List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia

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Philadelphia skyline as seen from the South Street Bridge in November 2007
Philadelphia skyline as seen from the South Street Bridge in November 2007
The Philadelphia skyline, prior to the construction of Comcast Center, showing (from left to right) the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, Two Liberty Place, Centre Square I and II, One Liberty Place, the Mellon Bank Center, the Philadelphia City Hall, and the Bell Atlantic Tower
The Philadelphia skyline, prior to the construction of Comcast Center, showing (from left to right) the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, Two Liberty Place, Centre Square I and II, One Liberty Place, the Mellon Bank Center, the Philadelphia City Hall, and the Bell Atlantic Tower

This list of tallest buildings in Philadelphia ranks skyscrapers in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by height. The tallest building in the city is currently the 57-story Comcast Center, which rises 975 feet (297 meters).[1] Comcast Center is currently the 14th tallest building in the United States. It was topped out on June 18, 2007, thereby becoming the tallest building in the city and the state.[2] Another famous Philadelphia skyscraper is One Liberty Place, which is the city's 2nd-tallest building and the 17th-tallest building in the country.[3] Five of the ten tallest buildings in Pennsylvania are in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's history of tall buildings is generally thought to begin with the 1744 completion of Christ Church, which served as one of America's first high-rise structures.[4] In the early 20th century, a 'gentlemen's agreement' existed that prevented buildings from rising higher than the 548-foot (167 m) Philadelphia City Hall.[5] Despite this agreement, Philadelphia amassed a large collection of high-rise buildings. The completion of One Liberty Place in 1987 broke the gentleman's agreement,[5] and since then Philadelphia has seen the construction of seven skyscrapers that eclipse the City Hall in height.

Philadelphia has twice held the tallest habitable building in the United States, first with Christ Church and then with City Hall. Philadelphia City Hall reigned as the world's tallest building from 1901 to 1908,[6] and remains the world's tallest masonry building.[7] Like other large American cities, Philadelphia went through a massive building boom in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in the completion of over 20 high-rise buildings. The city is the site of 10 skyscrapers at least 500 feet (152 m) tall. Overall, Philadelphia's skyline is ranked (based on existing and under-construction buildings over 500 feet (152 m) tall) third in the Northeast (after New York City and Boston) and 12th in the United States, after New York, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas and Seattle.[A]

Contents


Philadelphia's skyline in 2004, before the construction of Comcast Center
Philadelphia's skyline in 2004, before the construction of Comcast Center

[edit] Tallest buildings

Philadelphia's tallest completed building, One Liberty Place, with Two Liberty Place visible in the distance
Philadelphia's tallest completed building, One Liberty Place, with Two Liberty Place visible in the distance
Mellon Bank Center, the 4th-tallest building in the city, with One Liberty Place visible in the distance
Mellon Bank Center, the 4th-tallest building in the city, with One Liberty Place visible in the distance
Bell Atlantic Tower, Philadelphia's 5th-tallest building
Bell Atlantic Tower, Philadelphia's 5th-tallest building
Cira Centre, the city's 20th-tallest building
Cira Centre, the city's 20th-tallest building

This lists ranks Philadelphia skyscrapers that stand at least 400 feet (122 meters) tall, based on standard height measurement.[8] This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. Existing structures are included for ranking purposes based on present height. The only demolished building that would have ranked on this list was the 492 ft (150 m) One Meridian Plaza, which was razed in 1999.[9]

