PPL Building
Alternative namesPennsylvania Power and Light Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Architectural styleArt Deco / Art Moderne
Location2 North 9th Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°36′05″N 75°28′33″W / 40.6014°N 75.4758°W / 40.6014; -75.4758
Construction started1926
Completed1928
Height
Roof98.02 m (321.6 ft)
Technical details
Floor count24
Floor area19,094 m2 (205,530 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators6
Design and construction
Architect(s)Helmle, Corbett & Harrison
References
[1][2][3]

The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, is a 24-story office building in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At 98.02 m (321.6 ft) in height, it is the tallest building in the city and the surrounding Lehigh Valley metropolitan area. The building is the headquarters for PPL Corporation, the main electricity provider for the Lehigh Valley, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and other regions of Pennsylvania and the United States.

The PPL Building is often uniquely illuminated at night, especially during the Christmas season, with a candle on one face of the building, and a Christmas tree on the other.[4]

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 City's Rockefeller Center and other prominent 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.

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.

In June of 2023, PPL Corporation announced plans to vacate the building and put it up for sale.[5]

Exterior shots of the PPL Building appear in Executive Suite, a 1954 film.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "PPL Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
  2. 1 2 "Emporis building ID 125767". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
  3. ↑ "PPL Building". SkyscraperPage.
  4. ↑ "Christmas lights on PPL building date to the 1950s". The Morning Call. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. ↑ https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/2023/06/ppl-corp-leaving-the-ppl-building-allentown-landmark-for-sale-after-power-company-relocates.html
  6. ↑ "M. Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' joins these 21 other films shot in the Lehigh Valley," Lehigh Valley Live, September 24, 2019, retrieved February 15, 2022]
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