List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia

Philadelphia skyline as seen from the old South Street Bridge in November 2007

Philadelphia, the largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is home to 389 completed high-rises,[1] 32 of which stand taller than 400 feet (122 m). The tallest building in the city is currently the 58-story Comcast Center, which rises 975 feet (297 m) in Center City.[2] Comcast Center is also the tallest building in Pennsylvania and the 20th-tallest building in the United States. The second-tallest building is One Liberty Place, which rises 61 floors and 945 feet (288 m).[3] One Liberty Place stood as the tallest building in Pennsylvania for over 20 years until the completion of Comcast Center in 2008. Overall, seven of the ten tallest buildings in Pennsylvania are in Philadelphia, with the remainder being in Pittsburgh.[4] Philadelphia is one of only five American cities with two or more completed buildings over 900 feet (270 m) tall.[5]

Philadelphia's history of tall buildings is generally thought to have begun with the 1754 addition of the steeple to Christ Church, which was one of America's first high-rise structures.[6] Through most of the 20th century, a "gentlemen's agreement" prevented buildings from rising higher than the 548-ft (167-m) Philadelphia City Hall.[7] Despite this, Philadelphia amassed a large collection of high-rise buildings. The completion of One Liberty Place in 1987 broke the agreement,[7] and Philadelphia has since seen the construction of eight skyscrapers that eclipse City Hall in height.

Philadelphia has twice held the tallest habitable building in North America, first with Christ Church, then with City Hall. The latter reigned as the world's tallest building from 1894 to 1908,[8] and is currently the world's second-tallest masonry building, only 1.6 feet (0.49 m) shorter[9] than Mole Antonelliana in Turin.[10] 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.

As of August 2014, there are several major high-rise construction projects underway in Philadelphia. The largest of these projects is the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, which began construction in 2014 and will rise 1,121 feet (342 m) upon completion. The Comcast Innovation and Technology Center will surpass Comcast Center by over 100 feet (30 m) to become the tallest skyscraper in Pennsylvania and the tallest building in the country outside of New York and Chicago.[11]

Tallest buildings

This list ranks completed and topped out skyscrapers in Philadelphia that stand at least 400 feet (120 m) tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed. The only demolished building that would have ranked on this list was the 492-foot (150 m) One Meridian Plaza, razed in 1999.[12]

Rank Name Image Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Address Notes
1 Comcast Center 975 (297) 58 2008 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd Tallest building in Pennsylvania; 15th-tallest building in the United States, 98th-tallest in the world; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 2000s[2][13][14] Tallest building between New York and Chicago and between New York and Atlanta. Tallest building in the Mid-Atlantic region. The new Comcast Innovation and Technology Center will surpass the current Comcast center by 172 feet. This super tall tower will be standing at 1,147 feet. It will be the 8th tallest building in the country and the tallest building outside of New York and Chicago.
2 One Liberty Place 945 (288) 61 1987 1650 Market Street Second-tallest skyscraper in the city and state; 20th-tallest building in the country, 112th-tallest in the world; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1980s[3][15][16]
3 Two Liberty Place 848 (258) 58 1990 1601 Chestnut Street 35th-tallest building in the country, 156th-tallest in the world; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1990s[17][18][19]
4 BNY Mellon Center 792 (241) 54 1990 1735 Market Street 47th-tallest building in the country, 279th tallest building in the world; also known as Nine Penn Center[20][21][22]
5 Three Logan Square 739 (225) 55 1991 1717 Arch Street 89th-tallest building in the United States; formerly known as Bell Atlantic Tower and Verizon Tower[23][24][25][26]
6 FMC Tower at Cira Centre South 736 (224) 49 2016 2929 Walnut Street
7 G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building 625 (191) 45 1990 1901 Market Street Formerly known as the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Tower and the IBX Tower[27][28][29]
8 One Commerce Square 565 (172) 41 1992 2005 West Market Street [30][31]
9 Two Commerce Square 565 (172) 41 1987 2001 West Market Street [31][32]
10 Philadelphia City Hall 548 (167) 9 1901 1 Penn Square Tallest building in the United States and the world from 1901 until the completion of the Singer Building in 1908[33][34]
11 The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton 518 (158) 48 2009 1414 South Penn Square Tallest residential building in the city.[35][36][37]
12 1818 Market Street 500 (152) 40 1974 1818 Market Street Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1970s[38][39]
13 The St. James 498 (152) 45 2004 700 Walnut Street Tallest building located east of Broad Street[40][41]
14 Loews Philadelphia Hotel 492 (150) 36 1932 1200 Market Street Formerly known as the PSFS Building.[42] Tallest hotel in the city. With its antenna, the building reaches a height of 750 feet (229 m), making it the 5th-tallest building in the city. Total building area stands at 631,006 sq.ft[43][44][45][46]
15 PNC Bank Building 491 (150) 40 1983 1600 Market Street [47][48]
16 Centre Square II 490 (149) 40 1973 Market and 15th Streets [49][50]
17 Five Penn Center 490 (149) 36 1970 1601 Market Street [51][52]
18 Murano 475 (145) 43 2008 2101 Market Street [53][54][55]
19 One South Broad 472 (144) 28 1932 1 South Broad Street Formerly known as the Lincoln-Liberty Building and the PNB (Philadelphia National Bank) Building[56][57]
20 2000 Market Street 435 (133) 29 1973 2000 Market Street [58][59]
21 Two Logan Square 435 (133) 35 1987 100 North 18th Street [60][61]
22 Cira Centre 434 (133) 28 2005 30th and Arch Streets Tallest building in Philadelphia outside Center City although, once completed, the FMC tower will surpass the current Cira Centre.[62][63]
23 1700 Market 430 (131) 32 1968 1700 Market Street Tallest building completed in the 1960s[64][65]
24 Evo at Cira Centre South 430 (131) 33 2014 2930 Chestnut Street [66][67][68]
25 1835 Market Street 425 (130) 29 1986 1835 Market Street Name was changed from Eleven Penn Center in 2003[69][70]
26 Centre Square I 417 (127) 32 1973 Market and 15th Streets [71][72]
27 Aramark Tower 412 (126) 32 1984 1101 Market Street Formerly known as One Reading Center[73][74]
28 Wells Fargo Building 405 (123) 29 1927 123 South Broad Street [75][76]
29 1706 Rittenhouse 401 (122) 33 2010 1706 Rittenhouse Square [77]
30 One Logan Square 400 (122) 31 1983 130 North 18th Street [78][79]

