The Lehigh Valley's two tallest buildings: Bethlehem's Martin Tower in the foreground and the PPL Building five miles away in Allentown. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)
For 45 years, the PPL Building in Allentown was the tallest in the Lehigh Valley. By next week, it will be again.
Completed in 1928, the 322-foot-tall tower was meant to symbolize the commitment to the region by the company then called Pennsylvania Power & Light. It still serves as PPL’s main office today.
Then came Martin Tower. The headquarters for Bethlehem Steel opened in 1973 – five miles away but still within view of the PPL Building, and 10 feet taller.
After years of vacancy, Martin Tower will be demolished on Sunday and the PPL Building will again be tops in the Lehigh Valley. In honor of the occasion, we gathered some facts from PPL and other sources about the Valley's once and future tallest building.
Stages of the PPL Building's construction. The nearly finished building seen in November 1927, eight months before it opened. (Photos courtesy PPL)
1. It’s as old as sliced bread
You’ve heard of the greatest thing since sliced bread? The PPL Building's groundbreaking actually predates that.
Construction started in 1926 with the goal of consolidating the company that had been spread out over a dozen small offices. It opened July 16, 1928 – that's 10 days after the first automatically sliced loaf of bread was sold.
The PPL Building in Allentown. (Photo courtesy of PPL)
2. Its architects also designed Rockefeller Center
Harvey Corbett designed the PPL Building and Wallace K. Harrison was the onsite architect. Both men also had a hand in Rockefeller Center and other famous landmarks. The PPL Building was Harrison's first skyscraper, according to the Society of Architectural Historians, and he went on to design the United Nations headquarters and several New York City skyscrapers.
Image courtesy of PPL
3. It has intricate designs
Look closely at the east side of the PPL Building's exterior and you will see designs by Ukrainian sculptor Alexander Archipenko, such as this pair of eels pouring water over cogs, symbolizing hydroelectric power. Archipenko became a U.S. citizen 1928, the same year the PPL Building was completed.
Photo courtesy of PPL
4. It is made of 2.8 million bricks.
Two million eight hundred and forty seven thousand bricks, to be a little more exact.
Also used in its construction: 5,400 tons of stone; 5,700 tons of steel; 42 miles of piping; 104,200 bags of cement and 250,000 rivets. The building has 1,397 doors and windows.
The PPL logo is seen on equipment during an electricity safety demonstration in Allentown. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)
5. It had the fastest electric elevators in the world.
They went 650 feet per minute – tops at the time the building opened in 1928, according to PPL.
Photo courtesy of PPL
6. It lights up different colors for different events
Like the Empire State Building, the lights at the top of the PPL Building change color based on whatever is happening that week. For instance, this week the building is blue for food allergy awareness month. Next week it will be blue and orange for emergency medical services week. (You can see the upcoming schedule or submit requests on PPL's website.)
This is actually a relatively new development. The special lighting program began in 2016 after PPL upgraded to LED lights, according to a spokeswoman. Before that, it was lit up in red and orange for decades. One notable exception: The lights were switched off for a time during the energy crisis of the 1970s.
Around the holidays, the building is illuminated like a Christmas tree. A spokeswoman said this tradition dates back to the 1930s.
A falcon checks in on the hatchlings in a nesting box on Allentown's PPL Building in this screenshot of a live feed on May 14, 2018. (Photo courtesy of PPL)
7. It has been home to peregrine falcons
Peregrine falcons, once considered endangered, have nested on the PPL Building at least twice, once in 2008 and again in 2018. They were banded by the Pennsylvania Game Commission so they could be tracked and studied. A PPL spokeswoman said last year's falcon family has moved to the 8th Street bridge.
Photo courtesy of PPL
8. It is still one of the tallest buildings in Pennsylvania outside of Philly or Pittsburgh
When it opened in 1928, PPL says its building was the tallest between New York City and Pittsburgh. It is still one of the tallest buildings in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Those cities aside, the 322-foot-tall PPL Building is behind only Harrisburg’s 333 Market Street (341 feet) and Bethlehem’s Martin Tower (332 feet), which will be demolished May 19.
Steve Novak may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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