Rank Name Height
feet / m		 Floors Year Notes
1 Comcast Center 975 / 297 57 2008 Under Construction - this building was topped out in June 2007, becoming the tallest building in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. It is currently the 14th-tallest building in the United States and the 42nd-tallest in the world.[10][1]
2 One Liberty Place 945 / 288 61 1987 Tallest completed skyscraper in the city and state. Currently the 18th-tallest building in the country and the 50th-tallest in the world. Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1980s.[3][11][12]
3 Two Liberty Place 848 / 258 58 1990 Currently the 33rd-tallest building in the country and 103rd-tallest in the world. Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1990s.[13][14][15]
4 Mellon Bank Center 792 / 241 54 1990 Currently the 44th-tallest building in the country and the 157th-tallest in the world. Also known as Nine Penn Center.[16][17][18]
5 Bell Atlantic Tower 739 / 225 55 1991 Currently the 80th-tallest building in the country. Also known as Verizon Tower.[19][20][21]
6 G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building 625 / 191 45 1990 Formerly known as the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Tower and the IBX Tower.[22][23][24]
7= One Commerce Square 565 / 172 41 1992 Last of the first boom of "Trophy Towers" constructed in the early 1990s. [25][26]
7= Two Commerce Square 565 / 172 41 1987 [27][26]
9 Philadelphia City Hall 548 / 167 9 1901 Tallest building in the United States and the world from 1901 until the completion of the Singer Building in 1908.[7][28]
10 1818 Market Street 500 / 152 40 1974 Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1970s.[29][30]
11 The St. James 498 / 152 45 2004 Tallest all-residential building in the city. Tallest building located east of Broad Street.[31][32]
12 Loews Philadelphia Hotel 492 / 150 36 1932 Known commonly as the PSFS Building.[33] Tallest hotel in the city. With its antenna included, the building reaches a total height of 750 feet (229 m), making it the 5th-tallest building in the city when measuring to pinnacle height.[34][35][36]
13 PNC Bank Building 491 / 150 40 1983 [37][38]
14= Centre Square II 490 / 149 40 1973 [39][40]
14= Five Penn Center 490 / 149 36 1970 [41][42]
16 Murano* 475 / 145 42 2008 Under Construction - this building was topped out October 2007.[43][44]
17 One South Broad 472 / 144 28 1932 Formerly known as the PNB Building.[45][46]
18= 2000 Market Street 435 / 133 29 1973 [47][48]
18= Two Logan Square 435 / 133 35 1987 [49][50]
20 Cira Centre 434 / 133 28 2005 Tallest building in Philadelphia located outside of Center City.[51][52]
21 1700 Market 430 / 131 32 1968 Tallest building completed in the 1960s.[53][54]
22 1835 Market Street 425 / 130 29 1986 Name was changed from Eleven Penn Center in 2003.[55][56]
23 Centre Square I 417 / 127 32 1973 [57][58]
24 Aramark Tower 412 / 126 32 1984 Formerly known as One Reading Center.[59][60]
25 Wachovia Building 405 / 123 29 1927 [61][62]
26 One Logan Square 400 / 122 31 1983 [63][64]

* Indicates still under construction, but has been topped out.

[edit] Tallest under construction, approved and proposed

 This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures.
Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins.
Comcast Center under construction in February 2007
Comcast Center under construction in February 2007
The Murano under construction in October 2007
The Murano under construction in October 2007

This lists buildings that are under construction, approved, or proposed in Philadelphia that are at least 400 feet (122 meters) in height. Under construction buildings that have already been topped out are also included. The rank that each building would hold if it were completed is listed. However, its rank is not dependent on any other buildings that are not currently completed or topped off.

Name Height*
feet / m		 Floors* Year
(est.)		 Status Notes
American Commerce Center 1,500 / 457 63 2012 Proposed Would become the tallest building in Philadelphia and the 3rd-tallest in the United States upon completion.[65][66]
Bridgman's View Tower 749 / 228 70 2010 Proposed Construction is slated to begin in late 2007. Upon completion, it would become the 5th-tallest building in the city.[67]
Cira Centre South Office Tower 40 2012 Approved Height figures have not yet been released.[68][69][70]
Old City Harbor Tower II 636 / 194 37 2010 Proposed Would stand as the 6th-tallest building in the city upon completion. Planned to be the same height as Old City Harbor Tower III.[71][72]
Old City Harbor Tower III 636 / 194 37 2010 Proposed Would stand as the 6th-tallest building in the city upon completion. Planned to be the same height as Old City Harbor Tower II.[73]
Mandeville Place 607 / 185 41 2008 Proposed Would stand as the 7th-tallest building and the tallest all-residential building in the city upon completion.[74][75]
1441 Chestnut 585 / 178 48 2009 Approved Would stand as the 7th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[76][77]
Trump Tower Philadelphia 528 / 161 45 2008 Proposed Would stand as the 10th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[78][79]
Residences at the Ritz-Carlton 518 / 158 44 2008 Under construction Would stand as the 10th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[80][81]
The Murano 475 / 145 42 2008 Under construction This building was topped off in October 2007, becoming the 16th-tallest building in the city.[43][44]
Old City Harbor Tower I 435 / 132 42 2010 Proposed Would stand as the 20th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[82]
The Horizon 409 / 125 37 2009 Approved Would stand as the 24th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[83][84]
Parkway22 Tower I 407 / 124 35 2009 Approved Would stand as the 24th-tallest building in the city upon completion.[85][86]

* Table entry without text indicates that information regarding a building's height has not yet been released.

[edit] Timeline of tallest buildings

Philadelphia City Hall, which served as the tallest building in the city for 86 years
Philadelphia City Hall, which served as the tallest building in the city for 86 years

Due to the 'gentleman's agreement' not to build higher than the tip of the statue of William Penn that rests atop the City Hall,[5] Philadelphia has seen very few city record holders compared to other cities with comparably large skylines. The City Hall stood as the tallest structure in the city for 86 years, and was also a world record holder for tallest habitable building in the world from 1901 until the 1908 completion of the Singer Building in New York City.

