Destroyed By A Gas Explosion
Image source: Uncerte
#28 Paleis Voor Volksvlijt, Amsterdam. Finished Building 1864, Burned Down 1929
Image source: ravesteeph
#29 Church In La Jalca, Peru. Built In 1538, Collapsed In An Earthquake
Image source: Uncerte
#30 National Palace Of Haiti, 1912-2010, Severely Damaged By The 2010 Haitian Earthquake And Demolished In 2012
Image source: reddit.com
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