PPL Building

The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, is a 24-story office building in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At 321.6 ft (98.0 m) in height, it is the tallest building in the city and the surrounding Lehigh Valley metropolitan area. The building is the headquarters for PPL Corporation, the main electricity provider for the Lehigh Valley, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and other regions of Pennsylvania and the United States.

PPL Building
PPL Building in January 2007
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 / 40.6014; -75.4758
Construction started	1926
Completed	1928
Height
Roof	321.6 ft (98.0 m)
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 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]

History

The PPL Building was built between 1926 and 1928 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.

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.

In June of 2023, PPL Corporation announced plans to vacate the building and put it up for sale.^[5] In early 2024, the building was sold for $9 million to a Luzerne County, Pennsylvania-based realtor, which plans to convert it into commercial spaces, apartments, and other amenities.^[6]

In popular culture

Exterior shots of the PPL Building appear in Executive Suite, a 1954 film.^[7]