Philadelphia, the largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is home to more than 300 completed high-rise buildings up to 330 feet (101 m),[1] and 58 completed skyscrapers of 330 feet (101 m) or taller,[2] of which 34 are 400 feet (122 m) or taller and are listed below.
As of 2018[update], the tallest building in the city is the 60-story Comcast Technology Center,[3] which topped out at 1,150 feet (351 m) in Center City on November 27, 2017, and was opened in 2018.[4][5][6]
Comcast Technology Center is the tallest building in the United States outside New York City and Chicago, and is ranked as the 14th-tallest building in the United States, and as the 96th-tallest in the world.[4] The second-tallest building in Philadelphia is the 58-story Comcast Center at 974 feet (297 m),[7] while the third-tallest building is One Liberty Place, which rises 61 floors and 945 feet (288 m).[8] One Liberty Place stood as the tallest building in Pennsylvania for over 20 years until the completion of Comcast Center in 2008. Seven of the ten tallest buildings in Pennsylvania are in Philadelphia; the remainder are in Pittsburgh.[9] Philadelphia is one of only five American cities with two or more completed buildings over 900 feet (274 m) tall; the others are New York City, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.[10]
Philadelphia's history of tall buildings is generally thought to have begun with the 1754 addition of the steeple to Christ Church, which was one of America's first high-rise structures.[11] Through most of the 20th century, a "gentlemen's agreement" and economic restraints[12] prevented buildings from rising higher than the 548-ft (167-m) Philadelphia City Hall.[13] Despite this, Philadelphia amassed a large collection of high-rise buildings. The completion of One Liberty Place in 1987 broke the agreement,[13] and Philadelphia has since seen the construction of eleven skyscrapers that eclipse City Hall in height.[2]
Philadelphia has twice held the tallest habitable building in North America, first with Christ Church, then with City Hall. The latter reigned as the world's tallest building from 1894 to 1908, and is currently the world's second-tallest masonry building, only 1.6 feet (0.49 m) shorter[14] than Mole Antonelliana in Turin.[15][16] Like other large American cities, Philadelphia experienced a massive building boom in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in the completion of 20 skyscrapers of 330 feet (101 m) or taller.[17]
Tallest buildings
This list ranks completed and topped out skyscrapers in Center City Philadelphia that stand at least 400 feet (122 m) tall, based on standard height measurement, including spires and architectural details but excluding antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. The only demolished building that would have ranked on this list was the 492-foot (150 m) One Meridian Plaza, razed in 1999.[18]
| Rank | Name | Image | Height ft (m) | Floors | Year | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comcast Technology Center | .jpg) | 1,121 (342) | 60 | 2018 | 1800 Arch Street | Construction broke ground July 2014; topped out on November 27, 2017;[5][6] currently the tallest building in Pennsylvania, and the tallest building in the United States outside Manhattan and Chicago, the 14th-tallest building in the United States; opened to staff in July 2018 and the public in October 2018; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 2010s[19][20][21] |
| 2 | Comcast Center |  | 974 (297) | 58 | 2008 | 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd | 2nd-tallest building in Pennsylvania, 31st-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 2000s[7][22][23] |
| 3 | One Liberty Place |  | 945 (288) | 61 | 1987 | 1650 Market Street | Philadelphia's first skyscraper taller than City Hall. Third-tallest building in the state; 28th-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1980s[8][24][25] |
| 4 | Two Liberty Place |  | 848 (258) | 58 | 1990 | 1601 Chestnut Street | 48th-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1990s[26][27][28] |
| 5 | BNY Mellon Center | _cropped.jpg) | 792 (241) | 54 | 1990 | 1735 Market Street | 63rd-tallest building in the country, also known as Nine Penn Center[29][30][31] |
| 6 | Three Logan Square |  | 739 (225) | 55 | 1991 | 1717 Arch Street | 112th-tallest building in the country, formerly known as Bell Atlantic Tower and Verizon Tower[32][33][34][35] |
