PPG Place
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PPG Place is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania skyline. Although it is most well known for its tower, it is actually a complex of six buildings, all of matching glass design. It incorporates neogothic architecture in its design. The complex is named for its main tenant, the Pittsburgh Plate Glass company.
PPG Place, designed by influential American architect Philip Johnson and his partner John Burgee, was completed in 1984 and its main tower has 40 floors. It rises 635 feet (194 m) above Downtown Pittsburgh. Johnson designed the building to serve as the modern "plaything" for the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. It lies on three separate blocks bound by Forbes Avenue and The Blvd. of the Allies on its north and south sides, and Stanwix Street and Wood St. on its east and west (Though it does not touch Wood St.)
The plaza at the centre is a popular meeting place, especially in the winter when the water fountain and obelisk (sometimes called the "Tomb of the Unknown Bowler" for its odd design involving a base with four round spheres supporting it) at the center of the plaza are covered with a large Christmas tree and ice-skating rink. During the summer, the fountain is frequented by families looking to cool off, which PPG cautiously allows. A parking garage lies beneath the plaza.
[edit] Trivia
- The building is sometimes called the "crystal palace" by PPG employees.
- The PPG Place was used as a set in the first Disney "Inspector Gadget" film.
- A composite image of the main tower of PPG Place and the Oxford Centre is used as the Fiddler's Green luxury high-rise in the movie Land of the Dead.
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