List of tallest buildings in Pittsburgh facts for kids

Skyline of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh skyline 2015 from Mount Washington

Pittsburgh is a big city in the state of Pennsylvania. It's famous for its many tall buildings! There are over 125 buildings that are at least 115 feet (35 m) tall. A good number of these, 32 to be exact, are even taller than 300 feet (91 m).

The very tallest building in Pittsburgh is the U.S. Steel Tower. It has 64 floors and stands 841 feet (256 m) high! It was finished in 1970. This tower is also the fifth tallest building in all of Pennsylvania. The second tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh is the BNY Mellon Center, which reaches 725 feet (221 m) into the sky.

The story of Pittsburgh's skyscrapers began in 1895 with the Carnegie Building. This was the first steel-framed skyscraper in the city, with 13 floors. However, it wasn't the tallest building at the time. The Allegheny County Courthouse, finished in 1888, had a tower that was 249 feet (76 m) tall, making it higher. The Carnegie Building was later taken down in 1952.

Pittsburgh saw a big boom in building tall structures from the late 1960s to the late 1980s. During this time, 11 of the city's 20 tallest buildings were built. This includes the three tallest ones: the U.S. Steel Tower, BNY Mellon Center, and PPG Place. As of 2020, Pittsburgh had 10 completed skyscrapers that were at least 492 feet (150 m) tall. This makes Pittsburgh's skyline the 14th tallest in the United States and 90th in the world! Two of these skyscrapers are even taller than 700 feet (213 m).

Unlike some other big American cities, Pittsburgh didn't build as many new skyscrapers in the early 2000s. Only two buildings over 300 feet (91 m) have been finished since 2000. The 361 feet (110 m) Three PNC Plaza was completed in 2010. The 545 feet (166 m) Tower at PNC Plaza was finished in 2015, making it the newest skyscraper in the city. As of 2022, one tall building, the FNB Financial Center, is still being built.

Pittsburgh's Tallest Buildings

This list shows the tallest completed skyscrapers in Pittsburgh that are at least 300 feet (91 m) tall. We measure their height from the ground to the top of their spires or architectural parts. We don't count antenna masts. If two buildings have the same height, they share a rank, shown by an equal sign (=). An asterisk (*) means the building is still being built but has reached its full height. The "Year" column tells you when the building was finished.

     Was Pennsylvania's tallest building upon completion

Rank	Name	Image	Height ft (m)	Floors	Year	Notes
1	U.S. Steel Tower		841 (256)	64	1970	This is the 58th-tallest building in the United States. It's also the 5th tallest in Pennsylvania. It has been the tallest building in Pittsburgh since 1970. It was the tallest in Pennsylvania from 1970 until 1987. It was called the USX Tower from 1986 to 2000. It is the main office for U.S. Steel and UPMC.
2	BNY Mellon Center		725 (221)	54	1983	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 1980s. It used to be called One Mellon Center. Bank of New York Mellon has many employees here.
3	One PPG Place		635 (194)	40	1984	This building is the main office for PPG Industries and also for Kraft Heinz.
4	Fifth Avenue Place		616 (188)	32	1988	This is the main office for Highmark.
5	One Oxford Centre		615 (187)	45	1983	This building used to be the main office for Oxford Development. Now, many different companies have offices here.
6	Gulf Tower		582 (177)	44	1932	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 1930s. It used to be the main office for Gulf Oil. Since 1982, many companies have offices here.
7	Tower at PNC Plaza		544 (166)	33	2015	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 2010s. It is part of the main offices for PNC Financial Services.
8	Cathedral of Learning		535 (163)	42	1936	This is the second-tallest university building in the world! It's a famous building at the University of Pittsburgh. It's the tallest building in the city that is not in Downtown.
9	525 William Penn Place		520 (158)	41	1951	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 1950s. It used to hold the main offices for both U.S. Steel and Mellon Financial. Citizens Financial Group is the biggest tenant here.
10	K&L Gates Center		511 (156)	39	1968	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 1960s. It is the main office for K&L Gates.
11	Grant Building		485 (148)	40	1930	Huntington Bancshares is the biggest tenant here.
12	Koppers Tower		475 (145)	34	1929	This was the tallest building built in Pittsburgh in the 1920s. It is the main office for Koppers.
13	Two PNC Plaza		445 (136)	34	1975	This building is also part of the main offices for PNC Financial Services.
14	EQT Plaza		430 (131)	32	1987	This is the main office for EQT.
15	One PNC Plaza		424 (129)	30	1972	This building is also part of the main offices for PNC Financial Services.
16	The Residences at the Alcoa Building		410 (125)	30	1953	This was the first skyscraper with an all-aluminum outside! It used to be the main office for Alcoa. In 2016, it was changed into the city's tallest apartment building.
17	Federated Tower		358 (109)	27	1986	This is the main office for Federated Investors.
18	11 Stanwix Street		355 (108)	23	1970	This used to be the main office for Westinghouse Electric Corporation. KeyBank is the biggest tenant here.
19	Oliver Building		347 (106)	25	1910	This is the tallest building still standing that was built in Pittsburgh in the 1910s. In 2015, part of it was changed from offices to a hotel.
20=	Three PNC Plaza		344 (105)	23	2010	This building is also part of the main offices for PNC Financial Services. Reed Smith is the biggest tenant here.
20=	Three Gateway Center		344 (105)	24	1952
22	Centre City Tower		341 (104)	26	1971	Huntington Bancshares is the biggest tenant here.
23	William S. Moorhead Federal Building		340 (104)	23	1964
24	Verizon Building		339 (103)	21	1931
25	Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown		333 (101)	22	1959	This is the tallest building in the city that is only a hotel. It used to be a Hilton hotel.
26	Frick Building		330 (101)	20	1902	This is the tallest building still standing that was built in Pittsburgh in the 1900s.
27	Four Gateway Center		305 (93)	22	1960
28=	City View		300 (91)	24	1964	This is an apartment building. It used to be called Washington Plaza.
28=	Commonwealth Building		300 (91)	21	1906	It started being changed into an apartment building in October 2019.
28=	The Carlyle		300 (91)	22	1906	This building was changed into apartments in 2006. When it was an office building, it was named for Union National Bank.

Future Skyscrapers: Approved or Under Construction

Here are some skyscrapers that are approved or being built in Pittsburgh. They will be at least 300 feet (91 m) tall.

* If you see dashes (—) in the table, it means we don't have information about when the building will be finished yet.

Timeline of Pittsburgh's Tallest Buildings

This list shows buildings that were once the tallest in Pittsburgh.

Name	Image	Street address	Years as tallest	Height ft (m)	Floors	Reference
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral		328 Sixth Avenue	1872–1888	200 (61)	N/A
Allegheny County Courthouse		436 Grant Street	1888–1902	249 (76)	5
Farmers Bank Building		301 Fifth Avenue	1902–1910	344 (105)	25
Oliver Building		535 Smithfield Street	1910–1912	347 (106)	25
First National Bank Building		511 Wood Street at Fifth Avenue	1912–1929	387 (118)	26
Koppers Tower		436 7th Avenue	1929-1930	475 (145)	34
Grant Building		330 Grant Street	1930–1932	485 (148)	40
Gulf Building		707 Grant Street	1932–1970	582 (177)	44
U.S. Steel Tower		600 Grant Street	1970–present	841 (256)	64

Tallest Buildings That Were Demolished

This table lists buildings in Pittsburgh that were taken down and were once at least 300 feet (91 m) tall.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Edificios más altos de Pittsburgh para niños

• Architecture of Pittsburgh
• List of tallest buildings in Camden
• List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia