Whether by accident, on purpose or at the hand of Mother Nature, these incredible structures were destroyed long before their time. From palaces and cathedrals to ancient fortresses and fish markets, the stories behind these landmarks are interwoven with extraordinary people, life-changing events and the inescapable march of progress.

Click or scroll on to find out exactly why and how each structure met its unfortunate fate...

Fifth Avenue was a very different place during New York's Gilded Age. The tycoons of the time built striking mansions along the prominent boulevard, with the Vanderbilts erecting 10 properties alone. 

In 1882, Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his wife Alice moved into the grandest manse on the row – his newly completed red brick and limestone French château-style home. To construct the mega-mansion, Vanderbilt demolished two brownstones, which had cost him $225,000 in 1878, or around $7 million (£5.5m) in modern money. But the resulting home wasn't quite grand enough. He would eventually buy and pull down five homes and the resulting manse ended up stretching the entire block.

Despite the extraordinary opulence of the Fifth Avenue Vanderbilt mansions, they had all been demolished by 1947. Cornelius Vanderbilt II's legendary home disappeared even earlier. By 1927 it had been torn down and replaced by iconic department store Bergdorf Goodman, heralding the beginning of the end for the family's Fifth Avenue empire.

The demolition was carefully done, with much of the interior salvaged. Several pieces are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, including an ornate red oak mantlepiece, which originally stood in the mansion's entrance hall. 

The mansion's vast gates are the one element of the original property still standing on the site. Today, they frame an entrance to Central Park's Conservatory Garden. 

Completed in 1910, the original Pennsylvania Station was built on an area once known as the Tenderloin District. The impressive building was a Beaux-Arts cathedral celebrating all things transport, with pink marble walls, pale travertine floors and murals by artist Jules Guerin.

The station concourse was longer than the nave of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and its ceilings were a lofty 138 feet high. By any standards, it must have been an impressive gateway to America's most populous city. 

Shockingly, the demolition of the extraordinary building began in 1963 in order to make way for a new landmark, Madison Square Garden. This photo was taken during the demolition, which lasted more than two years, and shows only the steel structure of the old station remaining.

While public protest was vociferous, it ultimately failed. However, the controversial demolition did prompt the passing of the 1965 New York Landmarks Law.

Today, Madison Square Garden is the home of the New York Knicks basketball team. It's also an entertainment venue – in fact, it's where John Lennon made his last ever cameo concert performance in 1974 alongside Elton John. 

Today, it would be unthinkable to demolish a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case back in the 1960s. The very first iteration of Tokyo's Imperial Hotel was built in 1890 but burned down in 1922, paving the way for the Lloyd Wright design seen here, as well as two further annexes.

World-renowned architect Tadao Ando saw the building in his late teens and was "overwhelmed by the immense beauty and richness" of the space, he told The Guardian. "The building itself was exotic in appearance, covered with local Oya stones and ornately designed fixtures," he recalled.

Incredibly, the Imperial withstood the huge 7.9-magnitude Great Kantō earthquake in 1923, suffering only minor damage while many surrounding structures were completely destroyed. Its survival was credited to Lloyd Wright, who had designed the hotel to float on Tokyo's soft mud. The surrounding pool protected the building from fire, which ravaged the city following the quake.

However, while the hotel survived Mother Nature's attacks, it couldn't withstand the changing fashions of the age, nor bomb damage sustained during the Second World War. The iconic building closed its doors in November 1967 and was pulled down soon after.

San Francisco's impressive City Hall is another extraordinary building lost to Mother Nature. Built in the French Second Empire style, it was destroyed in the deadly 1906 earthquake, which killed over 3,000 people and left more than 80% of the city in ruins.

Completed in 1897, it took seven lead architects, 27 years and $6 million to build – that would be around $227 million (£178m) today. Just nine years later, it lay in ruins...

The quake struck at 5:12am. The building was only occupied by officers in the basement police station, all of whom escaped. One recalled hearing the enormous pillars "go cracking with reports like cannon, then falling like thunder" and said the whole building "seemed to be reeling like the cabin of a ship in a storm", according to SFGate.

The publication reported that following the disaster, an architect's report found the building had been designed "without any of the principles of the steel frame construction having been used." A new City Hall was erected nearby and the old building was all but forgotten.

Designed by architect, horticulturalist and UK Member of Parliament Sir Joseph Paxton, the Crystal Palace was built for London's 1851 Great Exhibition. 

The building had a total floor area of around 23 acres and contained eight miles of display tables. The Crystal Palace's most striking feature, its glittering glass skin, was made from 293,655 panes of glass. Even by modern standards, it must have been an extraordinary sight.

More than six million visitors and 14,000 exhibitors attended the Great Exhibition opened by Queen Victoria in May 1851. Later that year the Crystal Palace was dismantled and moved to Sydenham Hill in southeast London, where it served as an entertainment venue until it was destroyed by fire in 1936.