| 7 | FMC Tower at Cira Centre South |  | 736 (224) | 49 | 2016 | 2929 Walnut Street | 121st-tallest building in the country, the tallest building in Philadelphia outside Center City[36] |
| 8 | G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building |  | 625 (191) | 45 | 1990 | 1901 Market Street | Formerly known as the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Tower and the IBX Tower[37][38][39] |
| 9 | The W Philadelphia and Element Philadelphia |  | 617 (188) | 51 | 2020 | 1441 Chestnut Street | tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 2020s[40][41][42] |
| 10 | The Laurel and 1909 Rittenhouse |  | 604 (184) | 50 | 2022 | 1909-11 Walnut Street | Tallest residential building in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania[43] |
| 11= | One Commerce Square |  | 565 (172) | 41 | 1987 | 2005 W. Market Street | One and Two Commerce Square are currently the tallest twin buildings in Philadelphia and sixth-tallest twin buildings in the United States.[44][45] |
| 11= | Two Commerce Square | | 565 (172) | 41 | 1992 | 2001 W. Market Street | One and Two Commerce Square are currently the tallest twin buildings in Philadelphia and 6th-tallest twin buildings in the United States.[45][46] |
| 13 | Philadelphia City Hall |  | 548 (167) | 9 | 1901 | 1 Penn Square | 1901 is the official year of completion and the transfer of ownership to the city government; however, the tower had been topped out in 1894[14] and the building had been partially occupied by then,[47][48] making it the tallest habitable building in the United States and the world from 1894 until the completion of the Singer Building in 1908;tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1900s.[49][50] |
| 14 | Arthaus | 528 (161) | 47 | 2022 | 301 S. Broad Street | [51] | |
| 15 | The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton |  | 518 (158) | 48 | 2009 | 1414 South Penn Square | [52][53][54] |
| 16 | 1818 Market Street |  | 500 (152) | 40 | 1974 | 1818 Market Street | Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1970s[55][56] |
| 17 | The St. James |  | 498 (152) | 45 | 2004 | 200 West Washington Square | Tallest building located east of Broad Street[57][58] When constructed in 2003, the St. James was the tallest apartment building in Philadelphia.[59] |
| 18 | Loews Philadelphia Hotel |  | 492 (150) | 36 | 1932 | 1200 Market Street | Formerly known as the PSFS Building;[60] tallest hotel in the city until the Four Seasons opened in the Comcast Technology Center, tallest building in Philadelphia completed in the 1930s, 2nd-tallest in Philadelphia at the time of completion, the building reaches a height of 750 feet (229 m) with its antenna, total building area is 631,006 square feet (58,622.4 m2);[61][62][63][64] |
| 19 | PNC Bank Building |  | 491 (150) | 40 | 1983 | 1600 Market Street | [65][66] |
| 20= | Centre Square II |  | 490 (149) | 40 | 1973 | Market and 15th streets | [67][68] |
| 20= | Five Penn Center |  | 490 (149) | 36 | 1970 | 1601 Market Street | [69][70] |
| 22 | Murano |  | 475 (145) | 43 | 2008 | 2101 Market Street | [71][72][73] |
| 23 | One South Broad |  | 472 (144) | 28 | 1932 | 1 S. Broad Street | Formerly known as the Lincoln-Liberty Building and the PNB (Philadelphia National Bank) Building[74][75] |
| 24= | 2000 Market Street |  | 435 (133) | 29 | 1973 | 2000 Market Street | [76][77] |
| 24= | Two Logan Square |  | 435 (133) | 35 | 1987 | 100 N. 18th Street | [78][79] |
| 26 | Cira Centre |  | 434 (132) | 28 | 2005 | 30th and Arch streets | [80][81] |
| 27= | 1700 Market |  | 430 (131) | 32 | 1968 | 1700 Market Street | Tallest building completed in the 1960s[82][83] |
| 27= | Evo at Cira Centre South |  | 430 (131) | 33 | 2014 | 2930 Chestnut Street | [84][85][86] |
| 29 | 1835 Market Street |  | 425 (130) | 29 | 1986 | 1835 Market Street | Name was changed from Eleven Penn Center in 2003[87][88] |
| 30 | Centre Square I | | 417 (127) | 32 | 1973 | Market and 15th streets | [89][90] |
| 31 | Jefferson Tower |  | 412 (126) | 32 | 1984 | 1101 Market Street | Formerly known as One Reading Center and the Aramark Tower.[91][92] |
| 32 | Wells Fargo Building |  | 405 (123) | 29 | 1927 | 123 S. Broad Street | tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1920s[93][94] |
| 33 | 1706 Rittenhouse |  | 401 (122) | 33 | 2010 | 1706 Rittenhouse Square | [95] |
| 34 | One Logan Square |  | 400 (122) | 31 | 1983 | 130 N. 18th Street | [96][97] |
Tallest under construction, approved, and proposed
Buildings of at least 400 feet (122 m) tall that are under construction, approved, or proposed.
