PPL Building

PPL Building
Alternative names Pennsylvania Power and Light Building
General information
Status Complete
Type Commercial offices
Architectural style Art Deco / Art Moderne
Location 2 North 9th Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°36′05″N 75°28′33″W / 40.6014°N 75.4758°W / 40.6014; -75.4758Coordinates: 40°36′05″N 75°28′33″W / 40.6014°N 75.4758°W / 40.6014; -75.4758
Construction started 1926
Completed 1928
Height
Roof 98.02 m (321.6 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 24
Floor area 19,094 m2 (205,530 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators 6
Design and construction
Architect Helmle, Corbett & Harrison
References
[1][2][3]

The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, is a 24-story, 98 m (322 ft) skyscraper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the tallest building in the city, and the second tallest in the Lehigh Valley after Bethlehem's Martin Tower. The building serves as the headquarters for PPL Corporation, the main electric utility for the Lehigh Valley.

The PPL Building is often uniquely illuminated at night, especially during the Christmas season.[4] During the 1960s, PPL supported the local United Fund community fund drive program by using the building's brightly lit windows at night to spell out the abbreviation "U.F." to remind area residents to contribute to the fund drive.

History

The PPL Building was built from 1926 to 1928. It was built by Pennsylvania Power & Light, forerunner of PPL, and to this day has been the headquarters of the company. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneer Harvey Wiley Corbett, who would later have a hand in designing New York's Rockefeller Center among other buildings. The building exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko.[2] In 1930, the PPL Building was named the "best example of a modern office building" by Encyclopædia Britannica, and also featured the world's fastest elevator.

Exterior shots of the building were used in the motion picture Executive Suite.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PPL Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Database.
  2. 1 2 PPL Building at Emporis
  3. ↑ "PPL Building". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ↑ "Christmas lights on PPL building date to the 1950s". The Morning Call. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
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