Billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud plans to build the world's tallest building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It will be a mile tall skyscraper, “taller than four Empire State Buildings stacked upon each other.” From “Billionaire Plans To Start Mile-High Building Club” (Forbes.com, 02.25.08)

Currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Burj Dubai tower is being constructed. Though still in construction, it has just beat the record for the world’s tallest man-made structure, reaching more than 160 stories high (2,064 feet).

It appears that in 1956 American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed a mile high (5,280 feet) skyscraper called “The Mile High Illinois, Illinois Sky-City, or simply The Illinois”. However, the building was never built “because lengthy elevator rides made it impractical.”

As a New Yorker the only true tallest skyscraper in the world will always be the Empire State Building. But, these new buildings sure will put a spin on the term the ‘mile high club’.