PPL Building

PPL Building
PPL Building
Alternative names	Pennsylvania Power and Light Building
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Commercial offices
Architectural style	Art Deco / Art Moderne
Location	2 North 9th Street; Allentown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.6014°N 75.4758°W
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(s)	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) office building in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the tallest building in the city and the tallest in the Lehigh Valley. 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, with a candle on one face of the building, and a Christmas tree on the other.[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 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.

In popular culture

Exterior shots of the PPL Building appear in the 1954 motion picture Executive Suite.[5]

References

"PPL Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.
"Emporis building ID 125767". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
"PPL Building". SkyscraperPage.
"Christmas lights on PPL building date to the 1950s". The Morning Call. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
"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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[1] "PPL Building". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.

[emporis-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] "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]