Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is home to over 125 completed high-rise buildings of at least 115 feet (35 m),[1] 32 of which exceed 300 feet (91 m). The tallest building in Pittsburgh is the 64-story U.S. Steel Tower, which rises 841 feet (256 m), was completed in 1970,[2] and is also the fifth tallest building in Pennsylvania. The second-tallest skyscraper in the city is BNY Mellon Center, which rises 725 feet (221 m).[3]
The history of skyscrapers in Pittsburgh began with the 1895 completion of the Carnegie Building; this structure, rising 13 floors, was the first steel-framed skyscraper to be constructed in the city.[4][5] It never held the title of tallest structure in the city, however, as it did not surpass the 249-foot (76 m) tower of the Allegheny County Courthouse, which was completed in 1888.[6] The Carnegie Building was later demolished in 1952 to make way for an expansion of a Kaufmann's (now Burlington) department store.[7] Pittsburgh experienced a large building boom from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. During this time, 11 of the city's 20 tallest buildings were constructed, including the city's three tallest structures, the U.S. Steel Tower, BNY Mellon Center, and PPG Place. As of January 2020[update] the entire city had 10 completed skyscrapers that rise at least 492 feet (150 m), which ranks Pittsburgh's skyline 14th in the United States and 90th in the world, with two skyscrapers exceeding 700 feet (213 m).[8][A]
Unlike many other major American cities, Pittsburgh was the site of relatively few skyscraper construction projects in the first two decades of the 21st century. Only two skyscrapers over 300 feet (91 m) have been completed since 2000. The 361-foot (110 m) Three PNC Plaza was completed in 2010,[11] and the 545-foot (166 m) Tower at PNC Plaza was completed in 2015, making it the city's most recently completed skyscraper.[12] Overall, as of September, 2022[update], there is one high-rise building over 300 feet (91 m) under construction, the FNB Financial Center.[13]
Tallest buildings
This list ranks completed and topped out Pittsburgh skyscrapers that stand at least 300 feet (91 m) tall, based on standard height measurements. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. An asterisk (*) indicates that the building is still under construction, but has been topped out. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.
| Rank | Name | Image | Height ft (m) | Floors | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Steel Tower |  | 841 (256) | 64 | 1970 | 58th-tallest building in the United States, 5th tallest in Pennsylvania. Has been the tallest building in the city since 1970, and was the tallest building in the state from 1970 until the 1987 completion of One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1970s. Known as the USX Tower between 1986 and 2000.[2][14] Corporate headquarters of U.S. Steel[15] and UPMC.[16] |
| 2 | BNY Mellon Center |  | 725 (221) | 54 | 1983 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1980s. Formerly known as One Mellon Center during its period as corporate headquarters of Mellon Financial.[3][17] Bank of New York Mellon currently has its largest concentration of employees in the facility.[18] |
| 3 | One PPG Place |  | 635 (194) | 40 | 1984 | Corporate headquarters of PPG Industries and co-headquarters of Kraft Heinz.[19][20][21] |
| 4 | Fifth Avenue Place |  | 616 (188) | 32 | 1988 | Corporate headquarters of Highmark.[22][23][24] |
| 5 | One Oxford Centre |  | 615 (187) | 45 | 1983 | Originally corporate headquarters of Oxford Development, now a multi-tenanted building.[25][26][27][28] |
| 6 | Gulf Tower |  | 582 (177) | 44 | 1932 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1930s.[29][30] Name references structure's status as former headquarters of Gulf Oil, although the site has functioned as a multi-tenant building since 1982.[31] |
| 7 | Tower at PNC Plaza |  | 544 (166) | 33 | 2015 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 2010s. Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters.[12][32][33] |
| 8 | Cathedral of Learning |  | 535 (163) | 42 | 1936 | Second-tallest university building in the world, behind the main building of Moscow State University. Tallest building in the city located outside of Downtown. Landmark structure of the University of Pittsburgh.[34][35] |
| 9 | 525 William Penn Place |  | 520 (158) | 41 | 1951 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1950s.[36][37] Originally housed corporate headquarters of both U.S. Steel and Mellon Financial. Signage rights belong to largest tenant Citizens Financial Group.[38] |
| 10 | K&L Gates Center |  | 511 (156) | 39 | 1968 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1960s. Originally known as One Oliver Plaza and formerly named for lead tenants FreeMarkets and later Ariba.[39][40] Corporate headquarters of K&L Gates.[41] |
| 11 | Grant Building |  | 485 (148) | 40 | 1930 | Signage rights belong to largest tenant Huntington Bancshares.[42][43][44] |
| 12 | Koppers Tower |  | 475 (145) | 34 | 1929 | Tallest building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1920s.[45][46] Corporate headquarters of Koppers.[47] |