Name Street address Years as tallest Height
feet / m		 Floors References
Christ Church 20 North American Street 1754-1901 196 / 60 [4][87]
Philadelphia City Hall Broad & Market Street 1901-1987 548 / 167 9 [7][88]
One Liberty Place 1650 Market Street 1987-2008 945 / 288 61 [3][89]
Comcast Center 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard 2008-present 975 / 297 57 [1][10]

[edit] See also

Philadelphia Portal

[edit] Notes

A. ^ New York has 205 existing and under construction buildings over 500 feet (152 m), Chicago has 104, Miami has 37, Houston has 29, Los Angeles has 22, Dallas has 19, Atlanta has 19, San Francisco has 18, Boston has 16, Las Vegas has 15, Seattle has 13, Philadelphia has 11. Source of Skyline ranking information: SkyscraperPage.com.

[edit] References

General
Specific
  1. ^ a b c Comcast Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  2. ^ Cynwyd, Bala. L.F. Driscoll Co. tops out Comcast Center. L.F. Driscoll. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  3. ^ a b c One Liberty Place. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  4. ^ a b Christ Church. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  5. ^ a b c City Hall. PhillySkyline.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  6. ^ City Hall. GalenFrysinger.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  7. ^ a b c Philadelphia City Hall. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  8. ^ Cooperman, Emily T.. Philly's 50 tallest buildings. phillyskyline.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  9. ^ One Meridian Plaza. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  10. ^ a b Comcast Center. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  11. ^ One Liberty Place. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  12. ^ One Liberty Place. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  13. ^ Two Liberty Place. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  14. ^ Two Liberty Place. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  15. ^ Two Liberty Place. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  16. ^ Mellon Bank Center. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  17. ^ Mellon Bank Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  18. ^ Mellon Building. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  19. ^ Bell Atlantic Tower. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  20. ^ Bell Atlantic Tower. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  21. ^ Verizon Tower. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  22. ^ G. Fred DiBona, Jr. Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  23. ^ G. Fred DiBona, Jr. Building. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  24. ^ Independence Blue Cross Tower. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  25. ^ One Commerce Square. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  26. ^ a b Commerce Square. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  27. ^ Two Commerce Square. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  28. ^ Philadelphia City Hall. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  29. ^ 1818 Market Street. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  30. ^ 1818 Market Street. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  31. ^ The St. James. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  32. ^ The Saint James. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  33. ^ Dupré, Judith (1996). Skyscrapers. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., page 41. ISBN 1-884822-45-2. 
  34. ^ Loews Philadelphia Hotel. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  35. ^ Loews Philadelphia Hotel. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  36. ^ PSFS Building. Structurae.de. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  37. ^ PNC Bank Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  38. ^ PNC Bank Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  39. ^ Centre Square II. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  40. ^ Centre Square II. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  41. ^ Five Penn Center. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  42. ^ Five Penn Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  43. ^ a b The Murano. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  44. ^ a b The Murano. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  45. ^ One South Broad. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  46. ^ One South Broad. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  47. ^ 2000 Market Street. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  48. ^ 2000 Market Street. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  49. ^ Two Logan Square. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  50. ^ 2 Logan Square. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  51. ^ Cira Center. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  52. ^ Cira Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  53. ^ 1700 Market. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  54. ^ 1700 Market. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  55. ^ 1835 Market Street. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  56. ^ 1835 Market Street. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  57. ^ Centre Square I. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  58. ^ Centre Square I. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  59. ^ Aramark Tower. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  60. ^ Aramark Tower. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  61. ^ Wachovia Building. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  62. ^ Wachovia Building. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  63. ^ One Logan Square. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  64. ^ 1 Logan Square. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  65. ^ American Commerce Center. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  66. ^ American Commerce Center. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  67. ^ Bridgman's View Tower. Skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  68. ^ Cira Centre South Office Tower. emporis.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.
  69. ^ Cira Centre South. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
  70. ^ Shields, Jeff. Cira Centre South project gets Council panel's OK. Philly.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
  71. ^ Old City Harbor Tower II. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  72. ^ Old City Harbor Tower III. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  73. ^ Old City Harbor Tower III. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  74. ^ Mandeville Place. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  75. ^ Mandeville Place. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  76. ^ 1441 Chestnut. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  77. ^ 1441 Chestnut. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  78. ^ Trump Tower Philadelphia. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  79. ^ Trump Tower Philadelphia. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  80. ^ Residences at the Ritz-Carlton. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  81. ^ Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  82. ^ Old City Harbor Tower (Residential). Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  83. ^ The Horizon. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  84. ^ The Horizon. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  85. ^ Parkway22 Tower I. Emporis.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
  86. ^ Parkway22 Tower I. SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
  87. ^ Avery, Ron (1999). A Concise History of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Otis Books, page 27. ISBN 0-9658825-1-9. 
  88. ^ City Hall. A View On Cities. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  89. ^ Terranova, Antonino (2003). Skyscrapers. Vercelli, Italy: White Star S.r.l., pages 153 - 154. ISBN 0-7607-4733-4. 

[edit] External links

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Skyscrapers in Philadelphia
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See also
List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia · Buildings and architecture of Philadelphia
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