Tallest under construction

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year*
(est.)
Status Notes
Comcast Innovation and Technology Center 1,147 (349)[80] 60[80] 2018[11][81] Under construction[81] Construction broke ground July 2014.[81] This will be the tallest building in Philadelphia, and the 8th tallest in the country.[80]
W Hotel & Element by Westin Philadelphia 582 (177) 51 2017 Under Construction Directly south of the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton. Surface digging on the lot began February 2015.[82][83]
FMC Tower 730 (223) 47 2016 Topped Out [84]
1910 Chestnut 406 (124) 32 2018 Under Construction [85]

Tallest approved or proposed

This lists buildings that have been approved or are proposed for construction in Philadelphia and are planned to rise at least 400 feet (120 m). A floor count of 40 stories is used as the cutoff for buildings whose heights have not yet been released by their developers.

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year*
(est.)
Status Notes
2901 Arch Street - Transit Terminal Tower (30th Street Station District) 1,200 (365) 85 Proposed If approved and built will be the tallest in the city.
3101 Market - Schuylkill Yards 1,095 (333) 70 Proposed If approved and built will be the second tallest in the city. It will be the third tallest if Transit Terminal Tower is built.
3125 JFK Blvd - Schuylkill Yards 725 (221) 48 Proposed
3001 JFK Blvd - Cira II (30th Street Station District) 705 (214) 45 Proposed [86]
2928 Race Street (30th Street Station District) 670 (204) 45 Proposed
1911 Walnut 620 (189) 50 2019 Proposed [86]
3100 Cherry Street (30th Street Station District) 605 (184) 40 Proposed
2929 Race Street (30th Street Station District) 590 (180) 40 Proposed
3000 Baring Street (30th Street Station District) 570 (174) 38 Proposed
SLS Lux Hotel and Residences 566 (172) 45 2019 Approved
3001 Chestnut - Schuylkill Yards 515 (156) 42 Proposed
Cathedral Tower I 508 (154) 44 2020 Proposed [86]
2100 Market 500 (152.4) 39 2020 Proposed [86]
3151 JFK Blvd - Schuylkill Yards 435 (132) 36 Proposed
3100 Winter Street (30th Street Station District) 435 (132) 30 Proposed
MIC Tower 429 (130) 35 2019 Approved [85]
Liberty on the River - Rental Building 2 428 (130) 34 2019 Proposed [85]
Liberty on the River - Senior Living Building 428 (130) 34 2019 Proposed [85]
1001 S. Broad 426 (129) 34 2018 Approved [85]
3000 Market - Schuylkill Yards 425 (129) 30 Proposed
3120 Race Street (30th Street Station District) 405 (123) 27 Proposed

* Table entries with dashes (—) indicate that information regarding building heights or dates of completion has not yet been released.

Tallest never built

Name Height
ft (m)
Floors Year Cancelled Reason Cancelled Notes
American Commerce Center 1,510 ft (460 m) 89 2009 2008 Recession Would have been the tallest building in the United States by official height. And second tallest by pinnacle height (including antennas) behind the Willis Tower.

Timeline of tallest buildings

A 1898 poster of skyscrapers in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has seen few city record-holders compared to other cities with comparable skylines. Although churches, cathedrals, and the like are not technically considered to be skyscrapers, Christ Church, after being surmounted with its lofty spire in 1754, stood as its tallest building for 102 years before being surpassed by the (no longer extant) spire of Tenth Presbyterian Church, which was only surpassed by the North American Building in 1900. Then, due to the "gentlemen's agreement" not to build higher than the top of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall,[7] that building stood as the city's tallest structure for 86 years; it also held the world record for tallest habitable building from 1901 until the 1908 completion of the Singer Building in New York City. Schuylkill Yards

Name Image Street address Years as tallest Height
ft (m)
Floors Architect Reference
Independence Hall 520 Chestnut Street 1748–1754 134 (41) Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton
Christ Church 20 North American Street 1754–1856 196 (60) Robert Smith [6][87]
Tenth Presbyterian Church 17th & Spruce Streets 1856–1900 250 (76) John McArthur, Jr. [88]
North American Building 121 South Broad Street 1900–1901 267 (81) 21 James H. Windrim [89]
Philadelphia City Hall Broad & Market Streets 1901–1987 548 (167) 9 John McArthur, Jr. [33][90]
One Liberty Place 1650 Market Street 1987–2008 945 (288) 61 Helmut Jahn [3][91]
Comcast Center 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard 2008–present 974 (297) 57 Robert A. M. Stern Architects [2][13]

See also

References

General
Specific
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External links

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