Why do people call 161 Maiden Lane the leaning tower, and is it similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
Posted on Mar 02, 2026 / Travel
People started calling 161 Maiden Lane the “Leaning Tower of New York” mostly because it has an actual lean, which is unusual for a modern skyscraper in Manhattan and grabs attention. The nickname draws a fun comparison to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, though the tilt in New York is much smaller — roughly three inches over the building’s full height — compared to Pisa’s dramatic slant. Still, any tall building that isn’t perfectly upright gets people talking, especially in a city where most towers are engineered to be extremely straight and solid. The media, locals, and social posts love an unusual story, so the moniker stuck as a catchy way to describe the project’s weird situation. It’s become part of the public conversation not just because it leans, but because it’s been paused and controversial for so long too. From photos taken by people hanging out near the South Street Seaport to videos shared online, the lean and unfinished look give it a memorable visual identity. While engineers don’t see it as a catastrophe like Pisa might have been, for many New Yorkers it’s an odd example of what happens when ambitious plans don’t go smoothly.
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