List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia
, the largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, is home to more than 300 completed high-rise buildings up to, and 56 completed skyscrapers of or taller, of which 32 are or taller and are listed below., the tallest building in the city is the 60-story Comcast Technology Center, which topped out at in Center City on November 27, 2017 and was completed in 2018. Comcast Technology Center is the tallest building in the United States outside Manhattan and Chicago, and is currently ranked as the tenth-tallest building in the United States. The second-tallest building in Philadelphia is the 58-story Comcast Center at, while the third-tallest building is One Liberty Place, which rises 61 floors and. 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. Philadelphia is one of only five American cities with two or more completed buildings over tall, the others being New York City, Chicago, Houston, and Los Angeles.
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. Through most of the 20th century, a "gentlemen's agreement" prevented buildings from rising higher than the 548-ft Philadelphia City Hall. Despite this, Philadelphia amassed a large collection of high-rise buildings. The completion of One Liberty Place in 1987 broke the agreement, and Philadelphia has since seen the construction of ten 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, and is currently the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin. Like other large American cities, Philadelphia went through a massive building boom in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in the completion of 20 skyscrapers of or taller.
, three high-rise construction projects are active in Philadelphia: the W Hotel & Element by Westin at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, with completion expected later in 2020; Arthaus and The Laurel, both residential buildings, with completion expected in 2021.
Tallest buildings
This list ranks completed and topped out skyscrapers in Center City Philadelphia that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement, including spires and architectural details but excluding 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 One Meridian Plaza, razed in 1999.| Rank | Name | Image | Height ft | Floors | Year | Address | Notes |
| 1 | Comcast Technology Center | 60 | 2018 | 1800 Arch Street | Construction broke ground July 2014; topped out on November 27, 2017; currently the tallest building in Philadelphia, and the tallest building in the United States outside Manhattan and Chicago, the tenth-tallest building in the United States; opened to staff in July 2018 and the public in October 2018. | ||
| 2 | Comcast Center | 58 | 2008 | 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd | Second-tallest building in the state; 23rd-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 2000s | ||
| 3 | One Liberty Place | 61 | 1987 | 1650 Market Street | Philadelphia's first skyscraper. Third-tallest building in the state; 28th-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1980s | ||
| 4 | Two Liberty Place | 58 | 1990 | 1601 Chestnut Street | 48th-tallest building in the country; tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1990s | ||
| 5 | BNY Mellon Center | 54 | 1990 | 1735 Market Street | 63rd-tallest building in the country; also known as Nine Penn Center | ||
| 6 | Three Logan Square | 55 | 1991 | 1717 Arch Street | 112th-tallest building in the country; formerly known as Bell Atlantic Tower and Verizon Tower | ||
| 7 | FMC Tower at Cira Centre South | 49 | 2016 | 2929 Walnut Street | 121st-tallest building in the country; the tallest building in Philadelphia outside Center City | ||
| 8 | G. Fred DiBona Jr. Building | 45 | 1990 | 1901 Market Street | Formerly known as the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Tower and the IBX Tower | ||
| 9 | W Hotel & Element by Westin Philadelphia | 51 | 2020 | 1441 Chestnut Street | Topped out; completion expected in 2020 | ||
| 10= | One Commerce Square | 41 | 1987 | 2005 West Market Street | |||
| 10= | Two Commerce Square | 41 | 1992 | 2001 West Market Street | |||
| 12 | Philadelphia City Hall | 9 | 1901 | 1 Penn Square | 1901 is the official year of completion and the transfer of ownership to the city government; however, the tower had been topped out in 1894 and the building had been partially occupied by then, making it the tallest habitable building in the United States and the world from 1894 until the completion of the Singer Building in 1908. | ||
