the character is the building

[Chest Rockwell]

Yea, Hitchcock in general is a good place to start (while the bad thing about Hitchcock is that he's a good place to start for any topic). Vertigo also has the tower that represents Scottie's masculinity and subsequently his failing masculinity and reclamation thereof. One could make a similar statement about the Empire State Building in King Kong, or the apartment in The Apartment.

Films-noir and German Expressionist films were dependent on their locations. The lighting/framing made these places ominous and imposing. Nosferatu and The Third Man are pretty good examples of this.

Citizen Kane. Grand Hotel (setting a Depression-era drama about greed 'n' money in a romantic elite hotel).

Rather literal examples: The Haunting, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (the trailer, anyways), Willy Wonka, James and the Giant Peach (if you count the peach). I don't think that's what you were thinking about, but it couldn't hurt.