| 13 | Two PNC Plaza |  | 445 (136) | 34 | 1975 | Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters.[48][49] |
| 14 | EQT Plaza |  | 430 (131) | 32 | 1987 | Corporate headquarters of EQT. Formerly named for CNG and Dominion Energy before these entities were acquired via merger.[50][51][52] |
| 15 | One PNC Plaza |  | 424 (129) | 30 | 1972 | Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters.[53][54] |
| 16 | The Residences at the Alcoa Building |  | 410 (125) | 30 | 1953 | First skyscraper with an all-aluminum facade. Formerly the corporate headquarters of Alcoa before its relocation to a low-rise structure. Then known as the Regional Enterprises Tower during a period of multi-tenant occupancy.[55][56] Converted to the city's tallest residential structure in 2016.[57] |
| 17 | Federated Tower |  | 358 (109) | 27 | 1986 | Corporate headquarters of Federated Investors.[58][59] |
| 18 | 11 Stanwix Street |  | 355 (108) | 23 | 1970 | Former corporate headquarters of Westinghouse Electric Corporation.[60] Signage rights owned by largest tenant KeyBank.[61][62][63] |
| 19 | Oliver Building |  | 347 (106) | 25 | 1910 | Tallest existing building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1910s[64][65] In 2015, one-third of the structure's floor space was converted from office to hotel use.[66] |
| 20= | Three PNC Plaza |  | 344 (105) | 23 | 2010 | Part of PNC Financial Services corporate headquarters. Signage rights owned by largest tenant Reed Smith.[11][67][68][69] |
| 20= | Three Gateway Center |  | 344 (105) | 24 | 1952 | [70][71] |
| 22 | Centre City Tower |  | 341 (104) | 26 | 1971 | Signage rights owned by largest tenant Huntington Bancshares.[72][73][74] |
| 23 | William S. Moorhead Federal Building |  | 340 (104) | 23 | 1964 | [75][76] |
| 24 | Verizon Building |  | 339 (103) | 21 | 1931 | [77][78] |
| 25 | Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown |  | 333 (101) | 22 | 1959 | Tallest all-hotel building in the city. Formerly operated as a Hilton property.[79][80] |
| 26 | Frick Building |  | 330 (101) | 20 | 1902 | Tallest existing building constructed in Pittsburgh in the 1900s.[81][82] |
| 27 | Four Gateway Center |  | 305 (93) | 22 | 1960 | [83][84] |
| 28= | City View |  | 300 (91) | 24 | 1964 | Apartment structure. Formerly known as Washington Plaza.[85][86] |
| 28= | Commonwealth Building |  | 300 (91) | 21 | 1906 | Conversion to apartment building began October 2019.[87][88][89] |
| 28= | The Carlyle |  | 300 (91) | 22 | 1906 | Converted to condominiums in 2006.[90] While serving as an office building, was named for Union National Bank and, later, its successor Integra Bank.[91][92] |
Tallest approved or under construction
Skyscrapers approved or under construction in Pittsburgh that are to be at least 300 feet (91 m) tall:
| Name | Height ft (m) | Floors | Year* (est.) | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNB Financial Center | 418 (127) | 26 | 2024 | Topped Out | Groundbreaking held on September 1, 2021. Building topped out on May 18, 2023. [93][94][95][96] |
| 1501 Penn Former Wholey Warehouse Building | 340 (104) | 23 | 2024 | Approved | [97] [98] |
* Table entries with dashes (—) indicate that information regarding building dates of completion has not yet been released.
Timeline of tallest buildings
This lists buildings that once held the title of tallest building in Pittsburgh.
| Name | Image | Street address | Years as tallest | Height ft (m) | Floors | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Episcopal Cathedral |  | 328 Sixth Avenue | 1872–1888 | 200 (61) | N/A | [99] |
| Allegheny County Courthouse |  | 436 Grant Street | 1888–1902 | 249 (76) | 5 | [6] |
| Farmers Bank Building[B] | .jpg) | 301 Fifth Avenue | 1902–1910 | 344 (105) | 25 | [100] |
| Oliver Building | | 535 Smithfield Street | 1910–1912 | 347 (106) | 25 | [64] |
| First National Bank Building[C] | .jpg) | 511 Wood Street at Fifth Avenue | 1912–1929 | 387 (118) | 26 | [101] |
| Koppers Tower | | 436 7th Avenue | 1929-1930 | 475 (145) | 34 | [45] |
| Grant Building | | 330 Grant Street | 1930–1932 | 485 (148) | 40 | [42] |
| Gulf Building | | 707 Grant Street | 1932–1970 | 582 (177) | 44 | [29] |
| U.S. Steel Tower | | 600 Grant Street | 1970–present | 841 (256) | 64 | [2] |
Tallest destroyed
This table lists buildings in Pittsburgh that were demolished and at one time stood at least 300 feet (91 m).
| Name | Height feet (m) | Floors | Year Completed | Year Destroyed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First National Bank Building | 387 (118) | 26 | 1912 | 1970 | Demolished to make room for One PNC Plaza.[101][102] |
| Farmers Bank Building | 344 (105) | 25 | 1902 | 1997 | Demolished to construct Lazarus department store.[100][103] |
See also
Explanatory notes
References
Specific
General
- "Pittsburgh - The Skyscraper Center". CTBUH. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
Further reading
- "Pittsburgh Then & Now"—Six-page Pittsburgh Post-Gazette feature on some of the city's iconic skyscrapers]
- "Who owns the skyline?"—News feature
- "A Mix of Old, New Buildings Gives City a Profile All Its Own"—1982 news feature on city's skyscraper boom
- "Tale of Two Towers: Similarities Only Skin Deep in 2 New Skyscrapers"—News feature
External links
- Diagram of Pittsburgh skyscrapers on SkyscraperPage