10. Grant’s Tomb

Grant Memorial in NYC, a windowless building.
Grant’s Tomb near Riverside Church.

A building can be designed with no windows for a host of reasons but the massive marble-columned structure in Riverside Park is different than every building on this list: it is a tomb. Ulysses S. Grant, former President and General of the Union Army, is honored in this massive columned edifice.

The mausoleum‘s design is inspired by the ancient Greek Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and Napoleon’s tomb at Les Invalides in Paris. Though the famous riddle goes “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” it a trick question. Grant’s sarcophagus sits above ground within the tomb, so he is not buried. The tomb, which is the largest mausoleum in the United States, is open to the public and offers free admission.

Next, check out 7 New York City skyscrapers taller than the Empire State Building!