Koppers Tower

Koppers Building is a historical building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, commissioned by Andrew W. Mellon and completed in 1929. The Building is named after the Koppers Chemical Corporation and is one of the major features of Downtown Pittsburgh.

Koppers Building
Koppers Building (left) and Gulf Tower, 2015
General information
TypeOffices
Location436 Seventh Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°26′31″N 79°59′44″W
Construction started1927
CompletedMarch, 1929
Cost$5.3 million
($78.9 million today)
Height
Roof475 ft (145 m)
Technical details
Floor count34
Floor area290,464 sq ft (26,985 m2)
Lifts/elevators13
Design and construction
ArchitectGraham, Anderson, Probst & White with E. P. Mellon
DeveloperAndrew W. Mellon
Main contractorMellon-Stuart
Designated1973[1]

Overview

Koppers Building was completed in March 1929, and it has 34 floors at a cost of $5.3 million (equivalent to $78.9 million in 2019).[2] It rises 475 feet (145 m) above Downtown Pittsburgh. Its address is Grant Street & Seventh Avenue. It is the best example of Art Deco construction and ornamentation in Pittsburgh.[3]

It is constructed with Indiana limestone with a polished granite base and dark copper roof. Inside the Koppers Building the lobby is richly decorated with marble walls. Its copper roof is pitched in a chateau-like design and is illuminated at night. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White.

In February 1948, Equitable of New York purchased the building for $6 million (equivalent to $68.7 million in 2019).[4]

References
  1. Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  2. Gannon, Joyce (November 14, 2004). "As Koppers Building marks 75 years, the iconic structure also marks changes in region". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  3. Conti, John (May 4, 2013). "Art Deco style survives in Pittsburgh — if you look around". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  4. "Koppers Building Chronology". Historic Pittsburgh. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved November 26, 2017.

Further reading
  • Toker, Franklin (2007). Buildings of Pittsburgh. Center for American Places. ISBN 978-0813926506.
Preceded by
Two PNC Plaza		 Pittsburgh Skyscrapers by Height
475 feet (145 m)
35 floors		 Succeeded by
Grant Building
Preceded by
Grant Building		 Pittsburgh Skyscrapers by Year of Completion
1929		 Succeeded by
Gulf Tower
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