The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word WATCHTOWER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
W
A
T
C
H
T
O
W
E
R
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "tall building" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case tall building = watchtower.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does WATCHTOWER mean?
WATCHTOWER noun- An observation tower in which a lookout keeps watch over prisoners, or looks out for fires, etc.