| 13 | The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton | 48 | 2009 | 1414 South Penn Square | Tallest residential building in the city | ||
| 14 | 1818 Market Street | 40 | 1974 | 1818 Market Street | Tallest building completed in Philadelphia in the 1970s | ||
| 15 | The St. James | 45 | 2004 | 700 Walnut Street | Tallest building located east of Broad Street | ||
| 16 | Loews Philadelphia Hotel | 36 | 1932 | 1200 Market Street | Formerly known as the PSFS Building; tallest hotel in the city, until the Four Seasons opens in the Comcast Technology Center; the building reaches a height of 750 feet with its antenna, making it the 6th-tallest building in the city; total building area is | ||
| 17 | PNC Bank Building | 40 | 1983 | 1600 Market Street | |||
| 18= | Centre Square II | 40 | 1973 | Market and 15th Streets | |||
| 18= | Five Penn Center | 36 | 1970 | 1601 Market Street | |||
| 20 | Murano | 43 | 2008 | 2101 Market Street | |||
| 21 | One South Broad | 28 | 1932 | 1 South Broad Street | Formerly known as the Lincoln-Liberty Building and the PNB Building | ||
| 22= | 2000 Market Street | 29 | 1973 | 2000 Market Street | |||
| 22= | Two Logan Square | 35 | 1987 | 100 North 18th Street | |||
| 24 | Cira Centre | 28 | 2005 | 30th and Arch Streets | |||
| 25= | 1700 Market | 32 | 1968 | 1700 Market Street | Tallest building completed in the 1960s | ||
| 25= | Evo at Cira Centre South | 33 | 2014 | 2930 Chestnut Street | |||
| 27 | 1835 Market Street | 29 | 1986 | 1835 Market Street | Name was changed from Eleven Penn Center in 2003 | ||
| 28 | Centre Square I | 32 | 1973 | Market and 15th Streets | |||
| 29 | Jefferson Tower | 32 | 1984 | 1101 Market Street | Formerly known as One Reading Center and the Aramark Tower. | ||
| 30 | Wells Fargo Building | 29 | 1927 | 123 South Broad Street | |||
| 31 | 1706 Rittenhouse | 33 | 2010 | 1706 Rittenhouse Square | |||
| 32 | One Logan Square | 31 | 1983 | 130 North 18th Street |
Tallest under construction
Tallest approved or proposed
This list includes buildings of or higher that have been approved or are proposed for construction in Philadelphia. The list is mainly based on the status of proposals on the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat's website, as of 2020.| Name | Height* ft | Floors* | Year* | Proposed | Notes |
| Transit Terminal Tower | 85 | 2028 | 2016 | Would be the tallest in the city, if approved and built | |
| 3101 Market - Schuylkill Yards | 70 | 2025 | 2016 | Would be the third tallest in the city, if approved and built | |
| Cathedral Place - phase 2 | 2020 | 17th and Vine St.; phase 1 is a building at 17th and Race St. | |||
| 1301 Market Street | 38 | 2020 | 2016 | Office building | |
| 3001 JFK Blvd - Schuylkill Yards | 34 | 2019 | Office building | ||
| 2100 Market Street | 39 | 2020 | 2015 | Residential, office, and retail building | |
| Mellon Independence Center Tower | 30 | 2014 | Residential building at 7th and Market St. |
Cancelled or distressed
Timeline of tallest buildings
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 spire of Tenth Presbyterian Church, which was surpassed by City Hall in 1894. Then, due to the "gentlemen's agreement" not to build higher than the top of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall, that building stood as the city's tallest structure for 93 years; it also held the world record for tallest habitable building from 1894 until the 1908 completion of the Singer Building in New York City.| Name | Image | Street address | Years as tallest | Height ft | Floors | Architect | Reference |
| Independence Hall | 520 Chestnut Street | 1748–1754 | Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton | ||||
| Christ Church | 20 North American Street | 1754–1856 | Robert Smith | ||||
| Tenth Presbyterian Church | 17th & Spruce Streets | 1856–1894 | John McArthur, Jr. | ||||
| Philadelphia City Hall | Broad & Market Streets | 1894–1987 | 9 | John McArthur, Jr. | |||
| One Liberty Place | 1650 Market Street | 1987–2008 | 61 | Helmut Jahn | |||
| Comcast Center | 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard | 2008–2017 | 57 | Robert A. M. Stern Architects | |||
| Comcast Technology Center | 1800 Arch Street | 2017–present | 60 | Norman Foster |