The construction process of the Shalom Mayer skyscraper in Tel Aviv marked a turning point in the architectural and cultural character of the city, transforming it from `Little Tel Aviv` into a vertical, modern and capitalist city. These processes raised a heated public debate between `preservers` and `destroyers`. The conflict, I argue, is reflected in a group of Israeli films that use the image of that pioneering high-tower for presenting in a critical way the negative aspects engendered by such processes. The two prominent sites for these films are the City Hall and Shalom Tower, along with the department store it housed. I examine the differences between films centered on a male protagonist – Lupo! (Menahem Golan, 1970) and The Big Dig (Ephraim Kishon, 1969) – and films centered on a female protagonist – 999 Aliza: The Policeman (Menahem Golan, 1967) and the episode Divorce in the film Tel Aviv Stories (Ayelet Menachemi and Nirit Yaron, 1992). The main argument is that only in films with a female subject in the lead role, which also include gendered critique, the struggle is fruitful and results in changing the reality and eliminating corruption.