The cause of the fire, which was tackled by almost 400 firefighters, was never confirmed. Only the building's twin water towers survived. However, they were demolished in 1941 for fear they'd be easy targets for German bombers.

Despite its sad end, the beautiful building gave its name to the Crystal Palace area of London.

London's Crystal Palace inspired another glass and iron building, the Paleis voor Volksvlijt – which roughly translates to the Palace of Popular Industry – in Amsterdam. Completed in 1864, the towering structure was topped by a zinc angel holding an illuminated torch. In its 65 years, the palace hosted 23,725 events, including dog shows, hot air balloon rides and masked balls, plus it boasted its own orchestra and organ player. 

However, its popularity gradually declined. In an eerie coincidence, the palace suffered the same fate as the building that had inspired its construction...

One night in April 1929, a fire ripped through the building, which by then was seriously deteriorating. "Meter by meter the ever-growing flames continued to leak. Nothing could stand it", reads a translated quote from a reporter from regional newspaper Haarlems Dagblad, who reportedly witnessed the scene. "Each time I heard pieces crashing down and ominous glass clinking. With a tremendous noise the great angel fell down on the ball, the highest point of the Palace, burning."

As with London's Crystal Palace, the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Built in 1890, it's hard to believe this grand Gothic Revival-style building once housed Melbourne's fish market. More akin to a Disney palace with its ornate turrets, copper spires and clock tower, the market was situated on the corner of Flinders Street and King Street.

In its heyday, it would have been abuzz with activity in the early hours of the morning. "It was quite a colourful scene... a furiously noisy place for those hours", Dr Bruce Bennett, author of The Fish Markets of Melbourne, told The Age. Small boats would dock nearby on the Yarra River and unload their fish at the market, which hawkers would buy and then peddle throughout the city.

Sadly, complaints made by locals regarding the smell of the market, as well as the need to make way for a new overpass, forced the building's closure. Demolition began in 1958 and lasted two years.

For many years, a car park stood in its place, before this office building sprang up. All that remains of the iconic fish market are a pair of wrought-iron gates, which have been relocated to the entrance of a local cemetery. 

This incredible bridge was built between 1884 and 1887, while its two neo-Gothic portals were completed in 1888. It must have been quite an experience for locals to drive their carriages through the gateways and over the water, particularly considering there had been no bridges at all over the Elbe in Hamburg until 1844.

Having been briefly invaded by Napoleon I in the early 19th century, Hamburg thrived in the second half of the century. Transatlantic trade made Hamburg's port the second-largest in Europe and the city's population quadrupled. These prosperous times enabled new building projects, such as the New Elbe Bridge.

Despite its status as a local landmark, the New Elbe Bridge was a victim of Hamburg's success. As the post-war population grew and more people began to travel by car, it was clear the bridge needed to be made wider. As a result, it was modified in 1959 and its brick and sandstone portals were lost forever.

While they may not be the prettiest structures on our list, Athlone Power Station's cooling towers were landmarks nonetheless. From 1962, people entering Cape Town would be greeted by the distinctive views of Table Mountain and the twin cooling towers welcoming them into the vibrant city. They "made Cape Town feel like Cape Town," according to The Mail & Guardian. 

It's perhaps not surprising then that many local residents were left "distraught" by their demolition in 2010.

Known as 'the two ladies of Athlone', the towers were demolished in just eight seconds on 22 August 2010.

Luckily, the power station's more attractive red brick main building still survives, although there is uncertainty surrounding its future. Residents living nearby want it to be used for housing or for informal trading, like a grand bazaar, while one local official has raised its "potential to enhance the city’s energy landscape," according to Independent Online. Watch this space...

Around 1780, the Ajyad Fortress was built in Saudi Arabia under Ottoman rule. It can be seen perched upon a hill in the upper left of this photo taken around 1880. It was built to protect Mecca's Kaaba, a stone building at the heart of the Masjid al-Haram – also known as the Sacred Mosque – Islam's holiest site.

Every Muslim adult is called to make hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in their lifetime and as the numbers of pilgrims have grown, so too have the buildings of Mecca. As a result, the Ajyad Fortress – and the very hill it stood on – was demolished in 2002.

In its place now stands the fourth-tallest building in the world, the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower. The 1,972-foot-high structure cost $15 billion (£12bn) and can be seen more than 15 miles away. The tower, which is adorned with mosaics and inlaid with gold, shoots lights into the sky – a far cry from the centuries-old castle it replaced.

Turkey's Culture Minister at the time labelled the demolition of the old fort as a "cultural massacre" and an attempt to destroy Turkey's heritage in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's Islamic Affairs Minister insisted it was in the interest of Muslims all over the world.

The Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, also known as New Tower or Torre Nueva, was a clock tower built in 1504. At 262 feet, it was the tallest Mudéjar-style tower to be erected in centuries and it took 15 months to complete.

However, it began to list dangerously and it seems the rapid construction may have been one of the reasons for its wonky appearance. Another contributing factor was believed to be the base, a 16-point star holding up three octagonal tiers, which was reinforced in 1860. Despite its quirks, the tower stood for an impressive 388 years.

Eventually, the clock stopped working and storms and icy weather further damaged the tower. The public began to fear the building would topple over at any moment and, despite protest, it was decided in 1892 that the Torre Nueva was to be dismantled.

Somewhat strangely considering the fears of the townspeople, the tower was opened to the public before it was destroyed so they could enjoy the view from their beloved landmark and bid it farewell. Once demolished, they were able to buy bricks as souvenirs.

Today, a poignant statue of a boy stares up at the empty space left by the tower.

This extraordinary estate has been the country seat of the Grosvenor family since the 1670s. A sizeable house has existed on the spot since the 17th century, but it was revamped a number of times over the centuries before it reached this iteration, designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1881 after a 12-year build.

With more than 150 bedrooms, the stately home was often used by Hugh Grosvenor, the first Duke of Westminster, to throw lavish parties. At the time, the 11,000-acre estate was home to 50 acres of formal gardens and terraces and must have been an impressive sight.

After the Second World War, Eaton Hall suffered from dry rot and fell into disrepair. The contents of the grand home were sold off from 1955 and it was finally demolished in the early 1960s, leaving only the chapel (pictured left) and stables.

In 1967, the hall was replaced by this version, pictured here in 1991 with the 6th Duke of Westminster and his family. However, its flat roof and white travertine façade were not considered sympathetic to its setting and shortly after this photo was taken, the building was refaced in the style of a pink French château.

An oasis in the Syrian desert, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Palmyra contains the ruins of one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. First mentioned in writing in the 2nd millennium BC, the city flourished under the Romans and became an important stop on the trade route between the Roman Empire and Persia, India and China.

Construction on the Temple of Bel started in 32 BC and it became an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the Mesopotamian god Bel. Its ruins were some of the best preserved at Palmyra.

Shockingly, Islamic State (ISIS) militants blew up the ancient temple and laid waste to Palmyra in August 2015. Only the main entrance arch survives, as we can see in this photo taken in February 2021.

Palmyra's senseless destruction was labelled a "war crime" by the then-UNESCO chief, Irina Bokova. The Syrian Army finally gained back control of the site in March 2017, although ISIS left the site heavily studded with mines and traps, which has hampered restoration attempts.

Looking more like a church you might find in Europe rather than New Zealand, the Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament was widely considered one of the most impressive examples of religious architecture in Australasia. Built between 1901 and 1905, it was made from monolithic concrete covered in Oamaru limestone and its "majestic scale, simplicity and luminosity of the interior" has been acknowledged as architect Fran­cis William Petre's finest work, according to the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.

When George Bernard Shaw toured New Zealand in 1934, he compared the cathedral to the work of famed Italian Renaissance architect, Brunelleschi.

On 4 September 2010, Christchurch was slammed by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that severely damaged the cathedral. Sadly, worse was to come and in February 2011 a shallower tremor and its aftershocks further ruined the building and killed 185 people, making it New Zealand's fifth-deadliest disaster.

The cathedral was fenced off and deconstructed over the following years until it was eventually demolished in June 2021.

The ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh was encircled by a massive stone and mudbrick wall dating from around 700 BC. The 7.4-mile-long wall was punctuated by 15 massive gates, including this one, pictured in 1977. 

Named after the Mesopotamian god of war and the underworld, the Nergal Gate was flanked by two 14-foot sculptures of winged bull-men, or lamassu, possibly because bulls were associated with the deity. The gates were partially reconstructed in the 20th century.

Sadly, the Nergal Gate was destroyed by ISIS in 2015. Video footage released by the group at the time showed a militant attacking the face of one of the gate's winged bull statues with a pneumatic drill. "Really I find it the most iconic of what ISIS destroyed," one leading Iraqi archaeologist told the BBC.

Later the gate was bulldozed, as this picture taken in January 2017 shows. Nineveh's Mashki Gate suffered the same fate.

Commissioned by Catherine de’ Medici, queen consort of Henry II of France and regent of France, work on the Tuileries Palace began in 1564 and lasted for 200 years, thanks to numerous additions and alterations over the decades. The massive building stood opposite the Louvre on the right bank of the Seine and was named Les Tuileries after the craftspeople who used to make 'tuiles' or roof tiles on the land.

While its famous gardens still remain today and have been enjoyed by monarchs and the public alike, the palace itself was not so lucky...

The Palace's final royal inhabitants were Napoleon III and his wife, Empress Eugénie. They held court beneath a canopy of violet velvet embroidered with gold, while their imperial apartments were decorated in an extraordinarily opulent style with an abundance of gold leaf and paintings everywhere, even on the ceiling.

However, Napoleon III wasn't able to hang onto power and was deposed in 1870. Just a year later on the night of 23 May 1871, as the National Guard clashed with the revolutionary Paris Commune, dozens of landmark buildings across the city burned to the ground. The Tuileries Palace was one of them. Its ruins stood for over 10 years before they were eventually pulled down in 1883.

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