Under Construction
| Name | Height | Floors | Year (est.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Mark | 414 (126) | 34 | Marketed as student housing in University City.[98] |
Approved
| Name | Height ft (m) | Floors | Year (est.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Square | 620 (189) | 52 | If built, it will become the tallest residential building in Philadelphia.[99] | |
| 1826 Chestnut Street | 550 (168) | 42 | [100] |
Proposed
| Name | Height | Floors | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transit Terminal Tower | 1,200 (366) | 85 | Would be the tallest in Pennsylvania if built.[101] |
| 3101 Market | 1,095 (334) | 70 | Would be the second tallest in the city if built. Part of the Schuylkill Yards development.[102] |
| 3001 JFK Boulevard | 512 (156) | 34 | Part of the Schuylkill Yards development.[103][104] |
| Two Cathedral Square | 470 (143) | 34 | Part of the Cathedral Square development.[105] |
| 1301 Market Street | 460 (140) | 32 | [106][107] |
| Mellon Independence Center Tower | 429 (131) | 30 | Also called the MIC Tower.[108] |
| The Arbour House | 414 (126) | 35 | Also known as 708 Sansom Street.[109] |
Timeline of tallest buildings
Philadelphia has seen few city record-holders compared to other cities with comparable skylines. Although churches, cathedrals, and the like are not technically considered to be skyscrapers, Christ Church, after being surmounted with its lofty spire in 1754, stood as its tallest building for 102 years before being surpassed by the (no longer extant) spire of Tenth Presbyterian Church, which was surpassed by City Hall in 1894. Then, due to the "gentlemen's agreement" not to build higher than the top of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall,[13] that building stood as the city's tallest structure for 93 years; it also held the world record for tallest habitable building from 1894 until the 1908 completion of the Singer Building in New York City.
| Name | Image | Street address | Years as tallest | Height ft (m) | Floors | Architect | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Hall |  | 520 Chestnut Street | 1748–1754 | 134 (41) | 2 | Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton | |
| Christ Church |  | 20 North American Street | 1754–1856 | 196 (60) | — | Robert Smith | [11][110] |
| Tenth Presbyterian Church |  | 17th & Spruce Streets | 1856–1894 | 250 (76) | — | John McArthur Jr. | [111] |
| Philadelphia City Hall |  | Broad & Market Streets | 1894–1987 | 548 (167) | 9 | John McArthur Jr. | [14][49][112] |
| One Liberty Place |  | 1650 Market Street | 1987–2008 | 945 (288) | 61 | Helmut Jahn | [8][113] |
| Comcast Center |  | 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard | 2008–2017 | 974 (297) | 57 | Robert A. M. Stern Architects | [7][22] |
| Comcast Technology Center |  | 1800 Arch Street | 2017–present | 1,121 (342) | 60 | Norman Foster | [19] |
See also
References
- General
- Specific
External links
- Diagram of Philadelphia skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage
- Philadelphia Center for Architecture