PPL Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids PPL Building |
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| Alternative names | Pennsylvania Power and Light Building |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Architectural style | Art Deco / Art Moderne |
| Location | 2 North 9th Street Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°36′05″N 75°28′33″W / 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 | Helmle, Corbett & Harrison |
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 after Bethlehem's Martin Tower was demolished on May 19, 2019. 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. 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's Rockefeller Center among other buildings. The building exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko. 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.
Exterior shots of the building were used in the motion picture Executive Suite.
